This list of museums in County Durham, England, contains museums which are defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Also included are non-profit art galleries and university art galleries. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included.
Name Image Town/City Type Summary Ankers House Museum Chester-le-Street Religious Located at St Mary and St Cuthbert Church, medieval room used by anchorites Auckland Castle Bishop Auckland Historic house Home of the Bishop of Durham for over 800 years Beamish Museum Beamish Open air Focus is 1825 and 1913 life in urbanized North East England, includes trains, agriculture, industry exhibits Bishop Auckland Town Hall Bishop Auckland Art Former town hall, houses Bishop Auckland's main public library, a theatre, an art gallery, tourist information centre and a café-bar Bowes Museum Barnard Castle Art Includes fine art, decorative art, ceramics, textiles, tapestries, clocks and costumes DLI Museum Durham Military History of the Durham Light Infantry, located in same building as the Durham Art Gallery Durham Art Gallery Durham Art modern and contemporary art, located in same building as the DLI Museum Durham Castle Durham Historic house Norman castle, part of University College, Durham, open for guided tours Durham Cathedral Durham Religious Includes tower, monk's dormitory, shrine of Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, exhibits on the cathedral's construction and history Durham Mining Museum Spennymoor Mining mining in the Northern part of England Durham Museum and Heritage Centre Durham Local Local history Hartlepool Art Gallery Hartlepool Art Operated by the Hartlepool Borough Council, exhibits of crafts, contemporary and fine art, and photography Hartlepool's Maritime Experience Hartlepool Maritime Recreation of an 18th-century seaport in the time of Lord Nelson, Napoleon and the Battle of Trafalgar Heugh Battery Museum Hartlepool Military Restored 19th century coastal defense battery and exhibits about local coastal artillery forces HMS Trincomalee Hartlepool Maritime Early 19th century Royal Navy Leda class frigate museum ship Hopetown Carriage Works Durham Railway Hopetown Darlington Darlington Railway Heritage railroad and museum Killhope Killhope Mining Former 19th century lead mine, minerals, life of the miner and family Museum of Archaeology Durham Archaeology Also known as Old Fulling Mill Museum of Archaeology, part of the University of Durham, artifacts from prehistoric, Ancient Greece, Roman and medieval periods Museum of Hartlepool Hartlepool Local Local history, maritime heritage, PS Wingfield Castle museum ship National Railway Museum Shildon Shildon Railway Branch of the National Railway Museum, includes over 70 railway heritage vehicles Oriental Museum Durham Ethnographic Part of the University of Durham, includes Chinese, Egyptian, Korean, Japanese and other far east and Asian artifacts Palace Green Library Durham Library Part of the Durham University Library, exhibits from the University's collections in art, history, culture, literature, Preston Park Museum & Grounds Preston-on-Tees Local Includes a recreated period street of the 1890s, period rooms, an armoury and a toy collection Raby Castle Staindrop Historic house Medieval castle with 18th & 19th century decorations, deer park, gardens Rokeby Park Greta Bridge Historic house Palladian-style country house Spennymoor Town Hall Art Gallery Spennymoor Art Municipal art gallery Tanfield Railway Tanfield Railway Heritage railroad and shed with locomotives and equipment Weardale Museum Ireshopeburn Local Local history, mining, geology, John Wesley and Methodist memorabilia, farming, railway
Defunct museums Durham Miners Heritage Centre Vintage Vehicles Shildon, closed in 2012
References
Bibliography Visit Britain: Museums and Galleries in County Durham This is Durham
See also Visitor attractions in County Durham