Axminster Museum is a town museum situated in the Old Police Station and Courthouse opposite St. Mary's Church in the centre of the town of Axminster,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, England. It was founded in 1982. The Old Court House was built in the 1860s on the site of the old

workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse'' ...

. The two-storey stone building has five

bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

with three asymmetrical

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

s. The current main doorway was a carriage entrance. The building is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The collections include exhibits related to the town's carpet industry founded by

Thomas Whitty Thomas Whitty (1713–1792) was an English carpet manufacturer who founded Axminster Carpets in 1755. Whitty was impressed by a large Turkish carpet he saw at Cheapside Market in London, and upon his return to Axminster he used his skills as a we ...

in 1755. There are also agricultural tools, archaeological finds, Coins and Medals, Costumes and Textiles, old photographs, archives and occasional special exhibitions. It is also possible to see the old police cells and courtroom. In 2015 a grant of £69,700 was obtained from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the development of the museum and the nearby Thomas Whitty House as a heritage centre. The heritage centre opened in 2016 and many of the exhibits from the museum were moved into the new centre, based in the old carpet factory. It is hoped to obtain further funding for the renovation of the Drill Hall and Dye House. The building also houses the town's tourist information centre.

References

External links

Axminster Heritage
{{Authority control Local museums in Devon Museums established in 1982 1982 establishments in England Axminster