St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery

About

Located at the heart of the beautiful, historic coastal market town of Lymington, St Barbe is a dynamic museum and highly regarded art gallery  that appeals to both locals and New Forest visitors.

The museum explores the history of Lymington and the New Forest Coast. Inspired by local pride, and supported by the local community, its collections and colourful, hands-on displays offer a fascinating insight into the area for all ages. The museum tells the story of the area and its people using modern, interactive displays.

The art gallery specifications enable St Barbe to loan works from national collections including the Tate, V&A, British Museum, Imperial War Museum, and National Maritime Museum, often for unique bespoke exhibitions that have drawn acclaim from across the UK.

Previous exhibitions on individual artists include Evelyn Dunbar, Lucy Kemp-Welch, Randolph Schwabe and Sven Berlin and St Barbe also impresses visitors with themed exhibitions on topics including 18th century marine painting, the Women's Land Army and Home Lad Home - the story of horses in the First World War.

St Barbe's Visitor Information Point is staffed by a team of friendly, well-informed volunteers, to provide help and advice to visitors.

We have leaflets to browse through, ranging from visitor attractions, events, transport, maps and local guided walks. We are an official outlet for the New Forest District Council parking clocks.