What’s Here

A voyage of discovery

15 galleries exploring the influence of the sea on history and culture.

A photo of the Boat Hall at National Maritime Museum Cornwall. Some boats hang from the ceiling, others are positioned on the ground.

Your voyage of discovery begins in the Boat Hall. Here you can orientate yourself in the building, admiring the hanging flotilla of small boats on display over your head.

Boat Pool

Put your navigational skills to the test on our ever-popular Boat Pool, where aspiring sailors take the helm of remote-controlled boats.

A photograph of the SURF! exhibition from above, showing a VW Campervan and surfboard display.

The Hold

Our largest exhibition space, where we install our respected and renowned major exhibitions. Our current major exhibition is SURF! until Jan 2027.

RNLI Rescue Zone

Adventure awaits in the RNLI Rescue Zone, celebrating the outstanding work of the RNLI. There are hop-on rescue vehicles, a dressing-up area, and sea safety tips.

Skull Island Play Zone

Let imaginations run wild in the Skull Island Play Zone. Do you dare step foot on Skull Island? Become a pirate for the day and hoist the Jolly Roger to stake your claim.

A photo of three volunteers working on a boat in the Museum's boat-building workshop.

Boatbuilding Gallery & Workshop

Explore our programme of historical reconstructions and see progress on our current build project: The Helford WW2 SOE Surfboat.

Cornwall Galleries

A photo of the Museum's Falmouth Packet Gallery.

Falmouth Gallery

Step back in time in our Falmouth Gallery and chart Falmouth’s incredible history through objects, journals. listening posts, photographs, interpretation and interactive displays.

A photo of the Cornwall and the Sea gallery at the Museum.

Cornwall & the Sea

Discover how people of Cornwall have made a living from the ocean, how local craft were built, and who sailed in them.

Cornish Quayside

Listen to tales of the lives of Cornish fishermen in their own words. Learn how sails were traditionally made and explore how pilchards were pressed in our reconstruction of a pilchard cellar.

The Balcony Gallery

A temporary exhibition space on the Museum’s first floor, currently home to an intimate community exhibition celebrating surfing memories in Cornwall.

Tower Galleries

Tidal Zone

Go underwater and look out into the harbour through two large windows – if you stand there long enough you’ll see the tide rise and fall. Take a really close look and you could catch a glimpse of a cormorant diving after a fish, crabs, shrimps and more.

The Lookout

Climb to the top of the tower for breathtaking views over the harbour, docks, and estuary. Find out about historic buildings, local landmarks, coastal features, special events, and the vessels down below.

A photograph showing an exhibition space with black walls and a line of large black and white portraits. In the middle of the space a circular bench sits under suspended glass buoys which are casting shadows on the wooden floor.

The Bridge Gallery

The Bridge is the Museum’s temporary exhibition space and is home to a regularly changing programme of instalations. Our current exhibition is Resilience: Stories of change in coastal Cornwall, until 4 Jan 2026.

Other Spaces

Photo of two volunteers examining diagrams laid out on a table in the Museum's Bartlett Library.

Bartlett Maritime Research Centre & Library

The Museum’s research work is led by the Bartlett Maritime Research Centre & Library which incorporates the Bartlett Library and the Peter and Julie Newall Library, a wonderful resource of books, archives and records on maritime matters.

Tom Cunliffe delivering a lecture at National Maritime Museum Cornwall.

Sunley Lecture Theatre

Fitted with the latest audio-visual technology and an induction loop for hearing aid users, this is where we hold our inspiring talks, presentations, conferences & films, including our Spring & Autumn Lecture Series.

Waterside Cafe

With spectacular views over Falmouth’s magnificent harbour, the Waterside Cafe is a popular port of call for museum visitors. The menu currently includes a delicious offering of hot & cold drinks, cakes, pasties, sausage rolls and snacks.

A photograph of a nautical shop display, including turquoise and yellow coloured throws, model boats and piles of books.

Gift Shop

Come and browse our selection of locally sourced, maritime themed gifts, everything from silk scarves and children’s clothing to model boats and pirate flags. The shop is situated on the ground floor and is free to enter.