Name: Bexhill Museum
Rating: 5.0

Bexhill Museum

Egerton Road, Bexhill, East Sussex, TN39 3HL, England

1-90 Years

Paid

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Description

Bexhill Museum is an award-winning, independent attraction that brings the rich history, innovation, and culture of East Sussex to life. Situated on the edge of Egerton Park in Bexhill-on-Sea, it combines traditional heritage with hands-on discovery. It is widely considered one of the best things to do with families in East Sussex if you are looking for an educational day out that spans everything from prehistoric dinosaur footprints to the birth of British motor racing.

Prices start from just £2.00 for children, while adults pay a standard entry fee of £4.00, making it one of the most affordable cultural days out in the region. Under 5s can explore the galleries entirely for free, making it an excellent budget-friendly option for young families.

If you are looking for a unique place for a day out with family and kids that combines science, vintage transport, costume design, and local history, Bexhill Museum is a top-tier choice. It provides an engaging indoor space where kids can marvel at classic speed-record cars, examine archaeological treasures, or admire intricate fashion garments, making it a reliable option regardless of the British weather.

Features

Paid
Host birthday parties: No

Features

Key Features

Motor Racing Birthplace: Celebrates Bexhill’s historic role hosting Britain's very first automobile races in 1902.
Interactive Learning: Provides dedicated activity sheets, model railways, and tactile elements designed to keep children engaged.
Diverse Galleries: Packs four distinct collections—Technology, Costume, Social History, and Archaeology—under one roof.
Inclusive Design: Features level access throughout, disabled parking bays, and accessible bathroom and baby changing facilities.

Top 5 Highlights

The 1902 Serpollet Steam Car: Located in the Technology Gallery, this striking reproduction car showcases the exact type of steam-driven vehicle that won the town's inaugural 1902 speed trials. It is a fantastic way for children to learn about alternative energy from over a century ago.
Eddie Izzard's Model Railway: A firm family favorite, this highly detailed model railway layout was donated by the famous comedian and patron of the museum. Kids love watching the miniature trains navigate the intricate tracks and spotting little hidden details in the scenery.
Dinosaur Footprints & Fossils: Found in the Archaeology collection, this display lets kids get up close to actual fossils and real dinosaur footprints discovered along the Sussex coast. It paints a vivid picture of what East Sussex looked like millions of years ago.
The Volta Electric Car: Another marvel in the transport hub, this sleek 1993 world-record-breaking electric vehicle helps bridge the gap between historic motor innovation and modern eco-technology for young, curious minds.
The Costume Gallery: A beautifully curated space displaying historical clothing from the 18th century to the modern day. It offers a fascinating look at how social statuses, technology, and daily life dictated the changing shape of fashion through the generations.

Facilities

Food & Drink: While there is no full-scale hot restaurant on-site, the museum shop offers quick hot/cold drinks via vending machines alongside snacks and souvenirs.
Picnic Areas: Families are welcome to enjoy packed lunches outside in the beautiful adjacent lawns of Egerton Park.
Education Room: A fully equipped space used for hosted school groups and specialized workshops, also available for community hire.
Accessibility: Offers a fully accessible main entrance, passenger lifts to upper areas, wide corridors for pushchairs, and dedicated disabled access toilets.

Pro-Tips for Parents

Combine with the Park: Since the museum takes a few hours to explore, pack a picnic and plan your day around Egerton Park's playground and the beach to get a perfect mix of indoor learning and outdoor play.
Check the Train Schedule: Coming by rail is stress-free; the station is a straightforward, flat 10-minute walk through the town centre straight to the park gates.
Ask the Volunteers: The museum is run with the help of incredibly knowledgeable local volunteers. Don’t hesitate to ask them questions—they have fantastic stories about the town's smuggling past and motor racing history that aren't on the signs!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bexhill Museum good for toddlers? Yes! While it appeals heavily to older kids interested in cars and dinosaurs, toddlers love watching Eddie Izzard’s model railway move around the tracks and exploring the open spaces of the adjoining Egerton Park right outside the front doors.
How long do people usually spend at the museum? Most families spend between 2 and 3 hours exploring the four distinct galleries. Because it sits right next to a major park and the beach, it easily forms the focal centerpiece of a full half-day family itinerary.
Is the museum fully accessible for strollers and wheelchairs? Absolutely. The museum underwent a major modernization program ensuring level ramp access at the front entrance, wide internal pathways, a passenger lift to the upper gallery levels, and fully compliant accessible restrooms.

