history of the museum
Following the severe gales in the winter of 1962, Nornour (Eastern Isles) yielded some remarkable Romano-British finds, causing some St Mary's residents to establish a local museum. Initially the only viable option was a temporary display in the Wesleyan Chapel during the summer months. After much fundraising and thanks to huge volunteer enthusiasm, the present Museum was built. It opened to the public on July 15th 1967 and received a visit from H.M. Queen Elizabeth II on August 8th 1967. The Museum was closed in June 2019 due to insurmountable structural problems with its building. Museum on the Move, consisting of 12 pop up exhibitions around the Five Islands is a temporary solution whilst a new home is built for the Museum as part of the Isles of Scilly Cultural Centre and Museum at the Town Hall on St Mary’s.
“A lovely rich collection. One of the best experiences I can remember in a museum. Most interest per square foot ever! Thank you”
Collections
Our collections are extremely diverse, including material from many wrecks; a wild flower display (during the summer months); Romano-British artefacts; stuffed birds; local art and much more. Thanks to the generosity of local and mainland benefactors, we have received many varied accessions for research and display purposes. We welcome any items of Scillonian provenance or directly relating to the islands.
“Wonderful display. Very informative. A lot of hard word has gone into the museum.”