Dorking Museum
and Heritage Centre
Dorking Vintage Day 9 May 2026
Dorking Museum will be participating in Vintage Day with an activity for all the family: One Day Every Home will have one of these! Come and explore vintage typewriters, record players, tills, calculating machines, torches, cameras, telephones and other household equipment as advertised at a homes of the future exhibition at Dorking Halls in the 1950s.
10.30am to 3.30pm All welcome, no need to book.
Coming soon!
Hidden in Stone
Dorking’s Dinosaur Discovery tells the story of Baryonyx, the ‘Dorking Dinosaur’, and its impact on our understanding of a whole new class of dinosaur.
Visitors will be able to view huge scale models of the skulls of Baryonyx as well as the Mantellisaurus that lived in the same swampy area that now forms the Weald south of Dorking and a model diorama of the swamp environment.
Free audio guide
Explore the Dorking Museum collection with our audio guide from Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app, to discover more stories about the objects we hold.
Dorking Museum
We are a small local history museum telling the story of Dorking and its surrounding areas. From the dinosaurs that roamed the land in the Cretaceous period, to William Mullins`pilgrimage on The Mayflower , Dorking Museum`s displays, interactive elements and team of enthusiastic volunteers provides a fantastic experience for visitors of all ages and interests.
Highlights include a fine collection of local chalk fossils [including a two-and-a-half metre Mantillisaurus tail!], the mineral collection of Lord Ashcombe of Denbies , and a Wedgwood pottery collection from Leith Hill Place . Our displays feature the six Dorking residents who travelled on the Mayflower in 1620, local composer Ralph Vaughan Williams , the Rob Walker motor racing team and so much more!
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Guided Walks and Cave Visits
Beneath Dorking`s busy streets lie the 17th century South Street Caves, featuring wine vaults, chambers, galleries, and a “Mystery Chamber” . Our highly popular guided tours run from the end of March until October every year, and private tours are also available.
The Museum also runs guided walks in the town centre, Betchworth Castle, and the Deepdene Trail between the end of March and October every year. For further information and booking, please click the link below.
The Archives
Dorking Museum is home to an extensive archive and image collection which is available for study. Additionally, we provide research facilities and a research service. Click the link below for more information.
Schools and Learning
At Dorking Museum, we believe that everyone should have an equal opportunity to learn, enjoy, and be inspired. Making the museum more accessible is very important to us, and so our schools`education programme aims to connect school children throughout the South East with our collections, inspiring them to learn about and engage with Dorking fascinating history.
Exhibitions
and Collections
The Permanent Exhibition Space
This area tells the story of Dorking and its surrounding areas. Starting off in prehistoric times, the exhibition travels all the way through the story of the Pilgrim Father William Mullins, the beautiful lost estate of the Deepdene , the first and second World War, and the contribution of the Wedgwood family to Dorking – right up to the present day with features such as our amazing Mosaic made by local school children. For a more detailed trip around the Museum.
Painting Collection
Dorking is home to some beautiful countryside , and so naturally attracted many artists to the area .Dorking Museum`s collection of paintings comprises the work of professional and amateur artists who lived and worked here, and includes about 200 oils and watercolours. As there is not enough room to display all of the collection, the paintings are on display online at Art UK . Art UK is the online home for the UK`s public art collections. Through their work, they make art available for enjoyment , learning , and research.
Temporary Exhibition Space
We are lucky enough to have a large blank space in the Museum, where we are able to present our temporary exhibitions. Every couple of months, we change this space into another display relevant to Dorking. We put all of these exhibitions online .
WW1 Centenary
At the end of 2012, Dorking Museum launched its plans to remember the impact of the First World War on the town , its people, and on the surrounding countryside and villages. The Museum held five exhibitions between 2014 and 2018, commemorating the role that Dorking, the surrounding villages, and their people played during this dark time in history.
Support Dorking Museum
Member benefits include:
Unlimited free entry: Come and go as many times as you like.
Member Events: Enjoy special preview evenings, talks and social evenings.
Discounts: 10% off at the museum shop
Members magazine: Keep up to date with all the news from the museum and other local heritage organisations with our regular magazine – Dorking Heritage
Dorking Museum & Heritage Centre is an independent museum funded entirely by public donation and staffed by volunteers
