About
The Museum of British Surfing in Braunton, North Devon, is the world's only nationally accredited museum dedicated to the history and culture of surfing in Britain. Housed in a converted Victorian mill building in the centre of the village, it tells the extraordinary story of how surfing came to Britain from its Polynesian origins, established itself on the Atlantic-facing beaches of the South West, and grew into a global sport and lifestyle movement with deep roots in the communities of North Devon, Cornwall, and beyond.
Britain's surfing story begins earlier than most people realise. The first documented surfing in Britain dates to the 1920s, when intrepid individuals on the beaches of North Devon and Cornwall discovered the exhilaration of riding Atlantic waves on primitive wooden boards. The museum traces this pioneering era through photographs, equipment, and personal accounts, revealing the eccentric determination of Britain's surfing founders and the beaches — Croyde, Saunton, Woolacombe — that became their proving ground.
The 1950s and 1960s brought American and Australian surfers to British shores, introducing new board designs and surf culture to an eager British audience. The museum's collection of historic boards from this period charts the rapid evolution of surfing technology, from the heavy 'elephant guns' of the early days through the lighter, more manoeuvrable designs that opened up the sport to a mass audience. Wetsuits, surfing magazines, film footage, and contemporary photography capture the counterculture energy of the era.
North Devon's contribution to British surfing history is particularly rich. The region's Atlantic-facing beaches provide some of the best surf conditions in Britain, and the communities of Croyde, Braunton, and Saunton produced many of the country's pioneering surfers. The museum celebrates this local legacy while contextualising it within the broader national and international story, drawing connections between Devon surf culture, the development of British surfboard manufacturing, and the growth of professional competition.
The museum's collection — comprising boards, wetsuits, photography, film, trophies, and personal memorabilia spanning nearly a century — is the most comprehensive archive of British surf history in existence. Changing exhibitions, an active programme of events, and strong community connections make the Museum of British Surfing not just a heritage institution but a living hub for surf culture in the South West and beyond.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- Combine a museum visit with a walk or surf session at Croyde Bay, just 2 miles away — the museum makes the beach experience richer and vice versa.
- The museum is small but perfectly formed — allow 60-90 minutes and you'll see everything at a comfortable pace.
- Check the museum website for surf film screening dates — these are among the most atmospheric events in the annual programme.
- Braunton has several excellent surf shops and cafes in the village centre, making it a pleasant place to spend a half-day.
- The museum closes on Mondays and Sundays outside peak season — always check the website before making a special journey.
- Annual membership is excellent value if you're a surf enthusiast and likely to return — profits go directly to supporting the collection.
- Parking in the village centre car park adjacent to the museum is straightforward and generally available even in summer.
- The museum is fully accessible across both floors via lift — one of the most inclusive surf heritage venues in the country.
Highlights
The 1920s Pioneers Gallery
The museum's account of British surfing begins in the 1920s, when a handful of adventurous individuals first discovered the thrill of riding Atlantic waves.
Photographs, newspaper cuttings, and the earliest surviving British surfboards tell the story of pioneers who experimented with heavy wooden boards on the beaches of North Devon and Cornwall, often inspired by accounts of Hawaiian and Californian surfing. These were eccentric, determined people — out of step with prevailing attitudes to sea and leisure — and the gallery celebrates their unconventional spirit with affection and historical rigour.
This era established the beaches of the South West as Britain's surf heartland.
Historic Surfboard Collection
The museum's collection of historic surfboards is its most tangible and spectacular asset — a physical record of more than nine decades of design evolution charted through boards of every era and style.
Early wooden 'planks' of the 1930s and 1940s give way to the malibu boards of the late 1950s, the shorter, more manoeuvrable designs of the 1970s shortboard revolution, and the specialist equipment of the modern era. Each board tells a story of its time — who shaped it, where it was ridden, and what it achieved.
The collection includes boards ridden by British champions and pioneering shapers who contributed to the international development of surfboard design.
North Devon Surf Culture
A dedicated section of the museum celebrates the particular contribution of North Devon to British surfing history. The beaches of Croyde, Saunton, and Woolacombe provided some of Britain's best and most accessible surf, and the communities around Braunton became the heartland of the sport from the 1960s onward.
Local shapers, surfers, and surf businesses are documented through photography, personal testimony, and artefacts that reflect the distinctive culture of a North Devon surf life — the combination of natural beauty, Atlantic weather, and community spirit that distinguishes this corner of England.
The North Devon UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designation underscores the environment that makes surf culture here so special.
Surf Photography Archive
The museum holds an outstanding archive of surf photography spanning nearly a century of British surf history, much of it previously unpublished and of extraordinary documentary value.
Images by professional and amateur photographers capture waves, riders, beaches, and the social world of British surf culture from the 1920s onward. This visual record — stored in climate-controlled conditions and increasingly digitised — is the most comprehensive photographic documentation of British surfing in existence.
Selected images from the archive are displayed throughout the museum in changing exhibitions that bring different aspects of the collection to public attention.
Collections
The Museum of British Surfing holds the world's most comprehensive collection of British surf heritage, encompassing over 200 historic surfboards, an extensive surf photography archive, film and video footage, surf equipment from every era, trophies, competition records, personal memorabilia, and documentation of the boards, shapers, surfers, and businesses that built British surf culture.
The collection spans the 1920s to the present day and is particularly strong on North Devon surf history, the development of British surfboard manufacturing, and the social and cultural dimensions of surf life in Britain.
The Story of British Surfing
The museum's core narrative exhibition tracing British surfing from its 1920s pioneers through the 1960s boom to the professional sport of today, told through boards, photographs, film, and personal stories.
North Devon: Britain's Surf Coast
A dedicated celebration of North Devon's contribution to British surfing, focusing on the beaches, communities, and individuals who made this corner of England the sport's spiritual home.
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.