Museum of Somerset


Somerset's main county museum is housed in the great hall of the town's 12th-century castle. The highlight is the Frome Hoard, an enormous haul of 52,500 Roman coins that was discovered in a Somerset field in 2010. Also look out for the beautiful Low Ham Mosaic (which depicts the story of Dido and Aeneas and was found in a nearby Roman villa), and the specially commissioned Tree of Somerset, an oak sculpture depicting local historical events.

Other museum exhibits include those relating to the Bloody Assizes, a series of trials held at the castle in the wake of the Monmouth Rebellion against James II. Presided over by the infamously taciturn lawman Judge Jeffreys, it resulted in the bloodthirsty execution of over 300 rebels, 144 of whom were displayed around Taunton's streets as a warning of the consequences of treason.

The museum is also home to the Somerset Military Museum, which houses a collection of vintage weapons, uniforms, flags and other ephemera relating to the county's various military regiments.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Willows & Wetlands Visitor Centre

7.09 MILES

A chance to chart the course of the ancient willow industry, from reed harvesting and willow drying to the making of baskets. For deeper insights,…

2. Coleridge Cottage

9.7 MILES

The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge moved to this 17th-century cottage with his wife Sara and son Hartley in 1796. It's where he's thought to have composed…

3. Bakelite Museum

13.76 MILES

The endearingly weird Bakelite Museum, 7 miles east of Dunster, houses the nation’s largest collection of Bakelite (otherwise known as…

4. Forde Abbey

14.66 MILES

Built in the 12th century as a Cistercian monastery, Forde has been a private home since 1649. The building boasts magnificent plasterwork ceilings and…

5. Cleeve Abbey

14.8 MILES

Most visitors buzz straight past tiny, tumbledown Cleeve Abbey, but it’s one of the best examples of traditional Cistercian architecture in southwest…

6. Ham Hill

16.45 MILES

Looming above the village of Stoke-sub-Hamdon, this is the highest point in Somerset. It's served a variety of purposes – Iron Age hill fort, medieval…

7. Knightshayes Court

17.51 MILES

For full-blown Victorian architectural excess, Knightshayes Court delivers in spades. It was designed by the eccentric architect William Burges for the…

8. Montacute House

17.61 MILES

Built in the 1590s for Sir Edward Phelips, a speaker of the House of Commons, Montacute contains some of the finest 16th- and 17th-century interiors in…