What’s On
Activities and Events
A variety of exciting activities, workshops and events take place in the museum galleries, the community rooms and out in the town. These include getting hands on with museum objects, art sessions, memory cafes and ‘behind-the-scenes’ tours of the museum stores. Keep checking back regularly to see what’s coming up.
Have a look at our latest newsletter here
Full details about our upcoming events:
Ophelia- Dance Performance Feb 1, 2pm or 5pm
Choreographed by Kay Crook and co-directed with Aileen Gonsalves, Ophelia gives voice to a woman whose story has been overshadowed for centuries. At its heart lies the deep yet fragile love between Ophelia and Hamlet, a bond marked by tenderness, betrayal and tragedy.
Through contemporary dance and theatre, Kay Crook as Ophelia and Sean Moss as Hamlet, alongside a local community cast, delve into themes of identity, resilience and the powerful connection between women and water. It charts Ophelia’s journey – her struggles, her strength, and her reclamation of power in a world that sought to define and diminish her.
A Celebration of Local Creativity
The evening begins with an intergenerational performance by a community cast from Newton Abbot and Chhaya Youth Dance Company.
Accompanying the performance is Women in Waves, Chhaya Collective’s visual art exhibition featuring commissioned works by Jeannie Clarke and local artists. It explores the symbolic relationship between women and water, creating a rich dialogue with the themes of the production. These can be viewed in the main museum space before or after each performance.
Book your FREE place now!
Museum Make and Create
Saturday 1st February – 10:30-12:30
Book here
Find out all about the 10 agents of deterioration and make a comic book about protecting museum collections
FREE family activity
Sing and Sign Jukebox Choir
A joyful showcase of songs written by carers with the people they support, Saturday 25th January 12 noon
FREE/pay what you decide
Twilight Sketching
Every Monday fortnight 4pm – 6pm
27th January
10th & 24th February
10th & 24th March
No booking required, FREE
Bring your sketch pad and pencils and relax in the magnificent surroundings on the Museum. Be inspired by historical treasures and being out your creative side.
Toddler Tuesdays, during term-time
Upcoming sessions will be available to book for FREE from the week before, you can even set a reminder through Eventbrite! You can look at all upcoming sessions here
Upcoming sessions:
January
21st
28th
February
4th
11th
No session on 18th – half-term
25th
• Free informal sessions for children up unto the age of 4
• Every Tuesday during term-time
• 9:30-10:30
• Takes place within the museum space
Please note that food and drink (except water) are not allowed in the museum space, but we have a seating area on the first floor where you can enjoy any food that you have with you.
Take advantage of Newton’s Place facilities:
• Hot drinks machine and seating area upstairs with highchair
• Accessible toilets with changing facilities
Upcoming Relaxed visits
Newton Abbot Museum welcomes anyone who might benefit from visiting the Museum at a quieter time.
Our next Relaxed Visit will be in the New Year, in the meantime you can contact the museum to find out when the quieter times in the museum are.
Explore our galleries in a calm and relaxed environment where we will ensure our sound levels are reduced. There will be a quiet space available away from the galleries, and you are welcome to borrow our new sensory bags and ear-defenders.
These sessions are great for visitors with Autistic Spectrum Disorder or other communication and sensory needs and their families / carers but are suitable for all.
To help you prepare for your visit we have made a visual story which you can see if you click here. For other access information please visit our Museum Access page.
If you have any questions about the Museum’s relaxed visits or require any further information, please email [email protected] or phone 01626 201121
Temporary Exhibitions
Your Space Case (in the conservation section)
We have some wonderful displays lined up for 2025, so don’t forget to check back here to find out what is on show!
A selection of objects chosen by two History Clubs that were run at the end of 2024 by Kate Green.
Do you have a collection that you would like to share? To find out if any of your cherished items could go on show in the Your Space Community Case in the future, please have a chat with staff in the museum or email our Community Engagement Officer Kate Green at [email protected]
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Within the community rooms, the museum and local groups/schools can hold regular exhibitions of collections and artwork.
There is always something new to see and do in the museum – even for regular visitors. Every month, a different group or school chooses a new item for our ‘Object of the Month’ case. The photo wall has a new theme each month, with historic images of local places, people and events from different eras. The ‘Your Space’ case is updated regularly with displays of collections or artwork by the local community. Our ‘Recent Donations’ area allows us to display the very latest objects that have been added to the museum collection. In addition, our bespoke gallery cases have a flexible design so that displays can be easily updated and changed and the objects swapped with items in our stores.
Do you have a collection or make anything that you would like to share in the Your Space Community Case? We’d love to hear from you – please contact us with your suggestions.
You can find details of Town Council events here
You can view our museum gallery of past events and activities here or explore past temporary exhibitions and the museum collection here
The community rooms in Newton’s Place are available for hire, full information is on The Town Council’s website here