Bridport Museum
About
The Museum tells the story of the town's history from its origins to the present day with notable displays on artefacts from a nearby Roman hill-fort and the world famous rope and net making industries. As well as the permanent displays there is a programme of temporary exhibitions.
The Local History Collection contains a wide range of materials for people researching their local or family history.
Do look at our website www.bridportmuseum.co.uk for latest information.
Learning
Bridport Museum has a busy Learning and Outreach Programme. We offer school visits, loan boxes and a visiting speaker service. Visit the website for more details.
Facilities
| Parking | Yes (in town carparks) |
| Refreshments | No (but many nearby in town) |
| Gift shop | Yes |
| Gardens/Grounds | |
| Toilets | No |
| Toilets for Wheelchair Users | No |
| Guided Tours | Yes (by appointment) |
| Audio Tours | No |
| Wheelchair Accessability | Only ground floor of museum is wheelchair accessible. |
| Induction Loop | |
| Facilities for the Blind / Visually Impaired | |
| Group Visits | Yes (by appointment) |
| School Visits | Yes (by appointment) |
| Outreach activities | Yes |
Contact
The Coach House
Gundry Lane
Bridport
Dorset
DT6 3RJ
01308 458703
A family friendly museum!
West Bay
Black burnished-ware bowls from our archaeology collection.
Come and dress up!
Holiday craft activities.
Doctor Roberts’ Recipe Book This is a medical commonplace book that belonged to Dr. Roberts, a prominent physician in Bridport in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Dr. Roberts used the book in the same way that we would jot down favourite food recipes, with amounts of ingredients and instructions. Some of the contents are quite entertaining. There is ‘Daffy's Elixir’, which must be a laxative, due to the fact that it contains, aniseed, fennel, parsley, saffron and senna. Another, more enticing sounding recipe is for ‘Dr Robert's Gingerbread Nuts, until you read the ingredients: these include calamel (Mercury Chloride), and scammony (convolvulus). To make it taste nicer he added ginger, caraway and mollases. Doctor Roberts is perhaps best known for his ointment, ‘The Poor Man’s Friend’ which was supposed to cure pretty much anything! He was held in high regard locally, and part of the epitaph on his graveyard read: ‘He felt a luxury in doing good; / For nearly 50 years his study was to alleviate suffering humanity; /Under GOD he was an instrument of curing thousands of his fellow-creatures; /Known to the world As the inventor of “THE POOR MANS FRIEND”; / He was indeed, the poor mans friend, /For his life was a comment on the passage /There is that scattereth and yet increaseth /His memory is cherished especially by the Poor, with grateful feelings.
Ladies making nets. Bridport's rope and net industry stretches as far back as the 13th Century, as is still thriving today.