Getting to the Museum

The closest car park to the Museum is Crown Mead Car Park. This is a short-stay car park.

To get to the Museum from here, take the walkway past the Co-op to Crown Mead, and turn right.

If you wish to go to the Tea Rooms, turn right past the library. There is an accessible entrance to the right of the Tea Room door.

If you wish to go to the Museum, continue up Crown Mead onto the High Street, continuing in the same direction. The walkways here can be narrow and you may have to move past people going in the opposite direction.

The main entrance to our tearoom is located next to the Wimborne Library. In front of our tearoom entrance is a private car park that is used by staff, volunteers, and for deliveries. There is a designated pedestrian walkway in this carpark, but please keep in mind that cars may pull in or leave at any point throughout the day. Cars will have access to pull in and exit via a pedestrian pathway that leads onto the road.

The main entrance to our tearoom via the street has an elevated step before the door. For the accessible entrance, the is a gate to the right of this door. There is white drainage piping just to the left on the ground in the entrance of this pathway, and a slightly raised edging along the right side. It is a wide entrance, however please do be aware that these may catch on any disability aid equipment you may have.

If you wish to go to the Museum, continue up Crown Mead onto the High Street, continuing in the same direction. The walkways here can be narrow and you may have to move past people going in the opposite direction.

Follow the High Street pavement around until you are past Clarks shoe shop. The Museum entrance should be on your right.

The next closest car park is King Street Car Park. This is a short-stay car park.

To get to the museum from here, follow the path to the Minster from the car park, past the Community Centre.

You will need to walk toward the exit of the carpark. This will lead you out onto a path behind the Wimborne Minster.

Please be aware that this path can have ridges and at some point the paving is cobbled and bumpy. There are also divots running along each side of this path to mind out for.

Continue along this path until you see the Minster Green, and you can either turn left or continue straight to access the museum. If you continue straight, you will need to cross the road at the end of this path and walk left for about 2 metres, then you will see the museum entrance.

If you turn left, you will need to turn right onto Cook Row at the end of the walkway.

There is a step down to Cook Row from the Minster Green. If this is a problem, once you reach the Minster follow the path around it to the High Street. If not, turn right on Cook Row to the High Street.

The Museum should be visible from the other side of the High Street. The road is not that busy, but keep an eye out for oncoming traffic as you cross.

There are three bus stops within close range of the museum. The first stop is Stop A, West Borough Wimborne. You should get off at this stop if you have caught Morebus service 3 or 4 from Poole to Wimborne.

Please be aware that this area can become quite busy as it is a busy bus service, and there are loading bays and taxi bays along this road too. The path can also slope and raise slightly in some areas, and there are a few raised drains to be aware of as well.

Upon getting off of the bus, you will need to walk straight ahead, approximately 200 ft, until you reach the tactile paving and traffic light controlled pedestrian crossing.

Once you have crossed, you will need to turn to the left slightly and continue down the path past Bus Stop B. Please do not continue down the lane straight on from this crossing.

Along this path will be the second bus stop: Stop B, The Square, Wimborne. You should get off at this stop if you have caught one of Morebus services 6, 13 or 13a from Bournemouth to Wimborne.

Be mindful that this road and pathway can get crowded as the services from this stop are busy as well. The pathway surface is mostly flat and paved well.

Then, you will need to proceed towards another set of tactile paving where you will need to cross the road once again. Once you have crossed and are on the other side, turn right and proceed. Be aware that this path is very busy– there are many shops and cafes with outdoor seating along this path and it is a very busy street for pedestrians.

Along this street is the last bus stop: Stop C, High Street, Wimborne. You should get off at this stop if you have taken bus service 88 from Colehill. From this stop proceed with the same directions.

Keep walking straight ahead for approximately 180 ft, and here on your left will be the entrance to our museum. Please keep in mind that this street is also uneven in some areas– it will dip and raise, there are driveways and building entrances on this street to be aware of.

Entering the Museum

The museum entrance is located on a step free walkway on the High Street in Wimborne.

The museum is open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm November to March or until 4.30pm, April to October.

The road outside the museum may be busy and noisy. There is also a loading bay outside the front entrance, which may be in use when you arrive.

When you enter the Information Centre you will see a large desk. This is where our Front of House volunteers sit. They are here to help you and answer any questions you may have.

