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.

Latest Events:

Full details about our upcoming events:

Concertina Book Making Workshop

17th August 10am-12.30

Book your FREE place and learn how to make a concertina book with Kathie Weedon (her work is on display in the museum)

This is different to our regular family-friendly Make and Create Session and is aimed at adults, so over 18s only please

All materials included but you can bring your own materials to incorporate if you wish.

Book here

Museum: Make and Create

3rd September

As part of the country-wide Heritage Open Days. September’s Make and Create session is themed around Astounding Inventions. Learn about fantastic inventors from Newton Abbot and see what you can design.

Book FREE via Eventbrite here

St Leonards Tower

Wednesdays 10am-1pm. Free to visit, donations welcome

2022 opening:

Wednesdays 10am-1pm * 18th May-14th September

Saturday 4th June

Saturday 10th September

Saturday 17th September

Find out more here

Newton Abbot Summer Bear Hunt

12 teddy bears have found homes in 12 Newton Abbot businesses. Find them and complete the bear hunt!

Win a £50 Austins gift card!

Pick up a FREE trail leaflet from the library or museum from 30th July.

Complete and return the forms by 27th August. Two lucky winners will be drawn from the correct entries*

*winners must agree to have their photo taken

Upcoming Relaxed visits

Monday 15^th August 10am-12noon

Free entry and no need to book!

Newton Abbot Museum welcomes anyone who might benefit from visiting the Museum at a quieter time.

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

Toddler Tuesdays- back 6th September

• Free informal sessions for pre-school children
• Every Tuesday during term-time
• 9:30-10:00
• Every fourth week will be activity based; other sessions will be story based
• Takes place within the Museum space
• Drop-in

Lift access

Take advantage of Newton’s Place facilities:
• Hot drinks machine and seating area upstairs with highchair
• Accessible toilets with changing facilities

9th-18th September: Heritage Open Days

(A country wide event: this years theme is Inventions)

Newton Abbot Museum Event day: Saturday 17th September

Details here

Temporary Exhibitions

9 April – 3 Sept: Picturing the Past

Award winning artist Christy Burdock presents drawings inspired by Newton Abbot: ‘a community high in trust and contentment, steeped in history and heritage’.

In the museum space during usual opening times

Hear about the works in the artist’s own words here

9th -26th August: Newton Abbot Art Group Summer Exhibition

For the second year running, Newton Abbot Art Group are holding their Summer Exhibition at Newton’s Place.

Around 20 artists will be exhibiting paintings in a variety of media, plus ceramics, and art wood.

Art and greeting cards will be for sale.

It has been a busy year for Newton Abbot Art Group. Their communal artwork, ‘A Field of Flowers’, currently brightens the staircase at Newton’s Place, providing a brilliant gateway to the Summer Exhibition.

Entry is free, and the exhibition is open:
10am to 4pm – Mondays to Fridays
10am to 1.30pm on Saturdays
Closed on Sundays

For more details of Newton Abbot Art Group’s activities, including weekly art sessions, and outdoor sketching groups, can be found on their website www.newtonabbotartgroup.co.uk

Temporary exhibition of handmade books

Your Space Case (in the conservation section)

Artist: Kathie Weedon

Upcoming exhibition:

Torquay Pottery Society Special Exhibition ‘Fired for Royalty’ – 15 Sep – 13 Oct 2022

Royal Commemoratives from the Torquay and South Devon potteries. This EXHIBITION is being presented by TPCS in commemoration of the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Find it in the main museum space on the ground floor

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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 an idea for an exhibition or display you’d like to do? 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