Opening Hours

Tuesday-Friday: 9:30am-4:30pm

Saturday: 9:30am-1:30pm

Closed Sunday, Monday and Bank Holidays

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The Museum is free to visit and there is no booking required

You can also take a virtual tour: (click on the image to be taken to video)

Support us

Your support is vital and helps the Museum to share the collection.

Newton Abbot Museum relies on support from a wide range of sources and there are many ways that you can donate to help care for and preserve the collection for future generations. You can donate a monetary donation as an individual, or through a foundation, trust or company. Your support helps us to do the following:

• Create exhibitions
• Care for, study and share the collection
• Engage local communities with what we do

If you would like to donate a monetary donation during your visit there is a donation box at the Welcome Desk, and we can also now take donations by card through the Donation Station.

There is a Medieval Market automaton is another way that you can donate, which runs through £1.00 coin donations.

Other ways to support the museum:

Available from the Welcome Desk:

• Social Story (also available to download here)

• Audio Guides (these are also available to download to your own device here)

• Sensory Bags

• Ear Defenders

• Large Print Guides

• Activity Sheets and Trails (also available to download here)

Please ask one of the volunteers if you would like to use any of these during your visit.

Family-Friendly

We welcome visitors of all ages and have lots of fun activities for families to enjoy – see the about page for more details. The building is suitable for pushchairs, with a lift to all levels and ramps within the main museum space. A dual-purpose accessible toilet has a pull-down bed for baby changing.

Guide and Assistance dogs

Assistance dogs are welcome in the museum. No other dogs or animals are allowed in the museum.

School and Group Visits

Schools and groups are very welcome in the museum. We can offer guided tours for groups alongside additional activities linking in with the curriculum for school visits. Please see our Learning/Community page for more details.

Accessibility

We offer a range of options to make your visit suit your specific access needs. Please take a look here for the full range.

The whole building is wheelchair accessible, with a lift to all levels and ramps within the main museum space. Wheelchairs are available to use if required. The entrance doors are automatically operated. There are disabled car parking spaces next to the building in the adjacent Newfoundland Way car park.

An accessible toilet also includes a pull-down bed for adult changing, along with a hoist.

Our RNIB tactile map and tactile object guides are in development (we will have a big announcement when they are finished). Audio Guide handsets are available from the Welcome Desk or can be downloaded to your own device here.

Displays have been designed for ease of reading in terms of font size and text colour contrast. We also have several sensory interactives that can be enjoyed by a wide variety of visitors. There are large print guides available to borrow during your visit.

Please note that due to the constraints of developing a Grade II listed building, the lift may not be large enough to accommodate all models of mobility scooters. We have a loan wheelchair if this is the case, and staff and volunteers are always available to lend a hand if required.

Please do contact us in advance of your visit if you would like to discuss specific requirements or reserve any loan equipment.

Hidden Disabilities

We welcome and support visitors who choose to wear a Sunflower item as part of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower scheme. Please note that we do not provide Sunflower items.

Museum Shop

The museum has a small shop with a selection of gifts, cards, books and pocket money items. We accept cash and cards as method of payment, please note that there is a minimum transaction of £5 for card payments.

A limited number of items can also be purchased through our online shop

Local maker or artist?

We are continuing to add products to our museum shop – if you are a local maker/artist please contact us to discuss the museum potentially stocking your works (although please note the shop space is very small).

Refreshments

We have a small refreshment area on the first floor with a tea/coffee machine. It is just a 2-minute walk into the town centre if you prefer something more substantial, where you will find a large selection of cafes, bars, restaurants and shops selling drinks, meals and snacks.

Finding Us:

The Museum is located within Newton’s Place in Newton Abbot Town Centre.

Newton Abbot Museum
Newton’s Place
Wolborough Street
Newton Abbot
TQ12 1JQ

Directions

Walking

Walk along Courtenay Street (the main pedestrianised shopping street) in the direction of St Leonard’s Tower – also known as the Clock Tower. Go past the Tower until you reach the end of the pedestrianised area. Newton’s Place is in front of you, on the other side of Wolborough Street. Please cross this busy road via the pedestrian crossing to your left, just around the corner from the building entrance.

Taking the Bus

You can find local bus timetables on the Stagecoach and Country Bus websites.

The main bus station is located in Sherborne Road and is just a 5-minute walk from the museum. From Sherborne Road, cross through the market area to exit onto Courtenay Street, turn right then follow the ‘Walking’ directions above.

Trains

You can find train timetables and prices on the National Rail Enquiries website.

Newton Abbot railway station is around 15 minutes’ walk from the museum. Come out of the station, across the zebra crossing and turn right. Walk along Queen Street for around 10 minutes. Turn left into the pedestrianised area in Courtenay Street, then follow the ‘Walking’ directions above.

Driving and Parking

The museum is on one of the main routes through the town and is easily accessible from the Exeter, Plymouth, Totnes and Torbay directions.

There are several car parks in the vicinity, the nearest one being Newfoundland Way. You may find the Parkopedia website useful – just enter our postcode TQ12 1JQ to find out more details

• From Totnes: travelling via the A381. As you approach the town centre Newton’s Place is on your right.
• From Torbay: travelling via the A380. At the Penn Inn roundabout, take the first left for Newton Abbot (A381) and keep in the left hand lane. Continue through the town and Newton’s Place is on your left.
• From Exeter: travelling via the M5, then taking the left hand fork to follow the A380. Exit for Newton Abbot following the signs, then at the Penn Inn roundabout take the 3^rd exit for Newton Abbot (A381) and keep in the left hand lane. Continue through the town and Newton’s Place is on your left.
• From Plymouth: travelling via the A38. Exit to Newton Abbot on the A383. After approximately 5 miles, take a right at the roundabout signed for Totnes and the Town Centre. At the traffic lights turn right (A382). Newton’s Place is by the next large junction where the A382 meets the A381.