Langton Matravers Museum

About Us

The Purbeck Stone Museum -
A Hidden Gem

There is a hidden treasure in Purbeck that is known to all too few of the people who live here. In fact most of the visitors it receives from April to September each year are holidaymakers, and they are all full of praise for what they discover.

The Purbeck Stone Museum is situated right in the centre of Langton Matravers and can be found immediately behind the Church in an old coach house which was once the stable used by local clergy for their pony and trap when The Old Rectory really was a rectory and not the valued care home which it is now.

The museum is run by the Langton Matravers Local History and Preservation Society and is staffed by volunteers. It is dedicated to the heritage of Purbeck stone and provides an explanation of the unique geology of Purbeck with fascinating examples of the various beds of stone. The topmost layer, known as Purbeck Marble, has been quarried near Langton since Roman times and may be seen in many English cathedrals as well as most of our local churches.

There are displays of apprentice pieces made from the cliff stone, or ‘beds’; a large collection of stonemasons’ tools; samples of masons’ craftsmanship; and many photos and documents from the past, as well as an authentic reconstruction of a section of underground quarry workings. All of these are put into context by a much praised audio-visual introduction to the history of the local stone industry which lasts for twenty minutes and was written and presented by the former curator of the museum, Reginald Saville, the well known and highly-regarded local historian. There are also some thirty books for sale on such diverse subjects as local villages, the old town of Swanwick, and families and characters from the past including the smuggling churchwarden!

Our local area was built with and on local stone, the history of which is the history of Swanage and Purbeck, and anyone who is interested to discover more about our local heritage should be sure to visit the small museum that is a historical gem behind the Church in Langton Matravers. It is open from April until the end of September between 10am and noon and from 2pm until 4pm from Tuesday to Saturday and is well worth a visit.

For a full account of the Purbeck Stone industry, you may wish to read...

Purbeck Stone
by Treleven Haysom

New second edition of Trev Haysom's book is now available from the Quarry office, Kingston Road tel: 01929.439205, email: [email protected]

Some first edition reviews:
"The definitive work on Purbeck stone." Daily Telegraph
"In every sense a magnum opus."
John Newth, Dorset Life

The Purbeck Stone Museum - A Hidden Gem

Why not visit our interesting and informative museum?

The museum is a hidden gem in which you can discover a wealth of artefacts and information revealing the history of Swanage and Purbeck.

Entry to the museum is free, but all donations will be gratefully accepted.

You can find the museum at:

St George's Close,
Langton Matravers,
Swanage
BH19 3HZ

Opening Hours

The museum is open from 1st April 2025 until the end of September, Tuesday to Saturday (not Sunday or Monday) from 10am to 12noon and 2pm to 4pm.
We are flexible and can, with notice, arrange to open on a Monday if requested.

Parking

Some parking is usually available at the museum.

Artefact of the Month

The museum has a wealth of interesting historical objects. Click here for a small taster.

Join our staff

The museum is staffed by volunteers. If you think you might be able to spare a couple of hours to join us on a regular basis, or as a ‘reserve’, we’d love to hear from you.