Lawrence House Museum

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Lawrence House Museum

9, Castle Street, Launceston PL15 8BA (Lawrence House closed for refurbishment). Launceston Pop up Museum Merchant House Launceston Town Square. free entry.

Monday - Friday 10.30am - 3.30pm Saturday 10.30am - 1pm. Last entry 30 mins. before closing. Launceston's local museum is situated in a fine Georgian house built in 1753, located in a street which John Betjeman described as "having the most perfect collection of 18th century townhouses in Cornwall"

21/08/2026

🏰 WE’RE OPEN and there’s something new to see! 🏰

Lawrence House Museum is open, and we’re delighted to unveil our new exhibition: Launceston 1066 – 1666.

This exhibition traces 600 years of our town’s story from the Norman Conquest through to the eve of the Civil War with objects and archive material you won’t want to miss:

🧵 A beautiful reproduction of the Bayeux Tapestry, telling the story of William the Conqueror’s claim to the English throne

🏛️ Rare 13th-century floor tiles and carved stone fragments from Launceston Priory

🐎 A fascinating case exploring medieval feudal tenure — gilt spurs once held by Prince Charles, a pound of pepper, gauntlets, greyhound collars and more, each telling the story of how land and loyalty were exchanged in the Middle Ages

👗 Stunning period costume, bringing Tudor and Stuart Launceston to life

🗺️ A detailed model of medieval Launceston, showing the walled town and castle as it once stood

📜 The story of feudal dues the curious annual renders owed to the Duchy of Cornwall by manors across the county, from a pound of pepper to a pair of greyhounds.

📺 And brand new for the museum — an audio-visual display, adding a fresh, immersive way to explore our history

Whether you’re a lifelong local or just passing through, come and discover how Launceston became a true gateway to Cornwall — we’re open now, so pop in!

📍 Lawrence House Museum - Merchant’s House, 13 High Street, Launceston, PL15 8ER

🕥 Opening times: Tuesday – Friday, 10.30am – 3.30pm | Saturdays, 10.30am – 1pm

🆓 Free entry

08/08/2026

Pop-Up News: A Short Delay Before Our New Exhibition

We wanted to let you know that we've decided to push back the Pop-up's reopening by a week from Tuesday 11th to Tuesday 18th August.

Getting everything ready for our new exhibition, Launceston 1066–1666, has taken a little longer than we hoped! Rather than rush and risk not doing it justice, we've decided to take some extra time to make sure it's just right including fitting a UV filter to the window facing the square, which sits in full sun most of the day and has been causing some fading.

We think it'll be well worth the wait. This promises to be one of our most interesting exhibitions yet, and for the first time ever in the Pop-up, we'll have a video running, beautifully put together for us by Launceston Camera Club, showing off Launceston's historical sites.

In the meantime, here's a little behind-the-scenes glimpse! On Sundays, a few times a year, our wonderful volunteers clear the Pop-up so we can park outside and load exhibition items into the cars. Hard work, but as you can see, still smiles all round.

We can't wait to welcome you back from Tuesday 18th August. Thank you for your patience, and see you all soon!

07/07/2026

Local detectorist finds gems

Allan “Noddy” Greenacre is a local detectorist who has offered the museum several of his finds over the years. The item pictured here is a whistle with the year 1915 and the name of the manufacturer, J Hudson & Co, Birmingham stamped on the top. The whistle is a first world war trench whistle, often used to signal an “over the top” order.

To find out more, subscribe to the Museum’s bimonthly newsletter Carrier Pigeon by sending your email address to [email protected]

02/07/2026

Thank you Launceston for the huge turnout for talk on Launceston and the Normans.

And thank you to the Friends of Lawrence House Museum who volunteer their time to organise events such as these.

Over 120 people chose to hear about the Normans in preference to watching the England football team last night. The talk, by Professor Levi Roach of Exeter University, was delivered with enthusiasm and humour. He covered the beginnings of the dynasty under their chief, Rollo, in what became Normandy, the effects of the Conquest on England (and in particular Launceston and Devon and Cornwall) and finally expansion into Wales and Ireland and across the Mediterranean. Professor Roach's local knowledge of those times was phenomenal as shown by his response to questions from the audience, but it was hard for most of us to imagine life under the local Lord, Robert of Mortain (he who built the castle).

26/06/2026

🐞 Do you remember this little chap?

Did you ever spot this cheeky Leprechaun figure on the bend of the stairs at Hart’s Drapers on Westgate Street, Launceston? He was used to advertise Ladybird products and stood there for years — so he may well have been a familiar face to many of you growing up!

