Lyme Regis Philpot Museum
Lyme Regis Philpot Museum
4.5
About
"A delightful and remarkable museum, a gem" - Sir David Attenborough. Extended in 2017, discover 185 million years of history at this charming and friendly museum with stunning views of Lyme Bay. Families are very welcome - it's free for children to visit and there is plenty to keep them busy in the new interactive geology gallery and learning centre. There are fossils galore, and you can combine your visit with a fossil walk to really make the most of your day out. Inside you will find a wonderful interior and displays that tell fascinating stories about fossil collecting and geology on the Jurassic Coast, and the personalities who played a key part such as renowned fossilist Mary Anning. You will also find displays about the artists and writers inspired by Lyme including John Fowles and Jane Austen along with the story of the famous Cobb, the Civil War and every aspect of the town's rich history. Please check website for seasonal opening times and for entry prices.
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  • Dr Tanya
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Who knew learning could be so much fun
    We booked a fossil walk that included entry to the museum making it excellent value. The museum was packed with local history and especially fossils. Our guide for the walk, Chris Andrew was witty and very knowledgeable. A wonderful way to spend a few hours. I would definitely recommend the museum and walk to others
    Visited February 2023
    Written 24 March 2023
  • 676kareng11
    Bedworth, United Kingdom249 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very interesting
    We had a couple of hours free in Lyme Regis so thought we would go to the museum. The museum is really interesting especially about Mary Anning. The staff were all really friendly and helpful. The option on £2 extra for a annual pass is really good. This is a great place to learn something new.
    Visited March 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 2 April 2023
  • Quietestman
    Newark-on-Trent, United Kingdom3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Brilliant guided fossil hunt
    Spent a fascinating, fun and informative few hours with the museum fossil hunt guides today. Despite the drizzle we all had a great time. Funny, knowledgable and enthusiastic professional guides who imparted their lifelong passion to a diverse age group in an encouraging and fun way. Highly recommend but do book
    Visited April 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 5 April 2023
  • Recah
    Hertfordshire, United Kingdom27 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great for children who like learning
    The Museum was really interesting especially about Mary Anning. Friendly staff on hand to answer questions. Children were given a fact sheet to answer questions which added to the fun, and plenty of drawer to open and look at other exhibits and other activities. Nice little shop with various reasonable gifts for the children.
    Visited April 2023
    Written 7 April 2023
  • Andrew
    London, United Kingdom24 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Good local museum
    This is a very well presented museum about the local history of Lyme Regis. The fossil collection is well displayed and impressive. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable. It is sore as over 3 floors and took about an hour to go round.
    Visited April 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 9 April 2023
  • heather
    England, United Kingdom20 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great little museum
    Great little museum, lots of fossils to look at! It’s really small so we managed to do the entire thing in half an hour, cute gift shop at the end to buy cuddly toys and books. Lots of history about Lyme Regis too.
    Visited June 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 21 June 2023
  • Ana G
    4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A not to miss experience
    This is a very interesting and extremely well curated museum. It is incredible the amount of stuff and condensed knowledge that they have been able to fit in such a small container. The walks organised by the museum are also fantastic and a great way to get into context with the Lyme Regis richness of fossil history. Despite being a populated walk, you always feel well cared for and all your questions answered. Both visiting the museum and a walk are a must as soon as you arrive to Lyme Regis.
    Visited May 2023
    Written 3 July 2023
  • maiden888
    Galway, Ireland92 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great museum and great fossil Tour
    We went on the fossil tour with Chris and Richard and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. The tour was informative and entertaining - not an easy combination to achieve with a large tour group - but Chris and Richard had us all in the palm of their hands. Entry into the museum is included in the price of the tour and this makes it a great value deal for families. We explored the museum a few days later and it was really interesting and unexpectedly educational on the history of Lyme Regis itself. Thanks Chris and Richard. We hope you both find the ‘big unfound fossil’ some day soon!
    Visited July 2023
    Written 9 July 2023
  • Victoria W
    17 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    More to it than expected
    What an absolute gem. Had assumed it would be all about fossils and we were so wrong. So much to see and learn. Yes there were plenty of fossil and dinosaur exhibits, but there was also lots of local history including famous residents / visitors and local rail history. The building is a beautiful tardis and worth a walk through with its many rooms and staircases. Loved the costumes from the recent film Ammonite.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 11 July 2023
  • Erin T
    Austin, Texas22 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fossil walk= memorable experience in Lyme Regis
    Nice small museum. Definitely book a fossil walk if you can. It took >2 hrs for the walk and we all found pieces with ammonites! Paul was an amazing guide. Really knowledgeable and funny.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 1 August 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles516 reviews
Excellent
350
Very good
133
Average
30
Poor
2
Terrible
1