The shop/entrance can be busy and noisy and there may be phones ringing.

You can buy tickets at the desk, if you haven’t already purchased them on our website, or pay for any items you would like to buy from the shop.

There is a television screen on the wall behind the desk. This will have bright and changing images displayed on it but it will be silent.

Staff, volunteers and Trustees wear a lanyard like the one in the picture so you know who we are. Feel free to ask us any questions.

The Shop and Bookshop

The gift shop is located in the same room as the front desk. All the displays are lit up and in summer weather the door is usually left open to help keep the room cool.

There is a ramp up to the Entrance Gallery, and a door through to the Kitchen in the back.

It may be noisy, and there may be other customers viewing the shop and buying things.

The second hand bookshop is behind the gift shop.

There is a step up to the bookshop, so it is inaccessible to wheelchair users.

You can ask the volunteers at the front desk to get books for you if you are unable to access the book shop.

The bookshop itself consists of two small rooms with books on the right hand side. There are windows on the left hand side.

Inside the museum

If desired, you can pick up a museum trail, lanyard spotter guide or other resources from a white cart in the Entrance Gallery. You do not have to do this if you do not want to.

There are interactive touchscreens in many of the galleries, like the one in this picture.

The touchscreens contain photos and information, interactive games, old films and moving images and recordings of people talking about their lives and memories. You do not have to use the touchscreens if you do not want to, but be aware that somebody else in the gallery may be using one while you’re in there too.

You will see that some of the galleries are light, while others are quite dark. This is because we have to keep the blinds closed to stop the objects from being damaged by daylight.

To help visitors, there are signs which direct you like this. You do not have to follow the signs and you can go back and visit galleries you have already seen again. You may need to walk past visitors going in the opposite direction if you do this.

There are benches and chairs placed around the museum and in the galleries, in case you would like to take a rest or ponder the objects.

Parts of our museum are over 500 years old.

There are some original flagstone floors which have an uneven surface.. Some of these can also become slippery when wet (such as on rainy days). Please be very careful when walking on them.

We also have some narrow and low height doorways, such as the door through to the mummified cat in the Growing Up Gallery. Please be careful not to bump your head.

The Museum may also feel different depending on the season. It can feel cold in the winter, and become warm on hot, sunny days.

The Galleries

You will enter the museum via a ramp from the Information Centre and shop. This takes you to the Entrance Gallery which includes the old Ironmonger’s Shop.

The Entrance Gallery is light and airy with a very big window which looks out onto the High Street. There may be people walking past who stop to look in.

In the Entrance Gallery, on the right hand side you will see a selection of sensory equipment. Here we have sensory backpacks, fidgets, ear defenders, etc. Please feel free to take what you need and what you would like to have with you for the duration of your visit.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask us about the sensory equipment.

Please make sure that you return any equipment you have taken around with you when you are ready to leave.

There is a table with free changing crafts that you can do if you like. You may see families enjoying the crafts.

There is an interactive touchscreen which is activated when pressed. You may like to have a go.

Next, you enter the Stationer’s Shop. This gallery is quite dark and there are some bright images projected onto the walls. These do not move.

There is also a touchscreen in this gallery and a wax crayon rubbing activity to make Valentine Cards.

You do not have to do this if you do not want to.

From the Stationer’s, you enter the House Gallery via a ramp.

This gallery contains an interactive model of the house. When placed on the black platform, so that the red spots match each other, each piece of the model activates a different talking character on the screen in front of you.

You do not have to do this if you do not want to. Be aware that others may be having a go though, so the gallery could be noisy.

There are also some pull-out drawers in this gallery containing items relating to the life of Hilda Coles. You do not have to look in these if you do not want to.

From the House Gallery, you continue down a ramp and along the hallway.

This hallway is quite narrow and the flagstone floor is a little uneven under foot in places

The Voices Gallery is all about the people who have lived, worked or been involved over the years with the house that became the Museum of East Dorset.

In this room, different talking characters come to life on a large screen when buttons are pressed. This can be noisy and bright.

You do not have to use this if you do not want to, but be aware that others may be having a go though.

There is also a magnetic clothes matching game towards the end of the room. You do not have to do this if you do not want to.

