Museums & Galleries · Lyme Regis
Chard Museum
📍 TA20 1QW
Photo: Ken Grainger (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons
- Blacksmith's forge and farm machinery display outside
- Skittle Alley with craftsmen's tools display
- Exhibits on local lace trade and the Lace Riots
- Displays on first powered flight by Stringfellow and Henson
- James Gillingham's consulting room and artificial limbs on show
Chard Museum is a small local history museum in Chard, Somerset, housed in a converted 16th-century thatched, listed building that once comprised four cottages and the old New Inn. Inside you can explore the Skittle Alley's tools display, learn about the town's geology, the 1577 fire, the Monmouth Rebellion and the Lace Riots, and discover notable local figures such as aviation pioneer John Stringfellow, artificial-limb maker James Gillingham, and politician Margaret Bondfield. Outside there's a blacksmith's forge and farm machinery. It suits those interested in local heritage and industrial history. The museum is in Chard Town, Somerset, with Axminster station 6.7 miles away, and there are 68 bookable places to stay within 5 miles if you fancy making a longer visit.
Practical details
- Booking
- Visiting hours detailed via website link
From the attraction's own website on 25 Oct 2026 — check before you travel.
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Create a free account to claimPlaces to stay near Chard Museum
Make a proper break of it — these stays are all within 25 miles.
0.2 mi
0.9 mi
0.9 mi
1.5 mi
1.7 mi
1.8 mi
🎪 What's on near Chard Museum
Events from
Skiddle
Fri 13 Nov · 19:00
Hindsight's 27th Birthday - Fright Night
Labyrinth, Taunton · 11.7 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 13 Nov · 12:00
Taunton Audio Tour: Echoes of History and Heritage
County Hall, Taunton, Taunton · 11.5 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 4 Dec · 12:00
Taunton Audio Tour: Echoes of History and Heritage
County Hall, Taunton, Taunton · 11.5 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 4 Dec · 20:00
Mambo Presents: The Sound of Christmas
Mambo, Taunton · 11.5 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
🗓️ Make a break of it
Turn a visit to Chard Museum into a proper getaway — ready-made plans, and the drive worked out with fuel, EV charging and the best stops.
🚆 Or come by train
Live trains to Axminster →Straight-line distances · live departures on each station page