Maritime Museum

Museum | Porthmadog | Wales | United Kingdom

The Porthmadog Maritime Museum in Porthmadog, Wales, is a volunteer-run museum dedicated to the rich maritime history of the region. It is located in the last remaining slate warehouse at the harbor and houses an extensive collection of artifacts documenting the maritime activities of the area.

Key features of the collection:

Ship models and artifacts: The museum showcases a variety of ship models, tools, maps, and illustrations illustrating the development of the harbor, shipbuilding, and the life of sailors. Special attention is given to the Western Ocean Yachts, known for their elegance and seaworthiness.

Slate mining and export: A significant part of the exhibition is dedicated to slate mining and export, which played a central role in the economy of Porthmadog in the 19th century. The museum explains how slate was exported from nearby quarries through the harbor to supply the growing cities of England and Northern Europe with high-quality roofing slate.

Interactive exhibitions: There are special areas for children with interactive activities that playfully convey the maritime heritage.

The Porthmadog Maritime Museum is a significant site for anyone interested in the maritime history of Wales, particularly the development of the Porthmadog harbor. It offers a deep insight into the history of shipbuilding, slate mining, and the lives of sailors in the region.

Contact details

Web

Phone

Address
The Harbour
LL49 9LU Porthmadog

Map view

Opening hours

Sunday12:00 - 16:00
Monday12:00 - 16:00
Tuesday12:00 - 16:00
Wednesday12:00 - 16:00
Thursday12:00 - 16:00
Friday12:00 - 16:00
Saturday12:00 - 16:00

Reviews

142 Reviews

Geraldine Denton
02.10.2024

Lovely museum, very interesting, informative staff. Very inexpensive entry fee
AsinanTimun AT
30.09.2024

Nice and really interesting museum. Can learn lot about Porthmadog / Wales and its past.. Lovely ppl happily answer any questions.. Thank you!
Rodan Dan Burnett
08.09.2024

My arrival was roughly 45 minutes before it closes at 16:00. The lady volunteer very quickly set up an informative and interesting video covering the history of Porthmadog. After which I was able to have a quick look around the artefacts and exhibits. I have a strong interest in maritime history and enjoyed looking around this small museum and would recommend anyone with an interest to give it 2-3 hrs of their time.
Robert Sydney Thewsey
30.07.2024

Not a bad museum,
Dave Ainslie
24.07.2024

Nice little museum and the guys on reception were very friendly and knowledgeable 🫡
Kinga Blázi
28.05.2024

Familiar and friendly peoples.
Stephen Cefai
09.11.2023

Absolutely disgusted by the service of these people. The website stated they were open and upon arrival they made my partner wait out in the rain and tell us it's closed. Rather than apologise and let my partner wait inside because it was heavy raining, hailing and cold they made her wait outside whilst my baby cried. Then the lady running it started laughing at us while we went back to our car.
Craig Turner
02.11.2023

Didnt have the time to go in. Read on the internet and seems interesting, so you should go in. Only a few quid also. Support it and use it.
Jody Bray
24.08.2023

Lots of information about Porthmadog. Kids area is great hands-on
Matthew Maybury
14.08.2023

Amazingly informative for a cracking price. Lovely staff volunteers who really know their stuff. Must visit if you’re rained in and interested in the history of Porthmadog and the slate trade.
Roberto Barbiere
03.08.2023

Nicely laid out museum with friendly staff. Gives a good understanding of the history behind the port.
Darren Cope
29.07.2023

Small Maritime Museum. Friendly staff and very cheap, we only paid £4 for family.
Annie O'Brien
29.07.2023

Interesting objects and information, friendly volunteer staff and even a children's corner with dressing up and colouring.
Ray Coe
23.07.2023

An absolute joy to visit, took 3 children in and the lady working there kept them occupied and informed while we looked round. Incredibly cheap and very small but some great information about the local historical economy and founders of the town. It doesn't take much time to pop in and it costs next to nothing so don't miss out as it really was a pleasant experience.
Tee Kay
11.07.2023

Nice little museum and 2 gents that run it are so helpful and great characters! It's always great to keep the history alive! Very well done!!!
Tony Moule
05.07.2023

Nice little museum, very informative, helpful staff.
运建晶
27.06.2023

Friendly staff warmly welcome, slate to the river and to the sea. Many interesting stories. Would recommend.
bill green
25.06.2023

Small but lots of items to look at and learn some of the history,Great way to spend a hour.
joanne williams
24.06.2023

Great place lots of history about Porthmadog & the harbour, great for children to as there is a kids area.
Andrew Thomas
14.06.2023

Excellent little museum with plenty of exhibits to shiver yer timbers and keep you ship shape. Friendly and helpful staff too, able to tell you about the exhibits and surrounding dock.
Kyle Kaye
13.06.2023

Great little visit for only afew quid entry tells you about local ships and a brilliant little kids area where our 5 YO learnt his name in morse code
David Medcalf
15.05.2022

Brilliant exhibition of local (but world wide) history, with friendly and helpful volunteers. June 2023 - Just been again, still great, with several changes that add to the experience. A good place to visit.
Steuart Stafford
02.06.2023

Great place, that gives an amazing insight into how Porthmadog came to be and its role in history. Well worth a visit. Special thanks to Eric who really brought it all to life.
Matt Roberts
28.05.2023

If you like big sailing boats, this museum is well worth a visit, it's only small but well worth the very low entrance fee (£2 for adults, £1 children and £4 for families), the staff are very friendly and knowledgeable.
Michael Blackmore
27.05.2023

Very small but it's worth a visit only small charge £2 each not bad consider loks voluntary staff place, the staff there were friendly knew lot about the area how they use to supply slate across the world by boat, and steam train.
Karis Hodgson
23.05.2023

Dog friendly, really is well worth the entrance fee to learn about the history of the local maritime industry. We could browse at our own pace, and though we don't have kids, there seemed to be plenty to keep them entertained, including their own activity area.
Russel Edwards
18.05.2023

I called at the Maritime Museum today with my family, being an amateur Maritime historian I was looking forward to the visit, what a great Museum and the two members of staff on duty were lovely and very knowledgeable, I will definitely be returning in the near future
John Crist
15.05.2023

Very enjoyable visit and pleasantly surprised at how interesting and how much there was to see. The lady volunteer (sorry I didn't get her name) was very helpful and informative. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit. At only £2 entrance fee what's not to like. Well worth a visit😊
David Bartle
12.05.2023

Great local museum, staff were great 👍👍👍👍
Rod Mackenzie
15.04.2023

A small but well organised exhibition showcasing the background to Porthmadoc and the slate trade. Nice, helpful staff.

 

Close by