England Family-Friendly Sightseeing, Attractions & Activities

recommended places to visit and things to do with children in England


Windsor Castle

Windsor

  • editors' choice!
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  • fortress
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  • historic house
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • café
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  • history
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  • royalty

the world's oldest and largest continuously occupied fortress, one of the King's main residences, with impressive state rooms and chapels

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  • family-friendly
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  • open year round
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  • history
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  • social history
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  • nature
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  • walking
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  • wildlife

200 acres of world-renowned 19th century gardens, now restored after decades of neglect, offering secret corners and stunning displays

The Tower of London

London EC3

  • editors' choice!
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  • fortress
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • World Heritage Site
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  • café
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  • guided tours
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  • virtual tours
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  • shop
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  • history
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  • military history
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  • jewellery
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  • politics
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  • royalty

Europe's best preserved medieval fortress, inextricably linked with centuries of British history and home to the British crown jewels

Eden Project

Bodelva

  • editors' choice!
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  • garden
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • visitor centre
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  • nature

The Eden Project is an ecological wonder, featuring massive biomes housing diverse global plant species, educational exhibits, and sustainability-focused initiatives.

  • editors' choice!
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  • museum
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • free admission
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  • open year round
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  • café
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  • guided tours
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  • virtual tours
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  • shop
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  • architecture
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  • geology
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  • nature

magnificent building housing 80 million specimens from across the natural world, arranged in four zones around a giant central hall

  • editors' choice!
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  • place of worship
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • free admission
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  • open year round
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  • World Heritage Site
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  • café
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  • guided tours
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  • architecture
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  • art
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  • history
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  • religion

set on a rocky promontory next to the Castle, one of the great Norman buildings of Europe, boasting a magnificent rose window

  • museum
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • free admission
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  • open year round
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  • café
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  • history
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  • social history
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  • transport
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  • trains

well-presented railway museum, largest in the world, with a wide-ranging appeal beyond the railway enthusiast

Science Museum

London SW7

  • editors' choice!
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  • museum
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • free admission
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  • open year round
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  • café
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  • virtual tours
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  • shop
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  • history
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  • industrial heritage
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  • social history
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  • medicine
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  • science
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  • technology
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  • transport

famous for its interactive exhibits, this museum has seven floors of exhibits covering the development of science and technology

  • historic house
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  • garden
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  • place of worship
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  • viewpoint
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  • family-friendly
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  • seasonal opening
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  • National Trust
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  • café
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  • shop
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  • antiques
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  • architecture
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  • art
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  • nature
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  • religion
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  • walking
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  • wildlife

Island home to a medieval castle, reached by causeway, with Norman church and sub-tropical gardens.

  • film/tv location
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • pre-booking advised
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  • café
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  • visitor centre
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  • film
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  • Harry Potter
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  • TV

walk in the footsteps of Harry Potter and explore the wonders of the Wizarding World

Warwick Castle

Warwick

  • editors' choice!
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  • fortress
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  • museum
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • café
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  • guided tours
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  • virtual tours
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  • shop
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  • antiques
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  • architecture
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  • art
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  • furniture
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  • history
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  • nature
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packed with over 1000 years of history and set in splendid grounds, there is plenty to see and do including State Rooms, dungeons and falconry

Alton Towers

Alton

  • theme park
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • café
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  • shop

the most visited theme park in the UK with thrilling rides, an indoor and outdoor waterpark, 2 nine hole themed crazy golf courses and much more

Dover Castle

Dover

  • fortress
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  • historic house
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  • museum
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  • viewpoint
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • English Heritage
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  • café
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  • guided tours
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  • shop
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  • architecture
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  • history
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  • military history
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  • World War II
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  • medicine

spectacular setting atop the White Cliffs of Dover, this large fortress includes a Roman lighthouse and secret wartime tunnels

  • archeological site
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  • museum
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • virtual tours
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  • shop
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  • archeology
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  • history
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  • social history

multi-media ride through a realistic reconstruction of the sights, sounds and smells of the 10th century Viking settlement on this site

Land's End

Sennen

  • natural landscape
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  • viewpoint
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  • family-friendly
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  • open year round
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  • café
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  • walking

stunning scenery and natural beauty at Cornwall's most westerly point with cliff top walks, the First & Last House, famous signpost

  • historic house
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  • garden
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • seasonal opening
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  • National Trust
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  • café
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  • guided tours
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  • shop
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  • antiques
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  • architecture
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  • furniture
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  • history
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  • nature
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  • walking
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  • wildlife

magnificent late Victorian country house, with the feel of a wealthy but unpretentious family home, including a rare book collection

Madame Tussauds

London NW1

  • museum
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  • something different!
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • pre-booking advised
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  • café
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  • film
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  • history
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  • politics
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  • royalty
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  • sport
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  • TV

famous waxwork museum, displaying effigies of celebrities, royalty, historic figures and sports stars, with photo-ops alongside your favourites

  • family-friendly
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  • open year round
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  • café
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  • shop
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  • wildlife

rescue centre in picturesque setting, specialising in seal rescue, rehabilitation and release. With daily feeding times and talks

Abbey House Gardens

Market Cross

  • garden
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  • family-friendly
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  • seasonal opening
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  • café

hailed as a quintesssentially, English garden, this 'Great Garden of the World' boasts over 2000 different roses and over 1/4 million tulips, all set beside the 12th Century Abbey Church in the centre of Malmesbury

Mary Rose Museum

Portsmouth

  • museum
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • café
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  • guided tours
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  • history
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  • maritime heritage
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  • transport
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  • boats

Imaginatively displayed with interaction exhibits telling the story of this favourite ship of Henry Vlllth, featuring weapons, tools and possessions of the men who sailed her

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