Poole Museum set to reopen following £10m transformation into major cultural destination
Poole Museum reopens this Wednesday with three new maritime galleries, celebrating the town’s ‘rich heritage’
Poole Museum is close to reopening its doors this week following a £10m redevelopment that has transformed one of Dorset’s most historic landmarks into a leading cultural destination of local, regional and national significance.
The museum will officially relaunch on Wednesday 5 November, marking the culmination of a seven-year regeneration project.
The project has seen the conservation and remodelling of its three listed buildings, Oakley’s Mill, Scaplen’s Court and the medieval Town Cellars.
The redevelopment, which more than doubles the public space without new construction, has been funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, BCP Council, Arts Council England, Historic England and several charitable foundations.
Visitors can expect a series of new galleries and exhibitions exploring Poole’s rich maritime history, including Harbour Life, Setting Sail and Shipwreck.
One of the museum’s most striking new displays will feature the Poole Iron Age Logboat - at nearly 10 metres long, it’s the largest ever found in southern Britain -alongside artefacts recovered from three protected shipwrecks.
The new Poole Museum will also host two flexible exhibition spaces, launching with Sound of the Sea, an immersive digital installation that responds to visitors’ movements and explores folk traditions.
A programme of events, workshops and community activities will accompany the reopening.
Cllr Andy Martin, BCP Council’s portfolio holder for culture, said the project represents “a bold statement about our town’s future”.
He added: “Poole Museum’s reopening is more than just the return of a museum; it’s a cultural destination leading the way, celebrating our maritime heritage and how those traditions continue to shape port communities like ours today.”
Jaine Fitzpatrick, Poole Museum’s interim director, said the transformation was about “more than bricks and mortar”.
She said: “We’ve reimagined the museum’s physical spaces and we’re just as ambitious about what happens within them. It’s a place to belong, to create and to be inspired.”
The redevelopment has been designed with inclusivity at its core, ensuring every visitor can explore the museum independently, equally and with dignity.