Bude & Stratton Museum

Canal related displays in the museum show the planning, building and working era of the Bude Canal, and include a working model of an incline plane. Photographs and text also show the decline of the canal and the present-day state of much of its course, the first two miles of which are in usable order.

Open: Daily, 11.00am - 5.00pm (last entry 4.30pm). Small admission charge. The Museum is located at the Castle beside the canal in Bude, near the Lower Wharf.

The Wayside Folk Museum, Zennor

A unique private museum, founded in 1935, covering every aspect of life in Zennor and district from 3,000 BC to 1930s. Waterwheels, Millhouse, Wheelwright's, Blacksmith's, a Miller's cottage with kitchen and parlour, plus exhibits on tin mining, fishing, domestic life and archaeology. Children's Museum Quiz Trail. Nearby is the famous Mermaid Chair in the village church.

Location B3306, St Ives to St Just coast road. Opening April - September daily. 10am - 6pm plus evenings in high season. October Sunday - Friday 11am - 5pm. Telephone (01736) 796945

Trinity House National Lighthouse Centre Penzance

One of the few national museums outside London, the National Lighthouse Centre houses the finest collection of lighthouse equipment in the world. The exhibition, with audio-visual theatre, illustrates the history of lighthouses, shows how they were built and the conditions under which their keepers lived.

Location The Old Buoy Store, Wharf Road, Penzance (adjacent to the harbour). Opening Daily: April - October. Telephone (01236) 60077

Camborne School of Mines Geological Museum and Gallery

Displays of rocks and minerals from all over the world - colourful and interesting as well as educational. Added to this a backdrop of pictures (changed every month) by artists living or working in Cornwall, a coffee corner and a shop, making a worthwhile visit for all the family.

Location Pool, on the A3047 between Camborne and Redruth. Opening Monday - Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm except Bank Holidays. Admission free. Telephone (01209) 714866

St. Agnes Museum

The collective memory of a community and a delightful introduction to a Cornish parish. From Tin Mining to Turtles, Fishing to Folklore. a visit to this free museum will appeal to all ages. Pick up your free colour guide to the Trevaunance Trail and experience Cornwall's Atlantic coast, at its best.

Location From the A30 take the B3277 to St Agnes. The museum is on the edge of the village. Opening Daily 1st April 30th September 10.30am - 5pm Free admission. Telephone (01872) 553228

Cotehele Quay Museum Nr Saltash

Cotehele Quay, St Dominick, Saltash, Cornwall PL12 6TA Tel: +44 (0)1579 350830

Opening days: Daily, April - October. Educational programme anytime BA.

The Shamrock: Tamar river sailing barge, built 1899, restored in 1970s. Ketch rig, 37 tonnes, 57 ft length. Small quayside museum tells story of Shamrock, & trade on West Country rivers & coast. (Branch of National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, & National Trust)

Mevagissey Museum

East Wharf, The Quay, Mevagissey, Cornwall PL26 6QQ Correspondence to: The Secretary: Mrs C. Jones, 55 Lavorrick Orchards, Mevagissey Cornwall PL26 6TL (Tel: (01726) 844692) Tel: +44 (0)1726 843568, 843570; AH: (0)1726 843716. Opening days: Daily, Easter - Sept. The collection, in a boat builder's workshop of 1745, is mainly of local domestic and agricultural items, but includes builders' half-models, an "Armada" chest & other artefacts from the local fishing and maritime community.

Padstow Museum

The Men's Institute, Market Place, Padstow, Cornwall. NB: museum is moving to the old station buildings during next 2 years. Correspondence to: John Buckingham, 19 Treverbyn Road, Padstow, Cornwall PL28 8DN (e-mail: jebucki@aol.com) Tel: +44 (0)1841 532470. Opening days: Mon-Fri, Easter - Oct. General collection includes features on the local lifeboat, ship- building, shipwrecks & rescues. Collection of shipwright's tools. Edu BA.