Coastal Communities Museum
A volunteer led local museum in North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland
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Coastal Communities Museum

We’re a volunteer run local museum in North Berwick, Scotland. Serving the North Berwick coastal ward of North Berwick, Dirleton, Gullane, Aberlady and Whitekirk.

Welcome to the Coastal Communities Museum

Come and visit our fascinating local museum located in the seaside town of North Berwick. We’re run entirely by enthusiastic volunteers and our aim is to enable locals and visitors to explore the culture and heritage of the coastal communities that make up East Lothian’s North Berwick coastal ward – North Berwick, Dirleton, Gullane, Aberlady and Whitekirk plus the smaller inland hamlets. It’s free to enter (donations appreciated), you’ll get a warm friendly welcome and there’s lots to discover for all ages.

Discover Catherine Watson’s remarkable story and her connection to North Berwick. Click on the painting to discover her story of bravery,
a life cut short and our chance sighting of her artistic work on BBC Antiques Roadshow.

Featured
Winter Talks – An Eighteenth Century North Berwick Love story, Thursday 20 February 2025
Winter Talks – An Eighteenth Century North Berwick Love story, Thursday 20 February 2025

A talk by Sir Hew Dalrymple, who will share the delightful and intimate correspondence between his ancestor, MP Sir Hew Dalrymple and his wife Margaret. Sir Hew offers a view into a very different world which is still relatable to us today.

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Local Voices – A Lobster Fisherman
Local Voices – A Lobster Fisherman

Benjy, a fisherman of North Berwick, is one of the last few lobster-fishermen in the town. This video records how he makes his lobster pots and uses them on his boat to catch these delicacies for local restaurants.

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Illustration of lighthouse keeper and seagull
 

FIND THE MUSEUM

Coastal Communities Museum
School Road
North Berwick
EH39 4JU
Scotland
01620 894313

FREE ENTRY
(donations appreciated)

Opening Times

Wednesday 9 April 2025
until
Saturday 25 October 2025

Wednesday to Saturday 11am – 4pm

 
“This is a fascinating museum filled with so much local history and artefacts. The volunteers were incredibly knowledgeable and so charming. We didn’t want to leave”
— Google
“Excellent local museum, located above the town’s library... giving a very interesting display of the town and surrounding area’s history through the years... well worth a visit.”
— Trip Advisor
“I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed visiting your museum last week. I also wanted to give a big shout out to the helpers there...what a wonderful welcome to give visitors.”
— Facebook

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM

Thank you to everyone who came to our Winter Talk last night (we counted 60 and stopped counting!) A very enjoyable talk by Tom Brownlee sharing his experiences of Walking Pilgrim Routes in East Lothian and beyond. There were lots of questions from t
Don’t forget it’s our first Winter Talk of 2025 this Thursday 23 January: Tom Brownlee will be sharing his experiences of Walking Pilgrim Routes in East Lothian and beyond. North Berwick's early development owes much to its role as a sta
Did you see Antiques Roadshow last night? The story of how we discovered Kate Watson’s oil painting was featured in “What happened next”. The special episode is available to view on iPlayer. We’re delighted to say that we have
Thanks to everyone who came along to our Winter Talk last night to hear Dinah Iredale discuss Bondagers and The Bondage System. Our next Winter Talk will be on Thursday 23 January - Walking Pilgrim Routes by Tom Brownlee.
Don’t forget our next Winter Talk this Thursday 5 December with ‘Bondagers and the Bondage System’, a talk by Dinah Iredale. Dinah’s talk will commence at 7.30pm in the Chapel area, St Andrew Blackadder Church, St Andrew Stre
To celebrate St Andrew’s Day, we are showing a beautifully atmospheric work of art called The Parish Kirk. This magnificent oil painting of St Andrew’s Kirk Ports in North Berwick was painted by W E Lockhart RSA. The artist captures the i
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Become a Member or Patron
Become a Member or Patron

You can join the Coastal Communities Museum Trust by becoming a Member or a Patron, thus helping to sustain and develop the museum and its various events/activities. Your affiliation to the museum then permits you to receive benefits.

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We’ve joined The East Lothian Community Lottery
We’ve joined The East Lothian Community Lottery

We now have an East Lothian Community Lottery page. Support local causes and win prizes of up to £25,000.

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Volunteering Opportunities
Volunteering Opportunities

CCM Volunteers are a friendly, committed team with a wide range of interests. No historic expertise is necessary, just enthusiasm! Each volunteer is given induction training and then further time to settle in to their particular role. The more volunteers we have, the more we can hope to achieve.

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Donate Now
Donate Now

Working in partnership with East Lothian Council means that we are not permitted to charge an entry fee to the Museum, so we rely on other sources of income. Visitor and supporter's donations are critical to our ability to stay open and develop our volunteer run site.

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