The Visitor Verdict: What Parents Really Think
What Visitors Love

Incredible Affordability: At just £4 for adults and £2 for kids, parents consistently praise the museum as one of the best-value rainy-day activities in East Sussex.
Surprising Variety: Many families note that they expect a small local museum but are blown away by how much is packed inside, especially the cars and the model trains.
Welcoming Atmosphere: Visitors frequently mention how friendly and accommodating the staff are with younger children who have lots of questions.

What Visitors Don't Like

Limited In-House Dining: There is no dedicated hot-food café inside the building, meaning you need to head out into the town or the De La Warr Pavilion for a full lunch.
Compact Space: During busy rainy weekend afternoons, the gallery spaces can feel a bit tight with multiple buggies moving through at once.

What to see

Detailed Gallery Inventory

The museum organizes its vast historical collection into four specialized, named galleries, making it easy for families to navigate specific interests:
The Motor Racing & Technology Gallery: Features milestone technological exhibits including the 1902 Serpollet 'Easter Egg' Steam Car replica, the high-tech 1993 Volta Electric Land Speed Record Car, an original Marlborough Electric Car, and a collection of early vintage commercial and passenger bicycles.
The Costume & Social History Gallery: Displays an extensive wardrobe of over 3,000 garments. Key historical items include a 1740s silk damask court dress, authentic Victorian corsetry, regional smock frocks worn by rural Sussex laborers, and the unique civic robes belonging to Bexhill's first female mayor.
The World War II & Social History Exhibit: Houses regional wartime artifacts including civil defence gas masks, local Air Raid Precautions (ARP) logs, personal wartime diaries, and the Eddie Izzard Winter 1940 Model Railway Layout portraying the snow-blanketed town during the Blitz.
The Archaeology & Geology Gallery: Contains ancient regional treasures such as Lower Cretaceous dinosaur footprints, stone hand-axes from the Palaeolithic period, local Anglo-Saxon weapon fragments, and the archaeological remnants of the ancient Combe Haven submerged forest.

Beyond the Main Attraction

The museum is perfectly situated to allow families to build a full day out around their visit, with several free and premium community spaces located within short walking distance:
Egerton Park Playground: Directly borders the museum grounds, featuring a modern children's play installation with climbing frames, sensory swings, and a dedicated toddler splash zone active during summer months.
Egerton Park Boating Lake: A scenic freshwater lake located 100 yards from the entrance, hosting local model boating clubs and offering duck feeding areas.
The De La Warr Pavilion: A striking 1930s modernist architectural marvel positioned a 5-minute flat walk away on the promenade. It offers rotating contemporary art exhibitions, family-friendly weekend workshops, a large seaside sun terrace, and an independent café.
Bexhill Seafront Promenade: A wide, flat pedestrian walkway stretching along the shingle beach, ideal for pushchairs, scooters, and coastal walks.

New for 2026

Bexhill Museum has refreshed its public exhibitions and tech installations for the 2026 calendar year to enhance interactivity for young visitors:
Interactive Digital Archiving 2026: The Technology Gallery has deployed brand-new touchscreen consoles alongside the vintage cars, allowing tech-loving children to virtually disassemble early steam and electric engines through animated 3D models.
The 2026 Young Palaeontologist Trail: A completely redesigned sensory gallery trail launched for the 2026 school half-terms, featuring discovery checklists and object-matching puzzles built around the prehistoric fossil collections.
Refreshed Costume Rotations: The fashion collection has unveiled a newly curated 2026 display focusing on late 20th-century British street fashion and seaside holiday wear from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Wartime Gallery Audio Guides: Upgraded audio points have been installed around the World War II exhibits, offering narrated memories from local residents who were evacuated as children during the 1940 winter blitz.

Events: For more upcoming events please visit here.

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Price

Price: Paid

Price Details

Adult: £4
Children (5–16): £2
Under 5s: Free
Concessions (including students 16+): £3

Pricing URL: https://www.bexhillmuseum.org.uk/visit-us/

Birthday Parties

Offer Birthday Parties: No

Tuesday through Sunday: 11.00am to 4,00pm.

Address: Egerton Road, Bexhill, East Sussex, TN39 3HL, England

Post Code: TN39 3HL

Council: Bexhill

County: East Sussex

By Train: Take the train to Bexhill Station. Turn down towards the seafront and walk through Egerton Park; the journey takes less than 10 minutes.
By Car: Use the postcode TN39 3HL for your sat-nav. Street parking is available along Egerton Road and around the perimeter of the park.
By Bus: Local Stagecoach bus routes stop regularly in Bexhill town centre, a short walk from the museum entrance.