Unusual Museums to Visit During a Stay at Windmill Lodges
Many people will be familiar with the ‘big’ museums in Suffolk – such as Sutton Hoo, Ipswich’s Transport Museum and the museum at Landguard Fort in Felixstowe. However the county also boasts a number of other, smaller museums which are well worth a visit during a stay at Windmill Lodges, a fantastic spot for 4- and 5-star log cabin holidays. Here we highlight just a few of the more unusual ones.
Bawdsey Radar Museum
This museum tells the story of the birth of radar, which was an essential tool in the Battle of Britain as it allowed the RAF to detect the presence of oncoming German bombing raids around the country.
The Bawdsey connection cane about when its Manor was part of an RAF station which conducted the initial research into the scientific process (the image above shows it in action). The museum has interactive elements as well as traditional storyboards and memorabilia; there are also one-off events, including talks, and visits from local schools. It’s open to the public on Thursdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays. You can find out more about the museum here.
Bawdsey is near Felixstowe – so you could easily combine it with a visit to the coast. The village itself is just over 20 miles south of our Saxtead site.
The Mechanical Music Museum, Cotton
This museum specialises in organs of every type and size; fairground, cinema, café dance, barrel – you name it, they are all here.
There’s also plenty of sheet music, old records (78s) and other musical artefacts. It’s open every Sunday, is located near Stowmarket and is around 16 miles west of our Windmill Lodges site.
The Amber Museum, Southwold
This museum is the only one in the UK dedicated to this orange organic gemstone which is widely used in jewellery. The Suffolk coastline between Felixstowe and Southwold is known as ‘The Amber Coast’; amber itself is a fossilised resin which was originally found in trees in what is now the Baltic Sea.
The museum is part of The Amber Shop in Southwold Market Place, and it has normal shop opening hours – so there’s plenty of opportunity to buy as well as learn about amber. In the museum, storyboards tell the history of the gemstone, which has also been used for medicinal purposes over the centuries as well as decorative ones.
As with the Bawdsey museum, it’s easy to make this part of a trip to the coast – although Southwold is markedly different as a resort compared to Felixstowe (Southwold to Saxtead is again just over 20 miles).
Moyse’s Hall Museum, Bury St Edmunds
Again, if you fancy going a little bit further afield (it’s just over 30 miles to the west of us) then Moyse’s Hall Museum in Bury St Edmunds is a fascinating museum in the heart of the town.
If you are fascinated by clocks and timepieces, then this museum is the one for you; it’s the home of the Gerson Parkington collection (he was a noted local collector and musician). There’s also plenty of other local memorabilia, including information on the notorious Red Barn murder, as well as sections on superstition and witchcraft, and work by local artists.
There are also other visiting displays as well – check out the museum website here – and opening hours are 10am-5pm Mondays to Saturdays and 12pm-4pm Sundays (last entries are an hour beforehand in both cases).
Dunwich Museum
Dunwich Museum is unusual because it tells the story of a place that has largely – but by no means entirely – disappeared.
Although the so-called ‘lost city’ on the east coast was hit by various storm surges in the 13th century, when it was an important trading post and had a population numbered in the thousands, its story lives on at the village museum. Around 180 people now live in Dunwich, which is about 15 miles to the east of us (and just south of Southwold).
Various images and historical documents at the museum tell the story of how big Dunwich once was and its prominence in Suffolk trading. The opening hours are 11.30am-4.30pm and it’s open seven days a week from the beginning of April to the end of October. Find out more about the museum on their website here.
Hot Tub Holidays in Suffolk at Windmill Lodges
Windmill Lodges makes the ideal base to explore all the county’s museums, wherever they are in Suffolk – our central location makes it easy. And while you stay here, you enjoy the benefit of staying in authentic log cabins in the heart of the Suffolk countryside – with fully equipped kitchens, coal-effect fires, en-suite bathrooms, TVs and sound systems, and your own private hot tub.
To check on our latest availability, click here; you can also follow this link and fill in the online form.
Image: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/THE AIR MINISTRY