The Walks of Life is UK's only museum dedicated to the collection of handcarts, and was established in the 1990s by the late Dorothy Harrison. The collection includes wheeled mobility throughout life - from birth, through childcare, work and old age, and in addition to carts the museum also has a comprehensive social history collection. The site encompasses, a historic farmhouse, three exhibition halls, Tuxford's last telephone box, a pick-your-own fruit orchard, and a special wartime exhibition.

Website: https://walksoflifemuseum.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/walksoflifemuseum

mail address: [email protected]

The International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) is a world-class facility to serve as a point for recognition, remembrance and reconciliation for Bomber Command. Providing the most comprehensive record of the Command in the world, the IBCC ensures that generations to come can learn of their vital role in protecting the freedom we enjoy today.

Links:

https://internationalbcc.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/InternationalBomberCommandCentre

https://www.instagram.com/intbcc

https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-bomber-command-centre

https://www.tiktok.com/@intbcc

The Gainsborough Heritage Centre is located in a historic 1904 building that originally served as the town's Post Office and Telephone Exchange. Run entirely by passionate volunteers, this local museum preserves and showcases the town’s rich past spanning from Roman times to the modern industrial era.

Visitors can explore three distinct floors featuring:

• Industrial Exhibits: Showcasing machinery made by world-famous local manufacturers like Marshall Sons & Co.and Rose Brothers.
• Recreated 20th-Century Street Scene: Featuring vintage shops, a period post office, and a detailed backyard scene.
• Research Library & Archives: A comprehensive hub housing local newspaper archives, oral histories, and genealogical records for family history tracking.
• Exchange Tearoom & Shop: A cozy space to enjoy homemade cake or buy local history books and replica memorabilia.

Location & Hours

• Address: 12 North Street, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, DN21 2HS
• Opening Hours: Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
• Admission: £3 for adults, Free for under-16s and members.

• Official Website: Explore the Gainsborough Heritage Association Official Site to plan a visit.
• Research & Enquiries: Learn how to utilize their comprehensive local records at the Gainsborough Heritage Local Archives.
• Social Media Updates: Follow the latest museum events and news on the Gainsborough Heritage Facebook Page.

Hull’s interactive, hands-on, dinosaur museum, Dinostar is celebrating its 22nd anniversary in 2026. The museum in the Fruit Market area of the Old Town was officially opened by Tony (now Sir Tony) Robinson (of Time Team and Blackadder fame) in June 2004. Since then the museum has grown to become a popular attraction for visitors to Hull.

Highlights of the exhibition include full-size Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops skulls, dinosaur bones you can touch and numerous interactive, child-friendly exhibits. One of the most popular exhibits is an interactive sandbox where children can build dinosaur landscapes and even make a volcano!

The museum is designed with children and families in mind. Exhibits can be touched, buttons can be pressed and young palaeontologists can dig for dinosaur bones in sand. The museum is complemented by a gift shop offering dinosaur toys as well as genuine and replica fossils.

More recent additions include an exploration of feathers on dinosaurs – look out for the feathered Velociraptors stalking the upper floor. Three large Velociraptor models overlook visitors from their perches. The famous dinosaurs, stars of Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, are represented as feathered in line with the latest scientific research. There is also an Augmented Reality exhibit where visitors appear alongside wandering dinosaurs.

Dinostar is on the corner of Humber Street and Queen Street in Hull’s Fruit Market creative quarter. It is just two minutes' walk from The Deep, Victoria Pier and Hull Marina. In recent years Dinostar has been joined in the Fruit Market by a range of cafes, restaurants, galleries and independent shops. A great place to explore.

The museum is open every Saturday and Sunday throughout the year. It also opens during school holidays, notably the summer school holiday from July to the start of September. School visits to Dinostar are very popular. As the museum is closed during school times groups have exclusive access to the venue. Groups of up to 60 children can be accommodated.

As an alternative, especially for schools further afield, Dinostar takes some of the more portable exhibits to schools for Dinosaur Workshops. Workshops have taken place in schools from Aberdeen to Southampton and from Cardiff to Norwich. Dinostar has also appeared at science festivals, visitor attractions, holiday parks and even racecourses across the country.

Dinostar – The Dinosaur Experience

28-29 Humber Street

Hull

HU1 1TH

Tel: 01482 320424

Websites: www.dinostar.co.uk and www.dinosaurworkshops.co.uk

Instagram: DinostarHull

X/Twitter: DinostarHull

Much of Lincolnshire is low-lying and, if left to nature, would be fenland and marsh, and difficult or impossible to farm.

From the seventeenth century landowners have tried many techniques to reduce seasonal flooding and to raise the water out of the land and into the rivers. At first, wind-powered pumps were built but in the nineteenth century, with the invention of steam engines, a new chapter began. Tall brick chimneys rose across the fenlands and hundreds of steam driven pumps were constructed to drain the wetlands and produce productive farmland. But they in their turn were replaced by diesel pumps and, in the later twentieth century, by electrically driven pumps.

