playmouth city museum & art gallery
Galleries
There are nine permanent galleries where you can view thousands of objects and artworks from our world cultures, Ancient Egypt, archaeology, maritime and local history, natural history, fine art and decorative art collections.
Bringing the World to Plymouth:
Discover how objects from around the world have ended up in the Museum's collections!
Weaving together the sights, sounds and stories from a variety of world cultures, 'Bringing the World to Plymouth' showcases objects such as ornaments, porcelain, fabrics, costumes, vibrant beadwork and carvings from Africa, Asia and Oceania - many of which have never been displayed before.
Walk in the footsteps of some of the key collectors who have donated items to the Museum.
These include:
Gertrude Benham - an intrepid explorer who trekked across the world in the early 1900s
Reverend Harry Moore Dauncey - who spent nearly 40 years living in Delena on the south coast of Papua New Guinea
Reverend Sidney John Delight - who worked at the theological college in Ningpo (now Ningbo), China in the 1920s.
Ancient Egypt:
Immerse yourself in one of the world’s most ancient cultures with our new 'Ancient Egypt' gallery, which features a selection of objects collected by archaeologists between the 1840s and 1920s.
See amulets, jewellery and god figures and try to identify the fake animal mummy in the ‘Life’ section of the gallery. In the ‘Death’ section, find a beaded funerary net, tomb figures, a painted shabti box and a canopic jar.
The highlight of the gallery is a decorative inner coffin which once housed a mummy. The coffin originally held the body of Iyhat, a priest at Thebes, the capital of Ancient Egypt and site of modern day Luxor.
Uncovered:
Unearth your ancient history with a gallery of treasures showing how archaeology can open a window on the past and help us understand the place we live in today.
When did people first arrive in the Plymouth area and what did they do when they got here? This is your chance to discover what archaeologists think happened in the distant past!
'Uncovered' contains hundreds of artefacts discovered in the local area such as skulls, domestic items, porcelain, pottery, urns, ingots, axes and coins.
The gallery spans a time period that stretches from prehistoric times through to the present and includes objects from the Bronze and Iron Ages, the Roman and Medieval periods.
Plymouth: Port and Place
Explore the story of Plymouth and find out how and why our modern city has developed!
'Plymouth: Port and Place' showcases a variety of objects from the Museum's and several other important City collections, including the City Archive and Plymouth Library Services.
Explore Nature:
Investigate nature in our fun natural history gallery which is packed full of fascinating facts and thrilling things.
See nature 'Inside Out', explore different ways of 'Using Nature', find out more about the variety of 'Pattern and Colour' in the natural world, and discover why museums have a history of 'Collecting Nature'.
With feathers to feel, bugs to boggle at, pickled animals to peek at and old favourites like the hippo skull, this gallery is an interactive space for families to experience and enjoy.
Atrium Gallery:
Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery has a large and fascinating ceramics collection representing many eras and design styles from the ground-breaking work of William Cookworthy and Plymouth Porcelain, to the Japanese inspired 20th Century studio pottery of Bernard Leach. The collection is exhibited in the Atrium Gallery on our first floor balcony.
VISITORS INFORMATION:
Main Museum opening times:
Tuesday to Friday - 10am to 5.30pm
Saturday and Bank Holiday Mondays - 10am to 5pm
Shop and cafe opening times
Tuesday to Saturday and Bank Holiday Mondays - 10.30am to 4pm
Admission is free
Facilities
Toilets:
All toilet facilities are situated on the ground floor of our main building.
Ladies toilet facilities, gentlemen's toilet facilities and a separate accessible toilet is also available.
Baby changing:
Baby changing facilities are situated on the ground floor of our main building in each of our toilets. A changing mat and emergency supplies such as nappies and wet wipes are also available on request from our main Reception.
Address:
Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery
Drake Circus,
Plymouth
PL4 8AJ