Tudor House Museum

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Tudor House Museum

Tudor House Weymouth is open 10.30 am to 4.00 pm every Friday and Sunday until the end of October. Tudor House would have been close to the water's edge.

The Tudor House in Weymouth was built in the last years of the 16th Century. On the outside you will see twin gables with their moulded corbels facing the street; it was common to arrange the roofs this way in Medieval streets. The ashlar stonework and the large mullioned windows show this was a dwelling of a fairly well-to-do person. It could have been the home of a merchant as this was the area

of the sea traders and their ships would be moored in 'The Ope', an inlet of water from the harbour partly covering the area now known as Hope Square. During the 18th Century the inlet was filled in and the house lost its important position. Before the house was restored it was two small cottages. In the 1930's the cottages were threatened with demolition and became derelict. Eventually they were saved by a well known local architect, Mr E. Walmsley Lewis, who restored them to one residence and furnished it as a middle class home of the 17th Century. Thanks to the generosity of Mr Lewis the house is now owned by Weymouth Civic Society. The only access to upper floors is via the staircase.

14/06/2026

Although this fascinating pistol on display at Tudor House Museum dates from the 18th century rather than the 17th, it has a remarkable story to tell and strong connections to Britain's maritime past.

This is an early British military Long Sea Service flintlock pistol, distinguished by its impressive 12-inch barrel (the shorter sea service version had a 9-inch barrel). Designed for sailors, naval personnel, and Revenue Men, it was built for life at sea. The missing brass belt hook—once attached through the hole in the side plate—allowed sailors to tuck the pistol securely into their waistband while climbing rigging, moving around the ship, or taking part in boarding actions.

The pistol was probably assembled at the Tower of London and is a wonderful example of the origins of the phrase "lock, stock and barrel"—all three key components are clearly visible.

Its firing mechanism also gave us another familiar expression. A small amount of priming powder was placed in the pan beside the barrel and ignited by the flint. If the powder sparked but failed to fire the main charge, it resulted in what we still call "a flash in the pan."

Built with a substantial handle, this pistol could even double as a club in close combat when necessary!

📍 Tudor House Museum is open every Friday and Sunday until October. Come and explore our beautiful historic building and discover the many fascinating objects and stories waiting inside.

21/05/2026

Before iron ships and modern water ballast tanks were invented in the 19th century, wooden trading ships used stones as ballast to keep the ship stable in the water.

When cargo was unloaded, extra stone ballast had to be added so the ship wouldn’t sit too high and become unstable. When new cargo was loaded, some of the stones were removed to make room and balance the weight properly.

In Weymouth the designated area to load and unload ballast was ‘Ballast Quay’ just below the Nothe. It is shown here on the 1857 Pierse Arthur map, when it would have still been in use.

Stones would be unloaded from one ship and loaded onto another. Of course, if the stock of stone ran low then more local stone would need to be added. On the other hand, if too much stone was accumulated, then it would be sold locally as building material.
As a result, stones were moved all around the world and it is no great surprise that stones from Norway, Greenland, and Newfoundland have turned up at the St Nicholas Street dig site.

(The illustration of the 17th century scene is conjectural and was generated using AI).

13/05/2026

This is another wonderful item from the Tudor House collection. The ‘tree of life’ chimney crane is believed to have been made in Somerset in the 18th century.
Besides being able to adjust the height of the cauldron over the fire it could be swung out away from the fire, a necessity when very full clothes were worn.
This is a particularly elaborate crane and the only other one we know of that is like it is in the V&A museum, as can be seen in their catalogue extract here.

We are open every Friday and Sunday until October, so do come down to see our lovely house and the fascinating collection it contains.

09/05/2026

All set up and ready to go at the St Nicholas Street dig site. Huge thanks to Context One Heritage & Archaeology for inviting us and we look forward to seeing you later.

