Stories of Lynn - Museum and Old Gaol Cells

Great museum! Not a fan of paying for entry in the UK (it simply isn't the norm*) but this place is just really well put together. It was £3.80 each for reference, think we spent at least an hour in there. I am lazy and distracted when it comes to reading displays but the info here is very digestible and well layed out. It helps that Kings Lynn is actually a really interesting place but this museum also presents that history very well. The gaol section is very well done and a nice contrast to the initial history/timeline of Lynn section. Make sure you don't miss the upstairs of the building where you get to see some fancy town council/court/guildhall rooms and a cool massive window with etched panels. There is also a bit upstairs passed the court room which says 'no exit' but my reading was that you could still go that way (as long as you don't exit) and there is a fun painting of Pocahontas. The connection here is that Pocahontas's boyfriend was the apprentice of someone from King's Lynn. Past Pocahontas there is also a room full of photos of King's Lynn mayors but also lots of wood mounted odd military crests. This is a weird room but basically just extra value for money at this point. *I learned for the first time about the Hanseatic League of medieval merchants at this museum, of which King's Lynn was part of. Maybe membership of this network is what makes this museum take up the somewhat mainland European approach of charging for museum entry

A truly amazing museum with an entrance fee which more than covers the experience. Great stories of King's Lynn, loads of history, lots of hands on stuff for the kids and a great jail section. We are so glad we visited and would definitely recommend it to anyone.

The museum has two parts. The first one, is dedicated to town's history and has a number of displays with artifacts from the past. Everything is well organised and wach room has a specific thene. Also there are a couple of corners are dedicated to kids and have interactive activities. The second part is the old gaol and have displays and artifacts from the old prison. It is a bit sad watching the punishment methods of the past but since it is part of the history, we should learn about it.

Visited on a public holiday around noon. This place is right opposite to Kings Lynn Minster entrance. The street is full of cafés and eateries. You can buy the ticket at Reception. Cost is shown in the picture below and the cost is as of 2023 May. Alison is a kind lady , she was very helpful in finding right materials to understand the museum better and she even helped me charge my phone ( otherwise I would be lost without battery ) . The museum has some puzzles to solve. You can leisurely spend a day solving these. They even have interactive activities for kids with colour pencils , craft items etc. with chocolates as gift Section 1 is more about Kings Lynn history and artefacts . Section 2 is treasury . Section 3 has videos of important people in kings Lynn history speaking their stories ( enacted ) Section 5 is about army and rules they had vetoed Section 6 is scary. They have shown different gross punishments of those days and the instruments used . Also shadow play , you can walk into Real rooms where people were locked up. Last section is a prison room with a 5.6 minutes video of Eugene who was convicted of murder. Lastly you have clean toilets in case you want to Use. They even have fish shaped feedback tag which can be hooked to the wall. Overall a good experience.

Lovely lady on reception. Got a reduced rate as sword is not on show as being used for Queens funeral. Enjoyed seeing all the items in museum. Great to go through the gaols . Lots to see , smell and touch. Interesting torture equipment. Plenty of photo oppurtunities.

Everyone was really helpful and keen to tell us things to do both at the museum and elsewhere in King's Lynn. Lots of hands on things for kids. My 3 year old really enjoyed the dolls house and my 5 year old played the boat shipping game. The old cells were too scary for my 5 year old tho. He legged it before we even saw them. The recordings of 'inmates' banging and requesting to come out were too much for him.

Really interesting little museum with some excellent exhibits (the portraits that talk to each other are brilliant and reminded us of Harry Potter!), and if you are lucky enough to visit on the days where the upstairs rooms are open you can find actual paintings of the people which looked uncannily like the actors! There's some fun photo opportunities whilst learning about how hard life could be if you found yourself on the wrong side of the law - dressing up, stocks, jail cells etc. Excellent! It's just opposite the rather splendid minster which is well worth a visit too.

Really lovely little museum, went on Sunday when the assembly rooms are open. Beautiful!

Love this place always good to take the kids to very interesting and has lots to learn about