DavidW Salisbury
Salisbury, UK142 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Family
What a wonderful museum with an amazing array of artefacts from the local area. We went with our little boy who thoroughly enjoyed it. Particularly the fossils. He has recently got into fossil collecting so this was particularly exciting. We all enjoyed the family quiz as you went round and the spiral staircase with the 16th Century bell is truly remarkable. We will return, thank you.
Written 11 March 2024
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.

Christine C
London, UK8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Solo
I went to the museum today for one of their wonderful guided fossil walks and I can’t praise them highly enough. The whole team were incredibly knowledgeable, patient, super friendly and so helpful. Natalia (hopefully correct spelling!) was fairly new in the role and doing an amazing job and such enthusiasm! Paul was equally amazing and couldn’t do enough to help us find fossils. The lovely lady in training to be a guide was observing on the walk and was equally helpful and knowledgeable. It was a great day out and a lot of fun. I would highly recommend it!
Written 28 February 2024
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.

David
Weyhill, UK31 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
Super Local Museum looking at both the Natural and Social history of the area along with the Fosil hunting. Friendly, helpful staff - Great
Written 18 February 2024
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.

Michaela P
Melbourne, Australia10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Family
This museum is really great! Small, but so informative about the long history of the area around Lyme Regis. The staff were very knowledgeable, real boffins, who happily answered our questions about fossils, the siege of Lyme Regis, and other things. There was also a free “polish your own ammonite” workshop for kids (and adults!). We spent almost two hours here - worth the entry fee.
Written 29 December 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.

LiquidLil
Exeter, UK7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Friends
I went to the Christmas wreath making event today that I heard about through a friend. How fabulous - a really lovely lady helped to make the wreaths in the upstairs room with all materials provided. Loved it! I joined as a member which also gets me into the museum for the next year and while there heard about the mulled wine event in conjunction with the town lights switch on tonight. What lovely volunteers...all so helpful. A great day and such good value that I was more than happy to give a donation too. Thank you to all of you!
Written 25 November 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.

review269
Greater London, UK121 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Friends
What a wonderful and educational experience thanks to Chris Andrew, who is such a knowledgable and fun character that he turned all ten of us into enthusiastic amateur palaeontologists. Chris's presentation was both entertaining and rewarding, we were given a comprehensive overview about fossils by someone who has a passion for the subject. After our instructional talk we then ventured down on to the beach to find our own fossils, which was quite a revelation. Thanks Chris for making it a truly memorable experience for all of us, you were amazing, hope you managed to catch the bus home.
Written 21 November 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.

MrGJ2000
Manchester, UK46 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Friends
On arrival we were invited to come inside. Me and my friend Sarah had a great time, Sarah’s husband Tooony would be very jealous of our visit as he loves fossils so we didn’t tell him. Would recommend a visit here.
Written 8 November 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.

David S
Great Malvern, UK711 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
You do have to pay for entry. There are excellent displays in an interesting building. Not just fossils, but local history was well. There is a lift, but not to top floor were there is a display about the railway that used to go to the town.

The gift shop could have catered for the more serious visitor with a better range of publications. Nothing on the local railway, now closed, for example.
Written 22 October 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.

Tina K
Chester, UK95 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Couples
Overpriced for what it was. Plus art gallery at the top, we wanted to see fossils.
I'd go over the road to the shop, it's free to enter, they are far friendlier and the fossils are better!
Written 8 October 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.

Josepha M
158 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Couples
The museum is small and full of fascinating information about Lyme Regis. Mary Anning and fossils are a major part of the displays. Jane Austen, the Cobb and the railway are other topics covered.
Written 25 September 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.

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LYME REGIS PHILPOT MUSEUM: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about Lyme Regis Philpot Museum