Museum of Witchcraft and Magic

The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic stands in the fishing village of Boscastle on Cornwall’s north coast. It occupies a whitewashed building on the harbour wall, its shelves crowded with charms, brooms, and ritual tools. The collection began with Cecil Williamson’s post-war interest in folk magic and grew into what experts call the world’s largest display of European witchcraft objects. Williamson moved the museum twice before settling here in 1960, seeking a place where exhibits would not provoke arson or protest. Inside, visitors pass cases of protective amulets, wax images used in curses, and a reconstruction of a 19th-century cunning man’s cottage. The museum is respected by British occult historians and supported by a charity that raises funds for new acquisitions. Williamson’s successor, Graham King, removed some sensational displays and arranged the burial of Joan Wytte, a woman executed for witchcraft in 1813 whose preserved body had long been on show. After floods in 2004 damaged parts of the building, repairs restored every room and the library of rare books on magic. The Friends of the Museum now host annual lectures that draw researchers and visitors alike. Beyond the entrance hall, rooms lead past glass cases of ceremonial robes, divination tools, and Gardnerian Wiccan artefacts. A library corner holds first editions of works by Gerald Gardner and Aleister Crowley. Outside, the harbour view and the sound of gulls set the scene for a place where folklore and history meet. The museum remains a quiet but compelling destination for anyone interested in how magic has shaped communities across centuries.