Shipwreck Museum
Shipwreck Museum
4.5
10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
About
The Shipwreck Museum is an independent charitable Museum of the Nautical Museums Trust Charity No. 284687 – set in the historic Old Town of Hastings, UK. The Museum has artefacts from many ships wrecked in the English Channel from the Goodwin Sands in Kent to Pevensey Bay in East Sussex including the Amsterdam a Dutch East Indiaman of 1749 and the Anne of 1690 also the Charles II warship. There are also exhibits of fossils found in the local area. We are a multi-sensory Museum with sound, touch and smell. The museum is fully accessible for wheelchair users. Admission is free!
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
529 reviews
Excellent
309
Very good
183
Average
31
Poor
5
Terrible
1
paul d
Bath, UK719 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
This is a lovely little museum with lots of things to look at.
Very friendly welcome and very helpful staff.
It's great that places like this still exist and it's also free to enter.
Very friendly welcome and very helpful staff.
It's great that places like this still exist and it's also free to enter.
Written May 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for letting us know that you enjoyed your visit to our museum. We try to make people feel as welcome as possible and ensure that they get to see all that we have to offer which, as you rightly say, amounts to lots of things.
Yes - it is a struggle at times to keep going and we rely solely on sales in the shop and donations in order to survive. We don't want to charge an entry fee as we feel that our maritime heritage belongs to everyone and folk should have the right to get to know about it without having to pay for the privilege.
Tim
Written May 25, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Maddie Gledhill
2 contributions
Apr 2023 • Family
Free entry, lots to see and some very enthusiastic volunteers. Highly recommend if you like small museums.
Written April 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi - Thanks for your recommendation. We are a small museum but, as you said, there is lots to see and visitors are often surprised at just how much is crammed into a relatively restricted space. So, hopefully, we will appeal to people who like large museums as well.
Tim
Written April 6, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
CeeLiggo
London, UK100 contributions
Feb 2023 • Couples
This is a small but well laid out free museum. It’s gives an insight into what has been found in the local area along with some historical information.
On the day I visited, there were some of the volunteers in each room who could answer questions or give demo’s.
Worth a visit while you are in the area.
On the day I visited, there were some of the volunteers in each room who could answer questions or give demo’s.
Worth a visit while you are in the area.
Written February 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi
We're pleased to learn that you enjoyed your visit to the Shipwreck Museum. We seek to have volunteer stewards on duty every day to answer visitors' questions and try to ensure that everyone manages to see everything contained both inside and outside the building.
As you saw, our exhibits actually go beyond just the local area and feature such unusual artefacts as part of the original Roman London Bridge and a section of the earliest sea-going sailing vessel that has ever been discovered in the northern hemisphere.
Tim
Written February 18, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nicola R
Godmanchester, UK10 contributions
Feb 2023
So so interesting - so much to see and read in such a small building.
History comes alive
Volunteers pleasant, knowlegable, helpful, friendly
Well worth a visit and allow enough time for this
It is also FREE no charge how do they do it - well worth a visit
History comes alive
Volunteers pleasant, knowlegable, helpful, friendly
Well worth a visit and allow enough time for this
It is also FREE no charge how do they do it - well worth a visit
Written February 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi. Your kind comments were much appreciated and we're delighted to learn that you enjoyed your visit. Many people are surprised at just how much is packed into this relatively small museum, covering so many different aspects of maritime history.
We don't charge as we want as many people as possible to learn about this country's maritime heritage without having to pay for the privilege of doing so. We do, however, rely on people buying something in our very well stocked shop, where all profits go to the running of the Museum, and, hopefully, making a donation. If visitors are prepared to sign a gift aid form when they make a donation, that also helps greatly towards our maintenance costs.
Tim
Written February 18, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Louise D
4 contributions
Feb 2023 • Family
A great little find in old town. Well worth half an hour to look around and the gentleman who talked my son through how to load a canon will go down in our family history. He was great and so interesting!
Written February 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi there
Thanks for your kind comments and we're delighted to learn that you enjoyed your visit. We'll let Captain Pete know that his canon-loading demonstration went down well. We hope you found all the other exhibits of interest and were surprised to discover just how much is crammed into this relatively small museum.
Tim
Written February 18, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Happy Traveler
26 contributions
Jan 2023
This was a small but really well put together museum. I didn't know anything about the history so found that I learned a lot about the area and the maritime history.
Written January 31, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi! Thanks for letting us know that you enjoyed your visit to the Shipwreck Museum. Although classified as a 'small museum', many people are quite surprised at just how much the building contains and the breadth and variety of its displays. Britain is a maritime nation and yet, so often, our maritime heritage gets ignored. We hope our relatively modest bur far-reaching collection goes some to way to remedying this neglect.
Tim
Written February 4, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Gary D
London, UK26 contributions
Jan 2023 • Couples
Found this museum today, after going to Hastings for 25+ years. How did we miss this place? Great little gem, very interesting museum covering local shipwrecks, in particular the Amsterdam an 18th century Dutch East Indiaman.
