Visit North Lincolnshire Museum

Step back in time through our interactive hands on galleries. Learn more about the areas amazing objects and history.

Galleries include:

• Archaeology
• Ironstone cottage
• Local History
• People’s War
• Post War
• Jurassic Sea
• Steel Town

Archaeology

Discover the archaeology of North Lincolnshire from the first human arrivals in the early Stone Age to the 17th Century. Explore objects from tiny Iron Age coins to a Bronze Age boat. Come face to face with the Winterton Roman Lady.

Ironstone Cottage

Step inside the Ironstone cottage to explore home life in a typical Scunthorpe working class house. All objects in the cottage can be handled.

Local History

Investigate the development of North Lincolnshire from the early 1800s to the outbreak of the Second World War. Find out about local folklore and customs, such as the Haxey Hood and Plough Jags.

People’s War

Experience life in North Lincolnshire during the Second World War. Find out what life was like for those left behind when the men went to war. Step inside an Anderson Shelter and listen to an air raid siren.

Post War

Explore life in 1950s, 60s and 70s North Lincolnshire. Investigate the modern gadgets in the 50s style kitchen and 60s living room.

Jurassic Sea

Explore life in the Jurassic period, when North Lincolnshire was under the sea, the Frodingham Ironstone was formed and sea dragons roamed. Discover the weird and wonderful creatures that lived in the sea. Handle real fossils from the museum’s collection.

Steel Town

Discover the history of the iron and steel industry in Scunthorpe from 1858 to the present day. Find out about the role of women in the industry, working conditions and hear fascinating stories from steelworkers. Explore the impact the industry has had in transforming Scunthorpe from a sleepy village into a large town.

Our collections feature a wide range of objects and archival material reflecting the geology, natural history, archaeology and local history of the region in and around North Lincolnshire.

For any queries about the collections please contact the relevant member of the Collections Team below:

• Costume, art, Sheffield family and Normanby Hall history – Madeleine Gray, Collections Assistant (Decorative Arts)
• Social history, domestic, trades and crafts – Eveline van Breemen, Collections Assistant (Social History)
• Local history, ephemera, Image Archive and general enquiries – Rebecca Lucas, Collections Officer
• Archaeological finds identification – Martin Foreman, Finds Liaison Officer
• Archaeology and Natural History collections – Rose Nicholson, Heritage Manager
• Archaeology collections – Catherine Looser, Collections Assistant (Archaeology)

Archaeology

North Lincolnshire has a rich heritage that is reflected in the size and quality of the archaeological collections. All periods of the past are represented – from the Palaeolithic to the modern day. The collection includes archives from major excavations and field projects as well as a number of large metal detected collections and stray finds.

Natural Sciences

The geology collection includes rocks and minerals and a large collection of fossils, mainly from the local area and including fossils from the Frodingham ironstone. The biology collection includes mounted specimens, insects, shells and herbarium sheets

Local History

The local history collection features objects, photographs and ephemera telling the story of North Lincolnshire and it’s people from the post-medieval period to the modern day. The regionally important photographic archive can be viewed online as the North Lincolnshire Image Archive.

Decorative Arts

The Decorative Arts collection includes male and female costume and accessories, decorative homeware, including furniture and soft furnishings, and works of art. Items from the collection can be seen on display at Normanby Hall. The costume collection is displayed through changing exhibitions in the costume galleries at Normanby Hall and Brigg Heritage Centre, and in the exhibitions and changing case at North Lincolnshire Museum.

Portable Antiquities scheme

North Lincolnshire Museum is a regional partner in the national Portable Antiquities Scheme. This is a voluntary scheme for archaeological objects found by members of the public. Many of these are found by metal detector users, but others are chanced upon by people while at work, gardening or out walking. Archaeology is a limited resource. It is important to record these finds and their locations before the information is lost.

North Lincolnshire’s Finds Liaison Officer is available to record your finds, whether it’s a single item or a small collection. Perhaps you have had a few things in a ‘scrap box’ for a few years which you think may be interesting. If so, bring them in. The Finds Liaison Officer will book in the finds and give you a receipt. You will be given a realistic estimate of how long it will take to identify and record the finds. The finds will be photographed and the details entered onto the Portable Antiquities Scheme’s database. The find will then be returned to you.

Donations

The safety of our staff and visitors is our top priority during this time. We have therefore changed the way we accept object donations at North Lincolnshire Museum.

All donations to the museum must be via a pre booked meeting with a member of the Collections Team. Please call 01724 297055 or email museum@northlincs.gov.uk and details of your offer will be passed to the relevant member of the Collections Team. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept any walk in offers of donation and we are unable to collect from the donor’s home.

We have had a 3D tour of the Museum created – sit back and take the tour.

Medieval Crafts digital engagement tour

The Year That Was

We are an award winning museum learning service providing hands-on and engaging learning experiences for foundation, primary and secondary school pupils.

To find out more about our full range of school workshops read our Inspired Learning Primary Schools Programme [PDF, 4Mb]. (If you would like this programme in a more accessible format, please let us know using the contact details below.)

