Top 9 Specialty Museums in Bath, England

Opening June 30, 2021 Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein, a new visitor attraction for Bath, exploring the life of author Mary Shelley and her most famous creation, Frankenstein. The atmosphere within and throughout the building, whichever exhibit or themed room the visitor is experiencing, will evoke a feeling of excitement and dread, albeit always in a thrilling and imaginative way.

Step into the past at one of England's finest Georgian townhouses. * 10 display rooms * Upstairs and downstairs * Georgian shop * Free info room with introductory video * Disabled access * Kids explorer packs * Friendly room guides * 'Women's Suffrage 100: Freedom and Fight in Bath' is the exhibition theme in 2018. The website has an Access section which has details of nearest car-parks, floorplans, facilities and information specifically for our visitors with access needs.

The Museum of Bath at Work is the city’s local history museum telling the tale of 2000 years of the city’s development. It features displays on Bath Stone, Bath Chairs and Bath Buns, and all other ways in which Bath people have earned a living since Roman times. Exhibitions include a complete reconstruction of a Victorian engineering and soft drinks making factory, an Edwardian ironmonger, a cabinet maker’s workshop, a Bath Stone mine and the famous Horstmann car of 1914. A lively programme of temporary exhibitions, events and activities run throughout the year. We have a separate wheelchair entrance that gives access to about ninety percent of the museum, but ring beforehand to learn where it is. The museum receives no income from central, regional or local government, and is a charity set up as an Educational Trust. It has one paid employee supported by an enthusiastic team of museum friends and volunteers.

The elegant, golden-topped neo-classical tower on Lansdown Hill was built by Henry Goodridge in 1827 as a retreat for the eccentric writer, collector and slave owner William Beckford. Born to immense wealth and endowed with precocious talent Beckford created magnificent buildings in which to store his extraordinary art, furniture and book collections. Today the tower houses a museum dedicated to Beckford. The magnificent spiral staircase sweeps up to the Belvedere with its ornately gilded lantern affording breath-taking views over Bath and the surrounding countryside. At the foot of the tower is the Victorian cemetery, once part of Beckford’s pleasure garden, where both he and Goodridge lie buried.

The Fashion Museum Bath is one of the world’s great museum collections of historical and contemporary dress.

This unique collection interprets the rich architectural history of Bath and the men who transformed a provincial town into the world famous Georgian Spa. It demonstrates how classical design influenced the buildings and illustrates the construction of a house from the cellars to the rafters. Based in the Countess of Huntingdon’s Chapel, the building is also home to the Bath Model, a fully detailed architectural model of the historic city centre, giving a unique insight into the layout of the Georgian City.

Travel a timeline to follow the history of the British Postal System through exhibits and displays on the history of the Mail Coach, air transport and airmail, military mail, sea mail and railways.

Discover the stories of Combe Down Stone, the material from which the Georgian City of Bath was built and Ralph Allen, the man behind the enterprise.

The Jane Austen Centre features a permanent exhibition that tells the story of Bath's most famous resident, the author Jane Austen. It explores the effect that living in the Georgian city had on her life and writing. Costumed guides will take you through the exhibition and be on hand to satisfy your quest for knowledge of all things Austen. You will get to taste some period-recipe food, dress up in Regency costume, and have your photo take with the world famous Jane Austen waxwork. A giftshop on the ground floor sells unique items bespoke to the Jane Austen Centre themed on her work. There is as well a delicious Regency Tea Room on the 2nd floor which offers 17 varieties of leafed tea to go with our locally baked cakes. The Centre organises the annual Jane Austen Festival as well as walking tours of the city with an Austen theme.