We’d love to hear your memories — drop them in the comments below! 👇

And here’s some exciting news — he’ll be joining us at Launceston Show on Thursday 30th July 2026! Come and say hello in person! 🎪🍀

And did you know? The Ladybird brand has roots going back almost 300 years, when a Bohemian weaver named Johannes George Pasold established a knitting and weaving business in Fleissen, Czechoslovakia — inspired, legend has it, by a dream about a ladybird! 🐞

17/06/2026

Is it Laun-ceston, Launceston, Lanson or
Launnie?

Last year we had two visitors from Australia to the Pop Up museum, a husband and wife, the wife being a direct descendant of James Ruse, one of Launceston’s more interesting characters.

Convicted of burglary at the age of 23, Ruse was transported to Australia on the
First Fleet in 1787. After his sentence ended, Ruse was granted 30 acres of land at Rose Hill (near Parramatta, Sydney). By 1791, he became the first ex-convict to successfully cultivate his own land and achieve self-sufficiency, paving the way for the colony's agricultural survival.

Our visitors have kept in touch with Trudy, one of our volunteer stewards who met them in the Pop-up. They recently sent a message and this picture: “I’m currently in the other Launceston (Australia) and I thought of our visit to Launceston UK.”

Thank you to our visitors for keeping in touch and sharing the photo from Launceston, Tasmania!

If you’d like to read more about James Ruse there is a wealth of information on Launceston Then! https://launcestonthen.co.uk/index.php/the-people/james-ruse/

15/06/2026

🌾 Did you know?

Our pop-up exhibition exploring Agriculture in the Launceston Area is running through to July 2026 at our pop up museum in Merchant’s House.

There’s plenty to discover about the farming heritage that shaped this area of Cornwall.

Pop in and take a look and see what items and places you remember.

📍 13 High Street, Launceston PL15 8ER (in the Merchant’s House, opposite the Co-op).

🕐 Open Mon–Fri 10:30–15:30, Sat 10:30–13:00

13/06/2026

🏰 Launceston and the Normans 🏰

Did you know that the Bayeux Tapestry is coming to the British Museum this year? To mark the occasion, the Friends of Lawrence House Museum are hosting a very special evening in Launceston Town Hall.

On Wednesday 1st July at 6pm, Professor Levi Roach of Exeter University, author of The Empires of the Normans will be giving a talk exploring Launceston’s own Norman story, tying in with the Launceston and the Normans exhibition in our pop-up museum (exhibition from July 2026)

It promises to be a fascinating evening for anyone curious about the history on our doorstep. Tickets are just £5, under 18s are free, and they’re available online, from the Visitor Information Centre in White Hart Arcade (01566 772321), or on the door (cash only).

🎟️ Book online here: https://www.ticketsource.com/launceston-town-hall/launceston-and-the-normans/e-mvrppl

We look forward to seeing you there!

12/06/2026

“We’re back! 👋

Lawrence House Museum is refreshing our social media to bring you more stories from Launceston’s past — weekly history snippets, behind-the-scenes glimpses, event updates, and objects you may not see anywhere else.

While our usual Castle Street home gets some repairs, you can find us at our pop-up:

13 High Street, Launceston (in the Merchant’s House, opposite the Co-op). Pop in and say hello! 🏛️

🕐 Open Mon–Fri 10:30–15:30, Sat 10:30–13:00

Follow along as we dust off the archives! ”

10/03/2026

Museum face book notes- March 26th.
Time for a brief catchup on museum news:
The year began with the annual FLHM lunch at Launceston Golf Club. Work is ongoing at the storage unit with conservation and preparations for forthcoming exhibitions.
On the 18th of February Falmouth University Costume team visited the LHM Stores to photograph a Victorian wedding dress for their pilot ‘Uncovered Project’. Their online catalogue.
The LHM Pop-Up reopens on 31st March – ‘Agriculture in the Launceston Area’. The following exhibition will open at the end of July and will be about the Normans, who founded Launceston. The Bayeux Tapestry is scheduled to be on display at the British Museum from September, this hopefully will generate publicity for our exhibition. Prof Levi Roach of Exeter University, author of ‘Empires of the Normans’, will give a talk on 1st July in Launceston Town Hall.

Address

9 Castle Street
Launceston
PL158BA

Telephone

01566 773277

Website

http://www.lawrencehousemuseum.org/

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