Next, you enter the Kitchen. Again, there is a flagstone floor in this room.

There is an old woodburning range in the kitchen.

If it has been in use, there may be a strong smoky smell. It also might still be hot to the touch. If this is the case, there will be a fireguard in place.

The range can also make your fingers a little dirty if touched.

From the Kitchen, you walk through the scullery, which is a short narrow corridor.

This corridor will take you to a hallway. In this hallway, you will find a single toilet, the staircase and the buggy park.

Please be aware that in this area, any parked buggy or pram may act as an obstruction to the walkway. This area may get crowded in peak times and especially during summer holidays.

The stairs leading up to our galleries are approximately 14 steps and each step is around 25cm in depth. These steps will curve to the right as you ascend, and when going up there is a handrail on the left hand side for your assistance. Going down these stairs means this will be reversed, with the handrail on your right and the steps curving to your left.

In this hallway you will also find the lift. The lift exit is located at the top of the staircase. You push the lift door to exit.

If the lift is not on the Ground Floor then you push a button next to the lift. You have to pull the door to the lift to open it. To make the lift work, you must press and hold the button. The lift is open at the top. There is an emergency phone which can be used if needed. There is signage in the lift which tells you how to do this.

From the landing, you enter the Landscape Gallery. Immediately on the wall to your left is a large touchscreen TV screen which has moving images and music playing all the time.

You can touch the screen to change the film and music if you wish but you do not have to do this if you do not want to.

This gallery is well lit with a smooth wooden floor.

There is an Activity Box in the Landscape Gallery containing different activities. You do not have to do the activities if you do not want to.

There is also an interactive touchscreen which is activated when pressed. You can look at old photographs of local villages on it. There are also drawers underneath which can be pulled out. You do not have to do this if you don’t want to.

You will then enter the Communications Gallery via a ramp.

There is another interactive touchscreen and an Activity Box in this gallery.

You can hear different people talking when you press the buttons in the phone box.

You do not have to do these activities if you do not want to but others may choose to do so while you are in the gallery.

Next is the Temporary Exhibition Gallery.

This space houses changing temporary exhibitions. There may be different lighting and music or sound effects. You may also see games and activities.

You do not have to do these activities if you do not want to.

Sometimes large props or characters may be used in this room.

The volunteers on the front desk can tell you more about what is in this space when you visit.

The Working Life Gallery contains an interactive touchscreen and an Activity Box.

You do not have to take part in these activities if you do not want to. However, there may be noise in the gallery if others are using the equipment while you are in there.

The Life and Death Gallery contains two Activity Boxes and an interactive touchscreen, which is activated when pressed.

You do not have to do these activities if you do not want to.

Changing images on a wedding and health theme are projected onto the wall above the fireplace. There is no sound.

You will also see an archaeological skeleton from the Iron Age in this gallery.

You enter the Growing Up Gallery via a ramp from the Working Life Gallery

There is an Activity Box, an interactive touchscreen and a pull-out drawer in this gallery.

There are also toys by the window.

You do not have to do these activities if you do not want to.

A narrow door from this gallery takes you into a small space, where you can see a mummified cat and mouse if you wish.

You do not have to go into this confined space if you do not want to.

When you have finished in the last gallery on the first floor, you will walk down the stairs to the exit.

If you would like to use the lift you will retrace your steps back through the galleries. When you are downstairs you will retrace your steps through the ground floor of the museum back to the shop and main entrance. If you want to go into the garden you can exit through the double doors next to the House gallery. This door is narrow (76cm) and gives direct step free access to the garden. If this door is too narrow then the volunteers at the front desk can tell you how to get into the museum’s garden from the outside.

These stairs are equipped with handrails on either side and there are approximately 14 steps. Each step is about 25cm deep. The landing before these stairs could be quite narrow for more than one person, and there are one or two steps on this landing leading to other rooms to keep in mind. They may cause you to trip up or stumble a bit if you are not aware of them.

When you have walked down the stairs, you will turn left and go through the Voices Gallery and into the Kitchen. You will go through a door and down a step into the back of the shop. You have now finished looking around the museum building. Alternatively, you can go out into the Garden through the door in the kitchen. There is a small door lip to go over.

This is a public space, so it may be more noisy and busy.

