Whitby Museum

Whitby museum is an interesting mashup of the old and new. From the entrance there is a free collection of arts in a small art gallery. Beyond this is the entrance to the museum which is the paid for areas. The main bulk of the collection of the museum is displayed in traditional dark wood and glass cabinets with handwritten descriptions. Yet there is also a new wing with additional exhibition space which is very sparse indeed.

There appears to be many different collections from different sources collected together throughout the years that are placed all under one roof which does give it somewhat of a haphazard appearance despite the fact that there is clearly some organisation and thought that has gone into it.

There is a lot of interesting things here that you can spend a great deal of time looking at and learning from the fact that the entrance fee covers readmission for a 12 month period is of great benefit if you are returning in that timeframe. All in all an interesting visit that I would recommend.

This museum and art gallery was recommended to us and it didn't disappoint. The art galley part at the entrance is free but the museum itself is paid entry - excellent value as the entry fee is then valid for a whole year. There is a huge range of interesting exhibits - covering many different topics - and the staff are very friendly and helpful. We look forward to returning as there is too much to see in the couple of hours we were there.

Amazing museum, cafe and park that most people never see. Pannett Park is a few minutes from the main hum of Whitby but as back from harbour people holidaying never see it. The museum is full of interesting art, objects and everything in between that should keep a family busy on a rainy day. Underneath is an Alice in Wonderland themed cafe and outside a beautiful park and children's play area.

Here is a good old fashioned jumble of a museum. It largely comprises one large room with various exhibits, along with a couple of auxiliary rooms. Most of it has some connection to Whitby. For example there are actual fossils to be seen that were found along the coast; a large collection of Whitby jet; numerous stuffed animals of the sort of wildlife found in the area; artifacts from Captain Cook's voyages; an impressive array of model ships; and some pottery as well. I was most struck by the hugely intricate models of ships that were constructed by French prisoners of war during the Napoleonic wars. The prisoners constructed these entirely from leftover bones from their food, but they are as precise and detailed as any other model in the room.

The staff were friendly and no doubt would have been happy to talk about the exhibits if we'd wanted to. The entry price of 7 pounds each seems quite reasonable, and we spent a couple of happy hours in here. Worth the visit!

We’ve being coming to Whitby for the last 20 years, around 10 times over that period, but have never visited the museum before. So on this recent visit, we did.

There’s an awful lot of see, it has a very varied and wide selection of exhibits, from coins and medals, model ships (of course, because of Whitby’s history), natural history (geology, fossils, wildlife etc), Whitby history in general, archaeology, and so on; more subject areas than you can shake a stick at.

We spent 2 hours looking around, and could have easily spent longer. No one could complain for £7, and you can also come back as many times as you like within a year for the entry fee. If we don’t visit again within the next 12 months, I’d be more than happy to pay for another visit.

This is an extensive collection displayed in a very traditional manner. The fossils section is excellent. There's a lot of taxidermy which isn't to my taste. Overall a very interesting way to spend a couple of hours, the £6 entry fee gets you a year long ticket and is well worth it on a rainy day in particular. We didn't take kids but I suspect you'd have to work hard to keep their interest because this is not like a more moden museum where exhibits have been designed to cater to short attention spans.

We loved our visit to the museum. So much interesting history not only about Whitby but around the world. I especially enjoyed learning about the folklore of the hand of glory they have on display and the collection of Victorian dolls.
£7 admission is an absolute bargain and your ticket is valid for a year.
great little tea room onsite aswell serving deli pjs homemade cakes and cuppas.

This is a magnificent building. It is full of fascinating collections and information about fossils, dinosaurs, jet, ships and more general information about the history of the area. The only downside was that the cafe was not open and it was a wet day. We would probably have stayed longer if we'd had a break in walking round - there was a lot to see. The park looked impressive but it was too wet to linger.

We visited after seeing the Weather machine powered by leeches on a recent episode of QI and were in Whitby for our honeymoon. We were so surprised at the amount of exhibitions, artwork and pieces on show. The staff are very friendly and you get a lot for a small entry fee which is valid for a 1 year pass. We’re definitely going to come back again as they have so many things they alternate the exhibits so it’ll be different next time!

Combine a visit here with a walk around the sculpture trail in the park for a good day out. We visited on a rainy day and this was an ideal place to spend the time inside out of the rain. If you're into dinosaurs, fossils and quirky local history, you'll find this fascinating. Well preserved dinosaur skeletons displayed on walls, plenty of other fossils, history of jet found locally plus plenty of natural history displays, etc, plus a few weird and quirky things, like a preserved hand and the story behind it (!) Nice cafe as well, so take a break half way round for a well earned snack. Admission ticket allows you to visit for a whole year after your first visit. Great if you live locally but not for us from 250 miles away!