Pretty much all of the old steam (and diesel) pumps were demolished and the engines sold off for scrap. But just a few remain as museum exhibits … one of the best is at Dogdyke Pumping Station near Tattershall, where an 1855 beam engine is still driven by steam and still turns its massive scoop wheel to lift water from the land into the river Witham. Right next to it, and now also redundant, is the 1940 Ruston diesel engine that replaced the steam. Both engines are maintained and demonstrated by volunteers.

These magnificent engines are cared for by the Dogdyke Pumping Station Preservation Trust and are demonstrated to visitors on the first Sunday of every month from May to October (12.30 – 4.30). The tea room serves splendid cakes and admission is free (although donations are appreciated).

www.dogdyke.com

This week's episode is something a bit different. Sundown Adventureland isn't a museum, it's a theme park for young children, but it has a long history of almost 60 years.

Audrey and John Rhodes started the business almost by accident in 1968 when visitors to buy their homegrown produce were enthralled by a pet monkey they had acquired. This grew into a petting zoo and eventually a theme park.

The third generation are now running this family business which is a delight for children and their grown ups alike.

In 2022, Sundown Adventureland opened its new overnight accommodation, Wild Acre Village. Located next to the park, the 50 lodges provide a themed holiday experience for guests, with single or double lodges available.

www.sundownadventureland.co.uk

Grantham House is a hidden treasure in the heart of Grantham, Lincolnshire. It has been in the care of the National Trust since the 1940's but was only opened to the public in 2025.

Only part of the house is permanently accessible (the downstairs with the cafe and book shop) but there are also rooms available upstairs for community classes and events.

There are also 5 acres of stunning gardens to enjoy.

Admission is free for everyone as part of the National Trust's strategy objective to end unequal access to nature, beauty and history.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/nottinghamshire-lincolnshire/grantham-house

The Cottage Museum at Woodhall Spa covers the history of the town and the Wield family who lived there from 1887 until the 1960s.

The house is a rare example of a Boulton and Paul bungalow constructed of corrugated iron on a wooden frame.

John Wield was a keen photographer and his photographic collection is a unique and valuable record of life at the time. Some of his photographs are on display at the museum, along with a reconstruction of his darkroom.

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/cottagemuseum

Instagram

@Cottage_Museum

Website

WWW.cottagemuseum.co.uk

Pete Loosmore is the Miller at Sturminster Newton Mill, which is part of the Sturminster Newton Heritage Trust.

Sturminster water mill stands on the banks of the Stour River, 300 yards from a medieval, six arched bridge and the site of an even older ford few yards further on. The area is overlooked by “Sturminster Castle”, which is the ruined remains of a manor house once given to Katherine parr by Henry V111.( Now on private land)

There has been a mill on the riverbank for at least 1000 years, the site is mentioned in the Domesday Book. The current building has parts dating back to the 1500s. The atmosphere and scenery changes day to day, season to season, from substantial winter flooding to a picturesque, peaceful place to relax or observe the wildlife during spring, summer and autumn.

The Mill has played a key role in the history of the town, Sturminster Newton, just across the bridge. Milling of grain, whether for flour or animal feed has been a constant, but the mill was also pivotal in the production of a special fabric, Swan Skin. This was an important local industry. Woven woollen cloth would be brought to the Fulling wing of the mill to be beaten with urine and fullers earth to make a thick, warm, waterproof fabric which was then exported to the fishing trade in Newfound during 1600s to early 1800s. Even now, Newfoundland families are tracing their families back to Sturminster Newton. The full story is told in the mill.

The method of working inside of the mill has changed little during the passing centuries. A medieval miller would feel at ease milling grain today once he had mastered the “modern” under water turbine installed in 1904 to replace the two traditional undershot waterwheels. Today, the mill is kept working by a group of volunteers and is open during spring and summer months when the miller uses the traditional machinery to produce flour for sale.

Whether you want historical facts, the opportunity to soak up the peace and quiet of tranquil surroundings, or observe wildlife from the many footpaths, the mill is a special place to visit.

For opening times and more information

www.sturminsternewton-museum.co.uk

Helen Reynolds is a freelance copywriter and her business, Ink Gardener Copywriting, specialises in writing copy for heritage attraction websites.

Helen has many years of experience of working in the heritage sector as she previously managed websites and social media for the Lake District National Park.

She is a font of knowledge when it comes to creating a great website for a heritage attraction, and she's passionate about history and heritage as you will hear.

Whether you work for a heritage attraction or not, this is a fascinating 'behind the scenes' episode, and if you do happen to work for a museum or other attraction, Helen has a free gift for you! To access her target audience top tips pdf, send an email to [email protected] with the secret code 'Come Here'.

www.inkgardnener.co.uk

https://www.linkedin.com/in/helencopywriter/