St. Barbe Museum and Art Gallery
St. Barbe Museum and Art Gallery
St. Barbe Museum
New Street
Lymington
Hampshire
SO41 9BH
England
Website
Telephone
01590 676969
Fax
01590 679 997
St. Barbe Museum & Art Gallery tells the story of the coastal strip between the New Forest and The Solent and hosts a changing programme of high quality exhibitions.
St. Barbe Museum & Art Gallery is an independent, charitable organisation run by the Lymington Museum Trust. Since opening in its finished form in 1999 St. Barbe Museum has acquired a reputation as one of the finest small museums and art galleries in the region and has received national recognition for its superb exhibitions.
Venue Type:
Museum, Gallery, Heritage site
The area has seen a thriving salt industry, smugglers landing their illegal cargoes on the coast, and has a long tradition of innovative boat building. The museum's aim is to capture the unique flavour of life in the district and to bring first class art exhibitions into the town. Since the beginning of the project in 1988, we have pursued an active collections policy, and today we have catalogued over 20,000 individual items which will tell the story of the six parishes. The collection covers a wide range from geology - fossils from the 40 million years old Barton Beds; Old Stone Age hand axes, flint tools and medieval pottery; local industry - pistons and piston rings manufactured in Lymington by Wellworthy, as well as many familar and not so familiar objects illustrating the more recent history of the area.
Collection details
Archaeology, Archives, Coins and Medals, Costume and Textiles, Fine Art, Maritime, Natural Sciences, Science and Technology, Social History
The Story of our Coast: Fact, Fiction and Fantasy
- 30 November 2013 — 25 January 2014 *on now
The Story of our Coast: Fact, Fiction and Fantasy, a new exhibition at St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery, Lymington, looks at how the ever-changing south Hampshire coast has played a defining role in the area’s history and why it has been a source of fascination for centuries. Opening on Saturday 30th November, it will run until Saturday 25th January 2014.
The coast has been central to the development of Lymington, its salt industry, port and boat building, and to the growth of Milford and Barton as seaside resorts. Its strategic importance is shown by the building of Hurst Castle by Henry VIII and the World War II anti-invasion defences. Myths and stories have also grown up to become entwined with fact such as giant tidal waves engulfing houses and tunnels, where smugglers hid their booty.
Great visions for the future have been inspired by the coast, but many have never reached fruition. Discover historic plans for a suspension bridge at Lymington, a pier at Milford and a tunnel to connect Keyhaven with the Isle of Wight. Should we be grateful these plans were never progressed, or would they have changed the region for the better? Visit the exhibition and come to your own conclusion.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
Admission
Adults £4, concessions £3, children 5-15 £2.
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