Poole Museum reopened a year ago today and has had more than 250,000 visits with Scaplen's Court. It opens late tonight for fireworks. Updated November 2026.

Poole Museum reopened a year ago today, after a multi-million pound transformation, and BCP Council says it and Scaplen’s Court have since had more than 250,000 visits.

The museum is opening late tonight to coincide with the Poole Quay fireworks. It is about five miles west of Bournemouth town centre. The council has not published the closing time, so check with the museum before you set out.

What the figures cover

The headline number is visits, not people, and it adds up two things. The council’s breakdown is:

  • more than 150,000 visitors to the museum itself
  • more than 100,000 in footfall across the wider estate, including Scaplen’s Court and the café

Alongside that, it reports more than 1,250 people reached through community programmes. Volunteers gave more than 7,000 hours.

Cllr Andy Martin, the portfolio holder for museums, called it “a phenomenal achievement”.

What it showed

The first year’s exhibitions included:

  • Life in Full Colour, by Jason Wilsher-Mills, inspired by Poole’s maritime heritage
  • Power of Poole, on the town’s former power station
  • Coasts in Mind, a community-led show on a century of change around Poole Harbour
  • Lucian Freud’s Etchings: A Creative Collaboration, with rarely seen works
  • Sound of the Sea, an immersive piece on the coast

What it means for you

The museum will also launch a community fundraising campaign tonight, to secure the permanent future of Jason Wilsher-Mills’ masthead artwork. The council has not said how much it needs to raise. New merchandise based on his work will be unveiled too.

More things to do this month are in our What’s On guide.