North Lincolnshire Museum

2467 Reviews

Star Travel Rating

3/5

Review type

Things to do

Location

Date of travel

2012

Product name

Product country

Product city

Travelled with

Family including children under 16

Reasons for trip

This is a small museum covering the social history of the area with some natural history thrown in. The archaeology galleries were refurbished a couple of years ago but many of the other exhibits are unchanged for as long as I can remember. There is a rolling program of temporary exhibits which vary from the history of Scunthorpe United to Riley’s crisps and local art exhibitions. The museum also provides a number of activities during the week from Tot’s time for the under fives to reminiscence sessions for the over 60s. There are also craft activities at weekends.

The museum is in the old Victorian Vicarage of nearby St Lawrence’s Church and surrounded by nice gardens with trees and spring bulbs. It it is only appropriate that one of the rooms should be furnishes as a Victorian parlour complete with all the nicknacks and fripperies.

The contrast with the furnished 18thC iron stone workers cottage rebuilt next to the museum is stark. Life then was hard.

??On the ground floor is the Natural History section with examples of fossils found around the area. The ironstone which Scunthorpe is built on is particularly rich in molluscs. There is also a display case of exotic shells and others with stuffed birds found in the area. There were pencils and paper provided for children to draw and examples of their work pinned up. There is a small book corner with chldren's books.

Behind is a local history section which covers everything from the Haxey hood to World War One. This is a series of display cases exhibiting donated artefacts with basic information. It is a very old fashioned display which hasn’t changed for at least 40 years.

Upstairs is the archaeology section, covering the Stone Age to the Normans. This has had a complete makeover and is an interesting display with plenty of exhibits and a reasonable amount of information attractively displayed. There are large touch pads which give a couple of sentences of basic information about some of the exhibits. These are popular with children who press all of them without listening, but provide little extra information for adults.

It concentrates on local finds making you realise just how rich archaeologically the area is. There is an impressive display of stone axes and bronze age jewellery. Pride of place is given to the Appleby log boat from about 700BC found buried in the mud of the river Ancholme. There is a mosaic floor and section of wall plaster from the Roman villa discovered at Winterington plus other artefacts. There is an Anglo Saxon shield and examples of Anglo-Saxon jewellery. Don’t miss the delightful small chess piece found at Habrough which must rank equal in quality with the Lewis chessmen. There are fragments of stonework from Saxon and Norman churches and the beautifully embossed lead font from Barnetby.

Watch a short video

There is also a small section on World War Two with a reconstructed air raid shelter, complete with sound effects, presumably established with local schools and National Curriculum in mind.

Surprising for a steel town, there is very little on the local iron and steel industry, which is the reason Scunthorpe exists today. There is a video and a couple of old trucks. This seems to be a major omission.

When we visited, the temporary exhibition for the year was on the changing face of the High Street. There were reconstructions of shop fronts with well remembered local names with a selection of 1950s artefacts from the museum stores. This was superficial with little detailed information. In a corner a Wendy house had been turned into a Village Shop with scales, cash register and a selection of foodstuffs for the younger children to play in.

There is a basic shop at reception and a cafe with a 1950s theme. (I’m not sure why this was chosen, possibly to make it stand out as different to other cafes around Scunthorpe). There is a certain amount of tourist literature about the area.

There is a small car park at the back of the museum and it is DDA friendly with a lift to the first floor. Entry is free.

Don’t miss the stone sarcophagus complete with skeleton by the entrance.

This is a local museum and unlikely to attract visitors from out of the area to visit. Apart from the (very old fashioned) display on the Haxey Hood, there is nothing you won’t see elsewhere. The local archaeology section is good. The rest can probably best be summed up as ‘dated’ and in need of a make over. The museum won the best Small Museum of the Year award in the 1970s and much of the downstairs displays haven’t changed since. The temporary exhibitions tend to be superficial and we’ve often been disappointed by them. The museum does try and provide a range of activities for all ages and always has a full week of activities for children during half term weeks and others during the summer holidays.

Visit website

Silver Travel Advisor

Join the club

Become a member to receive exclusive benefits

Our community is the heart of Silver Travel Advisor, we love nothing more than sharing ideas, inspiration, hints and tips between us.

Come feel the love on a Princess cruise. You’ll enjoy the MedallionClass experience others simply can’t, and it’s exclusively for everyone. Visit incredible destinations and be involved in the best experiences around each one of them.

Experience more with Princess and connect effortlessly with the world around you, spend time away with loved ones, take a moment for yourself, and fall in love with your holiday of a lifetime, every time.

With over 20 years of experience, Wendy Wu Tours has mastered the art of creating exceptional, fully inclusive tours which showcase the very best of each destination.

Each tour is led by a world-class guide, who will highlight the very best of their homeland, and includes authentic cultural experiences so you are not just seeing the sights, but truly immersing yourself in local life.

Say hello to ease at sea. Ambassador’s purpose is simple: they want to inspire every guest to experience authentic cruising, effortlessly and sustainably. Passionate about protecting our oceans and destinations, their ships comply with the highest industry emission standards and there is no single-use plastic on board.

On your voyage, you will receive the warmest of welcomes from the Ambassador community as you sail upon the friendliest ships afloat.

This is a global co-operative co-owned by local partners using real local experts and guides, which supports local communities, environments and wildlife. It offers travellers quirky places to stay, activity holidays and learning experiences. Not In The Guidebooks gets travellers off the beaten track into local culture with day experiences and longer, immersive adventures.

From wild wellness breaks in Wales to painting in Portugal, sustainable adventures in Mauritius to food safaris in Brazil, this is immersive, exciting travel.

Seabourn’s five intimate ships carry guests to the heart of great cities, exclusive yacht harbours and secluded coves around the world, while two new purpose-built expedition ships will combine exhilarating adventures in remote destinations with the sophisticated amenities of the world’s finest resorts at sea.

From the luxury of all suite accommodations to complimentary fine wines and spirits, and a no tipping policy, Seabourn exemplifies the definition of travelling well.