The Canal Museum

Housed on two floors of a historic corn mill, The Canal Museum provides an excellent overview of the history of Britain's canals.

Together with the audio guide that is free with museum entry, it is the key to understanding the rich waterway heritage of Stoke Bruerne and the Grand Union Canal.

Click here for a copy of our Museum Guide.

Displays

Follow the story of Britain’s canals from the great engineers and navvies who created them, to the boat families, leggers and lock keepers who lived and worked on them.

You'll find models of working boats, traditional clothing, canal crafts, a re-creation of a boat builder’s workshop, beautiful old signs and more.

Collections

Stoke Bruerne holds examples of painted ware and other canal crafts, canal-side signs, traditional clothing, and specialist tools. Many of the objects in our collection are designated of national importance.

There is a fine collection of models of working boats including barges, narrow boats, tugs and butties. Models include one of a short-lived inclined lift at nearby Foxton, and another of the remarkable Claverton Pumping Station.

Outside the museum on the canal you can see narrowboat ‘Sculptor’, a craft which is one of the thousand or so listed on the UK's National Historic Boat Register.

Films and trails

There are two fascinating films to watch – early footage of working boats on the Grand Union Canal and a nostalgic 1970s film with a commentary by Jonny Morris.

Continue the story of canals with our audio guide (free with admission), which takes you from the museum along the banks of the Grand Union Canal and to the Blisworth Tunnel.

Friends of the Canal Museum

The Friends of The Canal Museum are a registered charity set up in 2006 to support the work of The Canal Museum at Stoke Bruerne through volunteer effort and fundraising.

Most members live locally and are passionate about maintaining and preserving our waterways heritage, particularly that of Northamptonshire.

The Friends assist staff voluntarily with caring for the museum boat Sculptor and items in the collection, research and devising new displays, working with visitors and schools, and giving talks and demonstrations of canal crafts.

To register interest and to find out more about volunteering email volunteers@friendsofcanalmuseum.org.uk

or visit Friends of the Canal Museum