At Whitby Museum we have a dedicated special exhibition room with a programme of exhibitions designed to complement and enhance our main gallery. Special exhibitions usually run for a full year.
Our Costume Gallery also has annually changing exhibitions highlighting differing areas of our costume and textile collection.
Throughout the year we stage events and talks linked to our collection. Regularly visit this page or our social media channels for the latest updates.
Exhibition
Curiouser & Curiouser
Sun, 1 February 2026 - Sun, 13 December 2026 Tuesday to Sunday 10am-4:30pm, last admission 4pm.
‘Curiouser and Curiouser: The Creepy, Captivating, Magical and Mysterious at Whitby Museum’ Whitby Museum curators have chosen a selection of...
Exhibition
Alice in Whitby
Tue, 3 February 2026 - Sun, 6 December 2026 10am- 4:30pm Tuesday to Sunday. Last admission 4pm
A re-imagining of characters in Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ through the Whitby Museum costume collection. Letting their imagination run...
Mini-Exhibition
Cherished Teapots
Sun, 22 February 2026 - Sun, 6 December 2026 10am- 4:30pm Tuesday to Sunday. Last admission 4pm
A feature of many British homes, and witness to many great life events, the humble teapot can often be overlooked....
Mini-Exhibition
Gunner Robert Watmore
Sat, 28 February 2026 - Sun, 6 December 2026
The only serving military personnel to be killed in Whitby during the Second World War, Gunner Watmore’s name was forgotten...
Exhibition
Exhibition: Fantastic Archives and where to find them…
Fri, 10 April 2026 - Sun, 6 December 2026 Exhibition Opening Date - TBC
In 2023, Whitby Museum were awarded Heritage Lottery funding for a project to raise the profile of the library and...
Event, Play
Play: Around the moors in 80 Hours
Fri, 5 June 2026 2-3:30
Phileas Fogg and Passepartout return – this time racing across the mystical and perilous North York Moors in just 80...
Event, Talk
Talk: Book Repair – Restoration & Conservation
Wed, 17 June 2026 2pm
A talk about book repair techniques using images of work done for Whitby Museum by York Bookbinders as examples amongst...
Event, Talk
In Search of Sea Dragons – Book signing and author talk
Sat, 1 August 2026 1pm
Join Matthew on an enthralling journey into the distant past as he recounts tales from the beaches of South Wales,...
Children's activity, Event, Meet the Curator
Whitby Fossil Day
Sat, 1 August 2026 11am-3pm
A day celebrating our amazing Whitby Fossils, suitable for all ages. Get hands on with fossils! Get hands on with...
Event, geology, Talk
The Mystery of the Whitby Garlic Stones with Dr Liam Herringshaw
Sat, 1 August 2026 3pm
Body fossils attract most of the palaeontological attention, but trace fossils – burrows, borings, tracks – are far more interesting....
Children's activity, Event
Curious Kids Chess Tournament
Thu, 20 August 2026 11am start estimated finish time around 2pm
A chess tournament for curious kids aged 18 and under. Children must know how to play chess to take part....
Event, Talk
Voyaging into the Ice
Wed, 16 September 2026 13:45 for 2pm start
“I have come not to do as much as other men, but more!”. A look into the stories of five...
Event, Talk
Talk: Whitby’s Lost East Side (Part 2)
Wed, 21 October 2026 Arrive from 1:45pm for 2pm start
Part two of Photography Curator Neil Williamson’s talks on Whitby’s Lost East Side. A photographic tour around the East Side...
Event, Talk
Hyenas in yorkshire? The Mystery of Kirkdale Cave
Wed, 18 November 2026 13:45 for 2pm start
The mystery of the faunal remains in Kirkdale Cave challenged the greatest minds of the newly emerging fields of gelology,...
