Pre-history to the present day
Centre Stage
As visitors enter the Centre they will first notice the restored Victorian Bathing Machine. Past the old pier slot machines, the ground floor ‘Sea Gallery’ looks at Shaldon and Teignmouth’s ties to the sea.
Nautical Highlights
The Sea Gallery features the remains of a 16th century Venetian vessel (the Church Rocks Wreck), which was originally found by young lad Simon Burton while diving off the beach at Teignmouth in 1975. This fascinating collection includes a cannon, a swivel gun, original ship’s timbers, and several cannonballs.
Pellew and Crowhurst
This gallery is home to the Admiral Pellew collection (the inspiration for C. S. Forester’s Hornblower character) and his flag from the Battle of Algiers (1816). The story is also told of Donald Crowhurst’s ill-fated attempt at the 1968 Golden Globe Yacht Race when he mysteriously disappeared.
A fashionable seaside resort
Up the spiral ‘lighthouse’ stairs, is the ‘Shore Gallery’, which tells of the coming of the railway and the growth of the area as a seaside resort. Then onto the roof terrace to look over the rooftops of Teignmouth.
That’s the way to do it!
Visitors will be able to step back in time into a Victorian Bathing Machine, feel the weight of a cannon ball, play on original pier machines and have a go at being a puppeteer in a Punch n’ Judy booth.
