Dover Museum and Bronze Age Boat Gallery

Dover Museum stands in Market Square, behind its original Victorian facade. The town council took it over in 1848 and built a new home there. Bomb damage in 1942 destroyed much of the collection, leaving only thirty per cent by 1946. A temporary home in the Town Hall undercroft lasted until 1991. A modern three-storey building then opened on the same square. In 1999 the Queen opened the Bronze Age Boat Gallery on the second floor. The museum’s archaeology gallery shows finds from prehistoric times to 1066. A diorama of Claudius arriving on an elephant at Richborough Castle stands beside full-size figures of a Celt and a Roman. The first floor hosts temporary exhibitions. The second floor traces Dover’s history from 1066 to today, including works bequeathed by William Williamson. The Bronze Age Boat gallery displays the Langdon Bay hoard alongside the ancient vessel. Visitors walk past the reused White Cliffs Experience displays now housed in the museum. The rebuilt building keeps the original Victorian frontage intact. Upstairs the Bronze Age Boat rests in its gallery, surrounded by local history. The archaeology gallery shows Roman and Saxon finds from Buckland and other sites. Temporary shows change regularly on the first floor. The Williamson bequest fills one wall with Victorian paintings and sketches.