The
English ceremonial county of
Somerset contains a wide range of
museums, defined here as institutions (including
nonprofit organisation
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
s, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Non-profit
art galleries and university art galleries are also included, but museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e.,
virtual museum
A virtual museum is a digital entity that draws on the characteristics of a museum, in order to complement, enhance, or augment the museum experience through personalization, interactivity, and richness of content. Virtual museums can perform as t ...
s) are not.
Many of the museums are in
listed buildings. In the United Kingdom, this signifies a building which has been placed on the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. In
England and Wales, the authority for listing is granted by the
Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered the laws on granting of planning permission for building works, notably including those of the listed building system in En ...
, and is administered by
English Heritage. Listed buildings in danger of decay are included on English Heritage's
Heritage at Risk Register. There are three types of listed status: Grade I, for buildings "of exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important"; Grade II*, for "particularly important buildings of more than special interest"; and Grade II, for buildings that are "nationally important and of special interest".
Many of the museums have been accredited by the
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, which sets national standards for museums in the UK. Several are
art galleries providing space for the
exhibition of art, or are
philatelic,
regimental
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...
,
science,
aviation,
transport,
railway,
toy, religious or sports museums, but the majority are
local museums. There are also several
historic house museums owned or managed by the
National Trust or
English Heritage.
Museums
Defunct museums
* Exmoor Classic Car Museum, Porlock, collection sold in 2012
*
Museum of South Somerset
The Museum of South Somerset was located in Hendford, Yeovil, Somerset, England. It was also the location of a Tourist information centre. The museum was closed in 2011 and its collections were moved to the Community Heritage Access Centre at SSD ...
,
Yeovil, closed in 2011
*
Peat Moors Centre
The Peat Moors Centre lay on the road between Shapwick and Westhay in Somerset, England. The centre was run by the Somerset Historic Environment Service, but Somerset County Council closed it in October 2009 in the course of budget cuts.
T ...
,
Westhay
Westhay is a village in Somerset, England. It is situated in the parish of Meare, north west of Glastonbury on the Somerset Levels, in the Mendip district.
The name means 'The west field that is enclosed by hedges' from the Old English ''west'' ...
- was dedicated to the
archaeology,
history and
geology of the
Somerset Levels. It also included reconstructions of some of the archaeological discoveries, including a number of
Iron Age round houses from
Glastonbury Lake Village, and the world's oldest engineered highway, the
Sweet Track. The museum closed in 2009 and its status remains uncertain.
*
Wincanton Museum
Wincanton Museum is a small local museum, originally opened in the 1980s and initially located in a Grade II listed High Street cottage owned by the Quakers in Wincanton, Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coor ...
, closed in 2011
See also
*
Tourist attractions in Somerset
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Museums In Somerset
*
Somerset
Lists of buildings and structures in Somerset