Evacuation: what to do if we need to leave the building.

f you hear a loud continuous alarm sound or a person tells you to evacuate , you will need to leave the building quickly and calmly by the safest route, following the Fire Exit signs.

Remember, do not use the lift.

Outside

The museum has a very long and narrow garden. There is a central paved path which runs the length of the garden. Some of the walkways may be uneven and some of the sides paths are narrow. The paths also become slippery when wet, so please be very careful on rainy days.

There is also a covered pond which contains fish and sometimes frogs and tadpoles.

There are multiple ways to enter the garden. The door that will take you directly out onto the central paved path has two steps in front of it in order to access this pavement. There is a handrail on the right hand side to be used if necessary. The steps are quite small and about 45 cm deep.

From the garden entrance we have our Sensory Shed. Available for all to use.  This space has lighting features, fidgets, toys for young and older.  Books, seating and a space to relax and unwind.

Another door leading into the garden is the door that opens from the kitchen area. Turning right, if you walk down that edge of the path, there is step free access onto the central paved path on the left. There will be a slight slope onto the path. This way is also quite narrow, so you will need to be careful of the stone walls around garden bedding and any ridges in the pavement.

The central paved path, the garden area around the tearoom, and the outside tearoom seating area do tend to be full of customers and other visitors, so be mindful that there may be people walking in the opposite direction on the path and the garden may be quite busy.

Please be aware that these pathways are cobbled and tend to be quite uneven surfaces. Make sure to take care when using them.

There is a Roman herb garden near the bottom of the garden. Feel free to touch and smell the herbs if you would like to.

You do not have to do this if you do not want to.

There is a river which runs at the end of the garden. This is fenced off.

There is also a small gate which must not be opened and is locked at all times.

Other useful places

​The Tea Room is located halfway down the garden. It is a light and airy space. Be aware that it can sometimes get busy and a little noisy.

There may also be different food and drink smells in the air.

During the summer, the tearoom can become very hot due to a combination of the foot traffic, the machines, etc.

Outside the tearoom there are various tables and chairs for tearoom customers. There are two distinct parts to our outside seating. Both sections are on concrete areas. These may tend to crowd walkways as customers use the tables and chairs. There is designated space for walking between them, however be mindful if you are using any disability aid equipment that they may present as a hazard for tripping or catching. This is especially important during peak hours of the tearoom, usually between 11-2 weekdays, and 10-3 on weekends, where these hazards can become worse. These times will also most likely be noisy as it gets very busy.

Inside the tearoom, there are nine tables all with 2-5 chairs each. Pictured here are the tables that present most as potential hazards to be aware of— there are two tables by the garden door to be mindful of and a table next to the main entrance of the tearoom to keep in mind as well. This will also increase during busy times of day, as customers and their belongings may be blocking walkways.

Tearoom staff will be wearing yellow aprons and their staff lanyards/badges.

If you would like anything from the tearoom, you will have to go up and order at the counter. If you have any questions or requests, our tearoom staff and volunteers will be happy to help you.

We do have accessible crockery and cutlery available for anyone who would find it useful.

Here is our Tea Room menu.

Additional toilets are located off the garden path next to the tea room. These include disabled toilets and baby changing facilities, which can be seen below.

There are blue paper towels to dry your hands on. We do not have hand driers.

The Garden Room is located between the Tea Room and the additional toilets. It is light and airy, with a series of windows looking onto the Garden. It is a quieter space but you may be able to hear noise coming from the Tea Room next door. There may also be different food and drink smells coming from the Tea Room.

The Garden Room is accessible by two double doors. There is no step.

Events and activities are often hosted in the Garden Room. In the summer, they may also be hosted under a gazebo just outside.

Other Information: Events. Activities and School Trips

School Trips

During term times, we may have school trips in for visits and activities. During these times the museum can become quite busy, and quite noisy. The trips are only on weekdays, and only ever last until 1pm.

If you think this will affect your visit, you can ask at the front desk when any upcoming school trips are scheduled for.

Activities and Trails

The Museum often has activities on throughout the year. These may be related to the Museum’s current rotating exhibit, or it may be seasonal.

These events may include scheduled activities in the Garden Room or Garden, or additional decorations and activities around the Museum.

You do not have to partake in these activities if you do not want to.