About Kendal Museum
Kendal’s first museum was formed in 1796 by William Todhunter who exhibited a collection of fossils, plants, minerals, animals and antiques.
In 1835 the Kendal Literary and Scientific Society took over the museum.
The society included among its members Dr Thomas Gough, Professor Adam Sedgwick, John Ruthven and Dr John Dalton. As the collection grew, the
Museum had to be rehoused several times.
In the early 1900s money problems forced the sale of some exhibits, the rest were offered to the town. In 1913 the current building – formerly a wool warehouse – was offered to the Town Council for the purposes of housing the museum.
After World War One the collections were moved to the new building and the museum was run by a series of honorary curators on behalf of the Town Council. One of these curators included Alfred Wainwright, the famous guide book author and fellwalker, who gave up his spare time for 30 years to look after the collections
General Information
If you can’t find the information that you are looking for please contact us and we’ll be happy to help!
Opening Times
The Museum is now open all year round on Thursdays and Fridays from 12.00 noon to 5pm and Saturdays from 10.30am to 5.30pm. It will be closed for a week at Christmas.
The last entrance to the Museum is at 4.30 pm. Please allow about one and a half hours for your visit.
Admission Charges
- Adults £2.80
- Seniors £2.20
- Children and full-time students FREE
- Pre-booked groups £2.20
- Pre-booked school groups FREE
- Season tickets also available
Groups:
We welcome groups – please book your group visit with our Reception.
Pre-booked groups will receive a reduced admission rate of £2.20 per person.
Pre-booked school groups are FREE – Please book your school visit with our Education Officer
Changes to published times and events
Please check in advance if visiting the museum for a specific event or exhibition as events are very occasionally subject to change without warning and some exhibition areas are occasionally closed to accommodate events.
Accessibility
We make every effort to accommodate visitors’ needs but please bear in mind that the museum is an old building and some of the galleries are only accessible via steps. Unfortunately the temporary exhibition area and the Lake District Natural History Gallery are not accessible to wheelchair users. However, we do have wheelchair access to two ground floor galleries and a WC suitable for wheelchair users. Please contact us if you have any questions about access to the museum.
Please click here for information on South Lakeland District Council's Accessibility Policy.
Cheques and Credit / Debit Cards
We accept most credit / debit cards for payments over £10.00. Cheques, for payment over £10.00, should be made payable to South Lakeland District Council.
Photography
We regret that photography and video is not allowed in Kendal Museum. However we do allow photography for private research and study. Applications can be made to make photographs or drawings for private educational research, if copyright law allows, if loan agreements allow and if no image is currently held by the Museum.
Please contact the Curator for further information.
Shop and Publications
Our shop stocks a wide variety of gifts with an archaeological and natural history theme. We also stock a range of general interest and educational books linked with the museum collections and a wide range of books, pictures and maps associated with Alfred Wainwright. Entry to the shop is FREE.
Wildlife Garden
The Museum has established a small wildlife garden which provides different habitats such as a pond, marsh, and heather beds.
The pond is home to fish, frogs and newts and various types of aquatic insects. There are two types of bird boxes, one to attract small birds like blue tits, and the other for swifts, swallows or housemartins.
The plants have been selected to appeal to all kinds of flying and crawling insects which will, in turn, attract the birds which feed on them.
The wildlife garden can be viewed from a corridor in the museum and is often visited as part of our wildlife-themed children’s events. We usually restrict access to the garden in order to provide a safe haven for the wildlife, however, if you would like to visit the garden please ask at the museum reception desk and we will be happy to open the door!