Great Torrington Heritage Museum

Great Torrington Heritage Museum

The history and heritage centre of Torrington

Welcome to Torrington Museum

Glovemaking has been a huge part of Torrington's history for hundreds of years; visit our recreated glove factory and learn the stories of the women, children and men who workied in the factories and their own homes to supply fancy London stores.
Before you could get everything online it was all right there on your doorstep. Learn about the incredible range of shops in Torrington
Something for everyone 🙂
Follow the fortunes of the Westcott family from 1646 to the present day as they fight civil wars, the ups and downs of working class life in the 18th and 19th centuries, two world wars and the summer of love!

A museum in the heart of the community

Torrington Museum is a friendly, free museum run entirely by volunteers in the centre of Great Torrington, next to the Pannier Market entrance. The museum has a remarkable collection of fascinating objects and reflects the diverse history of this ancient market town.

Most exhibits have been donated by local people over the years, resulting a wonderfully eclectic collection of objects and documents which really bring Torrington’s people and stories to life.

The future

Thanks to the generosity of Great Torrington Town Council we now have a permanent home in a beautiful building. We’ve re-curated and rebuilt to give you a new museum fit for the 21st century… but we haven’t finished yet! In coming years we’re planning to open new rooms, create new exhibitions and find new ways to really bring the stories of Torrington’s people to life.

Events

We’ll be hosting a range of talks, tours and activities in the future – restrictions permitting –  so keep checking here and on our Social Media to make sure you don’t miss out.

 

Getting here

We’re in the centre of Great Torrington, looking down the Square with the museum right next to the Pannier Market entrance. The town has two car parks, one conveniently located just behind the Pannier Market..

Great Torrington is served by bus services from Barnstaple, Bideford, Holsworthy, Okehampton, Exeter and Tavistock.
Go to Traveline South West for timetables.

Sadly the last passenger train left Torrington in the 1980s but the old station, now the Puffing Billy restaurant, is right on the Tarka Trail, perfect for walkers and cyclists. It’s just a short (but steep) walk into town.

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Because of upgrades to our fire and security systems we've been unable to open this year but normal service will be resumed in February 2025.

Thank you for your generous support in difficult times and be sure to watch out for regular updates to our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

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