The Museum and Victorian School Room are housed in the old school at Allerford, leased to us by the National Trust. The school, built in 1821, was in use to 1981 and then, in 1984, it was reopened as the Rural Life museum, which is owned and administered by a committee of Trustees. The Trust is a Registered Charity which is completely self-supporting, and all the members of staff are volunteers.
The exhibits are displayed in four areas of the old school premises; The Main Hall, The School Room, The Archive Room and Outside Displays. Be transported back in time and will probably recognise objects used daily by your parents, grandparents, local tradesmen and farmers. The pretty village of Allerford lies off the A39 five miles from Minehead and one mile from Porlock and has interesting old cottages and a famous Packhorse Bridge.
The exhibits are displayed in four areas of the old school premises; The Main Hall, The School Room, The Archive Room and Outside Displays. Be transported back in time and will probably recognise objects used daily by your parents, grandparents, local tradesmen and farmers. The pretty village of Allerford lies off the A39 five miles from Minehead and one mile from Porlock and has interesting old cottages and a famous Packhorse Bridge.
Services
As an independent museum and a registered charity, there are a number of ways you can get involved and support our work. Allerford Museum is an independant museum and a registered charity. We are grateful to those who support the museum enabling us to collect and exhibit items of local historical interest and helping us to preserve items for future generations.
The Allerford Museum is a great educational trip for school children and we regularly welcome schools from across the region. If dry, 10-15 minutes of gentle exercises in the playground to demonstrate the Victorian method. Group 2 go to areas of the museum relevant to the Victorian curriculum and are given explanations with demonstrations of the artefacts and how they were used e.g.
Reviews (9)
Tricia Clements
Oct 19, 2021
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Irina Gneusheva
Sep 18, 2021
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Kath Harnett
Sep 16, 2021
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Paul Evans Radios & More
Sep 07, 2021
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Friendly welcome at this quiet, slightly hidden gem in beautiful village setting. Older members of the family will fondly recall using the mid-century exhibits and grandchildren will marvel. All will learn and enjoy. Make sure you look for every room and outside display, not just the schoolroom. They're quite low-profile. (And low-cost entry!) Marvellously laid out, 1 point deducted only because a 1946 radio was dated 1942. The war effort halted bakel ite production and the radio industry as a whole participated in a common building scheme of a basic wooden set called the Utility to a standard
Jason Osprey
Dec 05, 2019
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Joanne Denovan-Smith
Aug 02, 2019
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Robert Crockford
Aug 01, 2019
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Jan Lay
Jun 18, 2019
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Claire Lerp
Oct 01, 2018
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The museum can be found in the quaintest little village in Allerford. There is the most beautiful medieval packhouse bridge, a Ford and cobbles. - so, so pretty. The museum is just up and opposite the Reading room. The toilets in Allerford are permanently shut, so if you’re desperate - there are some in the museum. It is very reasonable to go in. The pi cues in the museum are not top of the range, but it was great to look around and see items that elder family members used to keep in their houses/gardens. There are quite a few rooms to look around, a school room and the outdoor area is full of
