Opening hours

Tue - Sat: 10am - 4:45pm
Closed: Sundays, Mondays and Bank Holidays

Free Entry

There may be a charge for special exhibitions. Please call to confirm.

Extraordinary closures

Please note that the museum will be closed as detailed below:

Mummy on the move!
The Egyptian gallery will be closed from the 28 April. The Mummy will reappear when the new Ancient Civilisations gallery opens on the 8 June

Saturday 24 November
The Museum and Library will be closed for the RIC Members Only day.

We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause.

The Museum’s collections of World Culture material are the result of Cornishmen collecting while abroad and reflect their travels, interests and connoisseurship.   The collection comprises some 1600 objects and consists of a wide variety of object types and materials from many cultures and countries. Weaponry represents a large proportion of the collection. There are also many everyday household objects and tools as well as sacred statuary and carvings. The types of construction materials are also very varied from the more stable stone and ceramic to fragile and vulnerable organic materials.

The main areas represented are Africa, America, Asia, the Pacific and Melanesia and Polynesia. Some of the artefacts come under the heading of archaeology. Others, American ceramics, Oriental ceramics, Navaho silver and costume fall more in to the Applied Art category. The Maori hei-tiki and the taiaha (wooden staff) from New Zealand, the 12th century clay votive tablets and Buddhist figures from Burma are some of the objects of special note.