Dover Museum and Bronze Age Boat Gallery

Pleasantly surprised by the amount of items and information in this museum. We didn't have much time before our parking ran out but decided to take a quick look as it was free to enter. It's spread over several levels which can be accessed by stairs or lift. The bronze aged boat is a true marvel and well preserved. Each floor of the museum is full of interesting things, so much more than we were expecting, even the corridors and staircase has something to look at. We will need to go back and spend more time exploring 20 minutes wasn't anywhere near long enough! The staff are lovely and helpful. There is a gift shop with a range of items. If you are in Dover it's well worth a visit!

Nice place to visit, has a free access, with 3 floors exhibition, and VR experience on the top floor. Also bronze age Vikings boat is really cool too.

It is a good museum that ellaborates on Dover's Roman and prehistoric history alongside some other exhibits peppered in. There are some fun interactive objects which are fun for children. Perhaps the best presented and most interesting exhibit is the prehistoric bronze age boat which is used to elaborate parts of that time period. I do wish there was some more modern objects and they could have been related back to the older history. However if you want to learn about Dover's history through the millennia than this is a good shout.

Genuinely enjoyable experience, loads to read and even touch! I love an interactive museum that's suitable for autistic & adhd people. 3 floors & 2 awesome taxidermy animals (i won't spoil the surprise which). The Bronze Age Boat is a must see!

Interesting museum covering local history in Dover, with the bronze age boat providing a remarkable centerpiece. Believed to date back over 3,500 years, it's the world's oldest known seagoing boat, and is displayed in a custom built exhibition room. Reconstructions, videos and information displays detail its discovery and history. The museum also covers local geology, architectural and military history amongst other things, so there's likely something to interest everyone. Displays are well presented and informative. Entry is free, donations are welcomed and there's a gift shop and onsite toilet facilities. All floors are wheelchair accessible. The opening times displayed on Google Maps were inaccurate when I visited, incorrectly suggesting the museum was closed, so I'd recommend checking the museum's official website.

Fantastic little Museum! See a well-preserved boat that's around 3600 years old, and a comprehensive history from the time the Romans landed in 46ad to modern times. Countless artifacts on display from every era. We'll worth a stop, and admission is free.

We were delighted with the Dover Museum. The first floor is primarily concerned with the history of Dover through the ages, with dioramas and model figures illustrating people’s dress of the time, starting with the Stone Age. Most of the relics on this floor were replicas, with the originals being at the British Museum - something a lot of museums have in common. The second floor was for temporary exhibitions, this one being displays of models, miniatures and some toys from the past. The third floor had more on the history of Dover, and a separate section devoted to the Dover Bronze Age Boat, a wooden boat from about 3000 years ago that was discovered during highway construction. The government didn’t want to pay for proper analysis, so a large team of conservationists retrieved as much of the boat as they could. Having been buried in silt and water, the parts they found looked in reasonable condition, but the wood would disintegrate if any stress was put on it. They cut it into pieces, soaked the wood in a polyethylene glycol (PEG) solution to stabilize the wood, and then sent the pieces to a separate facility that freeze-dried them. Another team decided to reproduce the boat using (mostly) bronze-age tools and methods (I say mostly because they did use a chain saw to fell the tree). This let them learn more about how the boat had been constructed. Both the original and the copy are on display. The museum also has extensive displays on people who swam the English Channel (or claimed to, in some cases.)

You can't help but be impressed that bronze age sailors created this ship. The display is very good. If you go to the museum start upstairs with the ship. Give it your attention while your mind is fresh. You will be wowed.