08/05/2026

The Tudor House team are all really looking forward to tomorrow's Archaeology Open Day. (Saturday 8 May).
Some of our volunteers will be there and the Tudor House will also be open from 10.30am to 3.30pm. So do drop-in and see us after your visit to the Dig.

06/05/2026

The archaeological excavations conducted by Context One Heritage & Archaeology on St. Nicholas Street have already yielded a fascinating array of historical artefacts.

Of particular interest to us is a fragment of a 17th-century Bellarmine jug. This discovery is significant as it mirrors a complete specimen currently on display at Tudor House, acquired by Ernest Wamsley Lewis when furnishing the house to reflect life in the 17th-century. So, this find provides confirmation that such vessels were indeed in use in the town during that period.

These stoneware jugs originated in Germany, where they were known as Bartmann ("bearded man") jugs due to the grotesque face decorating the neck. In England, however, they were renamed in "honour" of Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621). A prominent Catholic theologian and a fierce adversary of the English Protestant establishment, Bellarmine was known for his strict stance against drunkenness. By associating the Cardinal’s likeness - characterized by his distinctively square beard - with a common vessel for ale, 17th-century drinkers were able to engage in a subtle yet popular form of religious and political satire.

We are really looking forward to being involved in Saturday’s Open Day (May 9) at the dig site and hope to see you there. The Tudor House will also be open, so do drop in to see us before or after your visit to the site.

01/05/2026

Weymouth Dig 2026. Open Day. Saturday 9th May.
This has always been a community project. Local volunteers have been doing the digging, local people have been following the story, and what's emerging from the ground on St Nicholas Street is the shared history of this town. And on Saturday 9th May we want as many of you as possible to come and see it.

Walk the excavations. See the finds. Meet the people who have been making it happen. Bring the children. Ask the questions you have been saving up. This is your heritage and we can't wait to show you!

And of course there's more...the Tudor House Museum will be joining us for a living history demonstration, and Weymouth Museum will be celebrating the town's heritage.

So why not join us on Saturday 9th May, 10:30am to 3:30pm. Entrance on St Nicholas Street, Weymouth, DT4 8AA.

All are welcome.

DIG the Street Dorset Council

24/04/2026

We're delighted that Lloyd Hatton MP for South Dorset found some time after his nearby public meeting today to visit Tudor House and meet our volunteers. It was great to welcome Mr Hatton and lots of fun to show him around.

21/04/2026

A detailed survey of rents was carried out in Melcombe Regis in 1617 and a number of different maps were produced in the 20th century based on that survey. Shown here is an extract from one drawn by Alexander Jackson Brown. He drew rather a lot of maps which he sold from his optician’s shop (I J Brown) in St Thomas Street. He also wrote “The Silk Admiral”, a fictitious account of the life of Sir John Browne who once lived at the grand manor that was on the site of the White Hart.
The map shows that nearly all the houses and gardens in St. Thomas Street extended right through from that street to St. Nicholas Street. Consequently, only one house and one other tenement, are mentioned on the East side of St. Nicholas Street. The west side of that street consisted to a great extent, of gardens, cellars, and stables, which extended westwards to West Street. But, at the northern end of the street stood the house occupied by Sir John Browne, bounded on the north by the ‘Conygar Ditch & Lane (which is now Bond Street). It paid an annual rent of 5/-, whereas the highest rent paid for any other tenement in this street was 2s.6d.
The AI generated image here is based on Eric Ricketts’ imagining of what the manor house might have looked like.

19/04/2026

Do you want to manage a small but lovely museum and conserve a rare part of Weymouth's Tudor heritage for future generations? We're looking for a new chair person for Tudor House. This is a voluntary role that would be perfect for someone with a little spare time and deep passion for history. If you've experience of business planning, managing a budget and supporting a team, we'd really love to hear from you. Please email Weymouth Civic Society’s chairman at [email protected] to express your interest and find out more.

Address

3 Trinity Street
Weymouth
DT48TW

Website

https://weymouthcivicsociety.org/

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