Bayle Museum

The Bayle Museum sits in Bridlington beside the old town wall. Its home is the Bayle Gate, a stone gatehouse built in the 12th century and now a Grade I listed scheduled monument. The gate once controlled the road to Bridlington Priory, a monastery founded in the 1140s by William le Gros. Inside the museum, displays use objects and hands-on exhibits to show Bridlington’s past. The word ‘bayle’ comes from the French for an enclosure or ward. The gatehouse has served many roles over seven centuries. After the priory closed in the 16th century it became a prison, then a courtroom and a schoolroom. During the Napoleonic wars soldiers were stationed here. Later it housed the town hall before turning to museum use. Archaeologists have found the earliest stonework dates from the 1100s, though much of its early story remains unclear. Visitors walk through the thick stone arch into rooms that once held a porter and an almoner. The museum’s displays tell of market tolls, charity ale and priory life. Upstairs a meeting room is still used by the Lords Feoffees, a local charity board. Outside, the gate opens onto the quiet lanes of Bridlington’s old quarter.