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Opening Times

  Easter - Oct Nov - Easter*
Mon 11am - 5pm 12:30 - 5pm
Tue 11am - 5pm 12:30 - 5pm
Wed 11am - 5pm 12:30 - 5pm
Thur 11am - 5pm 12:30 - 5pm
Fri 11am - 5pm 12:30 - 5pm
Sat 11am - 5pm 12:30 - 5pm
Sun 11am - 5pm 12:30 - 5pm
*Closed Christmas and New Year

We suggest you allow at least 2 hours for your visit.

Admission Charges

Save money with our Xplorer multi-pass tickets

Adults£ 3.00
Concessions £ 2.00
Accompanied Children FREE

Facilities

  • Gift shop
  • Café serving light refreshments
  • Fully accessible to disabled users
  • Toilets including disabled and baby change facilities
  • Visitors with guide dogs welcome
  • Induction loop
  • Family events and activities

Contact the museum

Lancaster Maritime Museum
Custom House, St George's Quay, Lancaster, LA1 1RB.
Tel: (+44) 01524 382264
Fax: (+44) 01524 841692

Our venues

Lancaster Maritime Museum

Lancaster Maritime Museum

Explore Lancaster’s Golden Age and rich maritime and natural history.

Overlooking the river Lune, and the fabulous Georgian architecture of St George’s Quay sits Lancaster Maritime Museum. The Museum is housed in the Port of Lancaster Custom House and warehouse buildings which date from the second half of the 18th century. The buildings along the quayside developed around this time as a result of the success of overseas trade.  Alongside of the Museum are buildings which belonged to prosperous Quaker slave trader Dodshon Foster.

This now peaceful stretch of the river would once have bustled with ship building activity and the loading and unloading of goods. There is now an ever changing view across the river with the ebb and flow of the tide and the presence of the bird life which lives along its banks.

Explore the museum:

Lancaster Maritime museum architecture

Architecture

The building was constructed in 1764, to the designs of local architect Richard Gillow of the Gillow furniture making family.

Lancaster Maritime museum collections boat

Collections

Trade was particularly important to the development of Lancaster. Collections linking to the merchants and their activities include a portrait of slave trader Dodshon Forster, a portrait of Customs Official William Booth and the 'Valentine Cup'.

Lancaster Maritime museum trade shells

Trade

Hemp, flax, hides, tallow, tar, timber and linen came to Lancaster from Russia and the Baltic. Going out were goods such as pewter, brass, wrought iron and perry.

Lancaster Maritime museum interior

Interior

The Museum includes two period room settings, showing the Collector's Office as it might have been decorated and furnished in the late Georgian period and the goods handling of the local dock workers.

Lancaster Maritime museum people painting booth

People

The Customs officials of the Port of Lancaster worked in the building. Miles Barber and Henry Tindall were employed during the 18th Century.

Schools

Lancaster Maritime Museum - Boat and oars

Activities for Schools

Information for teachers. Discover the wealth of educational activities available at Lancaster Maritime Museum.


Lancaster Maritime Museum gallery