The Bronte Parsonage Museum
The Bronte Parsonage Museum and Bronte Society provides information about the lives and novels of the Bronte family. The Brontës were the world's most famous literary family and Haworth Parsonage, now the Brontë Parsonage Museum, was their home from 1820 to 1861.
Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë were the authors of some of the best-loved books in the English language. Charlotte's novel Jane Eyre (1847), Emily's Wuthering Heights (1847), and Anne's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848) were written in this house over a hundred and fifty years ago, yet their power still moves readers today.
The Nidderdale Museum, Pateley Bridge
Situated in the picturesque town of Pateley Bridge, North Yorkshire, this fascinating and friendly museum is housed in the former workhouse and is situated opposite St Cuthbert's Parish Church. Its 11 rooms illustrate the rural life of Nidderdale in the recent and more distant past.
www.nidderdalemuseum.com
Gayle Mill, Hawes
Gayle Mill tells a unique story of survival against all the odds, as it reinvented itself time and time again and was rescued from total dereliction.
www.gaylemill.org.uk
Eureka! The National Children’s Museum
Everything at Eureka! has been designed to inspire children to find out about themselves and the world around them through 100s of hands-on exhibits.
www.eureka.org.uk
The National Media Museum, Bradford
The Museum exists to promote appreciation and understanding of the media. It does this by holding collections, making use of those collections in permanent galleries and in a public programme of exhibitions, events, festivals and learning and study activities.
The National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum in York is home to the UK's national rail collection and includes museum visitor info, events, exhibitions and a collection of over 100 locomotives and nearly 200 other items of rolling stock telling the railway story from the early 19th century to the present day.
Kendal Museum
The Museum of Natural History and Archaeology is one of the oldest museums in the country, housing outstanding displays of natural history and archaeology, both local and global. With many examples of Lakeland flora and fauna, the Museum charts developments from prehistoric times to the 20th Century.
Artefacts from the Galava Roman Fort at Ambleside are held at the Museum, and there is a tombstone which tells of a record clerk killed by enemy action. There is a Natural History Gallery which provides glimpses of many Lakeland habitats in the form of a miniature nature trail.
The World Wildlife Gallery houses a unique selection of rare and extinct animals from different continents. It gives an insight into the ideas behind Victorian collecting, and highlights the importance of conservation today. The Wainwright Gallery (above) charts the emergence of Cumbrian man from the Prehistoric period, and houses examples of local Roman artifacts. The Victorian flavour of the Museum has been captured, with many curios of display, including Greek and Egyptian relics. The 20th Century is marked by the recreation of the office of Alfred Wainwright, fell walker and Honorary Curator.
At the Museum there is an impressive new exhibition which tells the story of Kendal Castle, its people and the life of the town. There are displays showing medieval objects, reconstructions of the Castle, computer displays and various activities.
There is an established wildlife garden with varied habitats and wild flowers that attract butterflies and birds. There is free parking and a gift shop. The museum is closed on Sundays.