We offer a unique learning experience to schools across three different learning venues in North Lincolnshire:

• North Lincolnshire Museum
• Normanby Hall Country Park
• Baysgarth House Museum

Benefits include:

• Awarded the Sandford Award for Heritage Education for our excellent educational and informal learning programme
• Outreach workshops and themed experiences at your school
• Loans service with themed boxes to complement your workshops
• Learning experiences tailored to the needs of your school pupils
• Workshops evaluated by teachers and school pupils to ensure we provide a consistently high service
• We have received the North Lincolnshire Communication and Interaction Charter Mark
• Shortlisted for Shine a Light Award which showcases excellent practice around supporting children and young people’s communication development
• Co-ordinate the History Subject Leaders group to meet each term

School loans

The loans collection consists of over 3,000 real and replica objects.

You can borrow a box for a week or half term term and order them at any point during the term.

Please enquire if there is something specific you require, as we may be able to put it together for you.

Please note: during the loan periods the boxes and contents are the responsibility of the borrower. Lost or damaged objects will have to be paid for.

Booking information

To make sure you have the best experience with your class, the maximum group size is 36.

The number of adults that we require varies with each workshop, so please ask when you book your visit.

Once you have booked, you will receive a resource pack for your chosen workshop with your booking confirmation. The resource pack includes information about your workshop, risk assessments and suggested activities for after your visit.

Please sign and return the booking confirmation at least two weeks before the date of your visit. You will receive an invoice after your workshop once final pupil numbers have been confirmed.

Booking for our workshops is essential. A free teacher pre-visit is strongly recommended to discuss any special requirements or additional learning outcomes.

For more information or to discuss bookings please email inspiredlearning@northlincs.gov.uk

The North Lincolnshire Museum Service chairs the Primary History Co-ordinators meetings once a term.

The meetings are usually held at North Lincolnshire Museum or Normanby Hall Country Park.  Additional meetings can be added if required.

All meeting are free for teachers to attend. During the meetings we:

• discuss the primary history curriculum and look at how it is being implemented in schools
• highlight CPD and share resources and skills that can assist teachers to deliver the history curriculum
• discuss workshops, resources and projects at North Lincolnshire Museum Service and show how we can assist schools with curriculum delivery

Contact us to find out when our future sessions will be running.

We provide opportunities for teachers and teaching assistants to develop new skills. We are also a partner of the Leading Learning Forward Teaching School Alliance (TSA).

For more information about the TSA visit the Leading Learning Forward website.

We regularly consult with teachers on what training we can provide. Please contact us if you would like training on a specific topic or a bespoke training session for your school. Additional CPD dates will be added over the coming year to meet demand

Dudley the museum mascot was born in June 2013 and has now become a very popular addition to the museum.

Please ask at reception for Dudley and to find out about other Dudley related activities.

Why Dudley?

Harold Dudley was the Museum’s curator from 1919 until he retired aged 75 in 1956.

In 1961 he was made a Freeman of the Borough. But it was the success of the museum service and the spread of knowledge (especially to the younger generation) about the importance of North Lincolnshire’s heritage, which he regarded as his greatest reward.

Dudley dedicated his life to transforming Scunthorpe Museum from a one-room exhibition in the library to the major collections filling the present building. He recovered innumerable finds from ironstone mining and the local area, created displays, and spread knowledge through academic books, public lectures and talking to schoolchildren.

Although running the museum was his full time job, for most of his career until 1939, he was paid no salary and supported his family by teaching music in the evenings and providing piano accompaniment to silent movies in local cinemas.

Our learning zone room is available to hire for meetings, training courses, seminars and talks.

The room is available to hire during opening hours.

The room can accommodate up to 40 people and we can provide a projector, and pull down screen.

The room layout can be arranged to suit your needs and we have a free visitors car park to the rear of the museum (off Vicarage Gardens).

We are situated on Oswald Road in Scunthorpe, close to shopping centres and local cafes and restaurants, only a short walk from the train station.

Cost of room hire

• Learning Zone 1 – hourly rate £25
• Dudley’s Den (for under fives activity only) – hourly rate £20
• Tea and coffee (advance booking only) – £1.50

Due to COVID 19 measures, please contact us with your requirements.

We can offer access to real and replica objects. Our workshops and activities can have many mental and physical benefits for adults. These include promoting confidence and self worth and stimulating communication.

Most of our resources can be booked as outreach activities. We can provide hands-on sessions in a variety of settings including care homes, community centres and sheltered housing.

We can tailor make a session to the interests of your group. Please ask if you have a particular interest or idea for a session in mind.

Many of our sessions have a minimum and maximum number. Please enquire when you book.

Reminiscence sessions

Our trained staff will use multi-sensory museum objects to stimulate conversation about past times. Recent research shows that reminiscence work with older people and people with dementia can have many positive outcomes including improved well-being and cognition.

We will deliver the sessions at your venue at a time that suits your clients. Each session lasts for one hour.

Community memory boxes

We have a large collection of real and replica handling objects. We have put together a selection of themed boxes that can be used by care homes and community groups for use in reminiscence sessions.

Each box contains around 16 to 20 objects or photographs associated with the theme. The box also contains a detailed list of contents and a set of handling guidelines.
It is important that you do a risk assessment before using the objects with your group.

By car

Sat Nav postcode DN15 7BD

There is a free car park for visitors behind the Museum. The car park is open from 10am to 4pm.

By train

The railway station is just a two minute walk from the Museum. Turn left out of the station, walk up to the road junction and the Museum is in the gardens on the opposite corner.

By bus

The bus station is in the town centre. Walk through The Foundry to the High Street. Turn onto the High Street. Continue up the High Street until you reach the traffic lights. Turn left onto Oswald Road. The museum is approximately a five minute walk away on the right, just before St. Lawrence’s Church.