Very knowledgeable staff, free to enter so please do leave a donation as they get no funding.
Will be back next time we visit, cannot believe we walked past this place so many times over the years!
Very knowledgeable staff, free to enter so please do leave a donation as they get no funding.
Will be back next time we visit, cannot believe we walked past this place so many times over the years!
Written January 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi there. Yours is a question we hear so often. For some reason which just cannot be explained, this Museum manages to hide its existence. Most of Hastings seems not to be aware of us. We often meet people who have lived in the town for years and regularly visit Rock-a-Nore Road, have seen and called into the Fishermen's Museum and the Blue Reef Aquarium that lie either side of us, but have failed to noticed the not insubstantial Shipwreck Museum. When, however, they do spot us and come on in, they are astonished at what they find.
Because of the weather on the day of your visit, you probably did not have a chance to meet Primrose, who sits outside in our yard. So you'll have to come back and we'd be delighted to show you a number of things that you might have missed the first time round.
Thank you for writing and we're glad you enjoyed your experience here.
Tim
Written January 21, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
the_big_b_dog
London, UK108 contributions
Nov 2022
Wow oh wow oh mercy mild where do I even start with this place?
You could have spent a long time here for such a small place.
Fascinating to the max
You could have spent a long time here for such a small place.
Fascinating to the max
Written December 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks ever so much for your kind comments and we're delighted to learn that you enjoyed your visit. People often express surprise at just how much this seemingly small museum contains and frequently comment on the huge variety of items on display.
Because of the recent freezing weather, we have had to shut off access to the outside yard so you may well not have been able to see Primrose, the last of the great historic Rye river barges that we have on show. So you will have to come back when it's a bit warmer and we shall have great pleasure in introducing you to this grand old lady!
Best wishes
Tim
Written December 17, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
MrsPizza
Datchet, UK50 contributions
Oct 2022 • Family
I grew up in Hastings and my parents still live here. None of us had ever visited this museum until today! It is an incredible place and we wish we’d discovered it sooner! The staff are delightful and incredibly knowledgeable, the artefacts on display are fascinating, and it’s FREE. From an original 1st century timber from the first bridge over the River Thames, to dinosaur footprints, and parts of a 1201 ship, this museum has something for everyone. Interactive in places, too, and lots of personal stories/information. Great gift shop as well. An absolute must if you’re visiting Hastings.
Written October 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We're so pleased that you eventually found us and enjoyed your visit. As I have noted before in other TripAdvisor messages, it is a complete mystery as to why this Museum remains totally unknown to so many folk in Hastings and the surrounding area. We know that many people walk up and down the road, go into the Fishermen's Museum and the Blue Reef Aquarium on either side of us and yet completely overlook us. However, when they do eventually locate us and come on in, they are absolutely astonished to discover what this building contains.
Thank you ever so much for your kind comments and next time you're visiting, make yourselves known and we can probably show you some of our other treasures which you might have missed the first time.
Tim
Written October 29, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Christopher S
United Kingdom310 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
Great display of the wears brought up from the sea bed from years gone past all very well displayed for visitors to see. Free admission and great tour guides all very interesting for the young and had old. Well worth a visit as is the museum next door.
Written October 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi
Pleased to learn that you enjoyed your visit. We hope you saw everything, including Primrose and the 4000 year old perfectly preserved tree.
Do visit us again the next time you're passing.
Tim
Written October 9, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jean B
3 contributions
Can u take dogs
ShipwreckMuseum
Hastings, UK
Yes, we are a dog-friendly museum and look forward to seeing you here.
Iris F
London, UK5 contributions
Are tea and coffee available all day on th all inclusive package?
ShipwreckMuseum
Hastings, UK
Hi unfortunately not as we do not have the space for a cafe. However we have big plans for an education wing which will include a cafe and toilet facilities.
Thanks for your interest. Hope you still come as there is a lovely cafe just across the road from us!
Shipwreck Museum (Hastings) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Shipwreck Museum
- Shipwreck Museum is open:
- Sun - Sat 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
- Hotels near Shipwreck Museum:
- (0.09 mi) Hastings Old Town 3 bed Cottage with sea views
- (0.09 mi) THE FISHERMAN'S REST, Grade ll listed cottage, WiFi, courtyard patio, in
- (0.20 mi) The Laindons
- (0.06 mi) Old Town Bolthole a romantic retreat for two, Hastings, East Sussex
- (0.22 mi) The Old Town Guesthouse
- Restaurants near Shipwreck Museum:
- (0.01 mi) Maggie's At The Boat
- (0.01 mi) Undercliffe House
- (0.03 mi) Rock a Nore Kitchen
- (0.05 mi) Maggie's Fish & Chips
- (0.08 mi) The Dolphin Inn
Shipwreck Museum Information
Excellent Reviews | 309 |
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Very Good Reviews | 182 |
Shipwreck Museum Photos | 139 |