About
The Royal Albert Memorial Museum — universally known as RAMM — is Exeter's magnificent civic museum and one of the finest regional museums in England. Winner of the prestigious Museum of the Year award in 2012 following an ambitious £24 million refurbishment, RAMM houses outstanding collections spanning world cultures, natural history, fine art, and Devon archaeology within a Grade II listed Victorian Gothic building that is itself a work of art.
The museum's origins lie in the civic ambition of Victorian Exeter. Opened in 1868 as a memorial to Prince Albert, the building was designed by John Hayward in an exuberant Gothic style, with decorative stonework, polychrome brickwork, and an impressive entrance hall that sets the tone for the rich collections within. The 2012 renovation transformed the interior while preserving and celebrating the Victorian architecture, creating spacious, well-lit galleries that display the collections to stunning effect.
RAMM's world cultures collections are particularly outstanding for a regional museum, reflecting Exeter's historic connections as a trading port and the collecting passions of generations of Devon travellers, missionaries, and scholars. Highlights include important Pacific and African collections, Native American material, and one of the finest ethnographic collections outside London. The natural history galleries celebrate Devon's extraordinary biodiversity and geological heritage, from Jurassic Coast fossils to the county's rich wildlife, displayed with modern interpretation that explains evolutionary and ecological principles.
The fine art collection spans five centuries, with particular strengths in Devon landscapes, marine paintings, and 18th-century portraiture. The gallery displays works alongside decorative arts, creating visual dialogues between paintings and objects. The archaeology galleries trace Devon's human story from Palaeolithic cave-dwellers through Roman Isca Dumnoniorum to medieval Exeter, with exceptional Roman military finds from the legionary fortress beneath the city.
Free to enter and centrally located in the heart of Exeter, RAMM serves as both a major visitor attraction and a vibrant community resource. Changing exhibitions, events, and educational programmes ensure that this Museum of the Year remains fresh and relevant, offering new reasons to visit alongside its outstanding permanent displays. The museum demonstrates that world-class quality is not confined to London — RAMM stands comparison with any museum in the country.
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Annual Visitors (2019)
350,000
Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
Quietest: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Busiest: Saturday
💡 Visit on a weekday morning for the quietest experience. Check the website for current temporary exhibitions and events.
💡 Visitor Tips
- RAMM is free to enter and centrally located — perfect for a rainy day or a planned visit alike. Allow at least 2-3 hours to appreciate the main galleries, longer if temporary exhibitions are showing.
- The world cultures galleries are RAMM's hidden gem — many visitors are surprised by the quality and extent of the Pacific and African collections. Don't miss these on the first floor.
- Check the website for current temporary exhibitions before visiting — RAMM's changing programme is consistently excellent and often features nationally significant shows.
- Visit on a weekday morning for the quietest experience. Saturdays can be busy, especially during school holidays and popular temporary exhibitions.
- The museum is just 5 minutes' walk from Exeter Central station, making it ideal for a day trip. Combine with Exeter Cathedral (3 minutes' walk) and the historic Quayside for a full Exeter experience.
- Family-friendly throughout with trails, handling objects, and activity backpacks. Children love Gerald the Giraffe in the entrance hall. Holiday activities are excellent — check the events programme.
- The RAMM Café offers good food and drinks. Exeter city centre has extensive dining options within a few minutes' walk.
- No museum parking, but several city centre car parks are nearby. Consider park-and-ride services on busy days, or arrive by train for the easiest access.
Highlights
World Cultures Galleries
RAMM's world cultures collection is outstanding for a regional museum, rivalling many national institutions in quality and scope. The galleries display extraordinary objects from across the globe, reflecting Exeter's historic connections as a trading port and the collecting passions of Devon's travellers and scholars.
Pacific collections include magnificent Polynesian carvings, Fijian war clubs, and Aboriginal Australian artefacts.
African galleries display powerful ritual objects, textiles, and sculptures. Native American material includes items collected during early European contact. The sensitive, modern display approach contextualises these collections within both their originating cultures and the colonial history that brought them to Devon, creating thought-provoking displays that encourage reflection on cultural encounter and exchange.
Natural History of Devon
Devon's extraordinary natural diversity is celebrated in galleries that combine stunning specimens with modern ecological interpretation. The county spans moorland, coastline, river valleys, and some of England's richest wildlife habitats, and the galleries explore this diversity through geological time from the Jurassic Coast (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) to the present day.
Fossil collections include superb marine reptiles, ammonites, and the geological evidence for Devon's tropical past.
Mounted specimens showcase the county's fauna from red deer and otters to butterflies and birds. The modern displays explain evolutionary principles, ecological relationships, and conservation challenges, making the gallery both visually impressive and scientifically informative.
The Victorian Gothic Building
The museum building itself, designed by John Hayward and opened in 1868, is a magnificent example of Victorian civic architecture.
The exterior features exuberant Gothic detailing with carved stone figures representing the arts and sciences, polychrome brickwork, and an impressive entrance portal. Inside, the grand entrance hall with its decorative tiling, ironwork, and soaring ceilings sets an appropriately ambitious tone.
The 2012 renovation sensitively restored original Victorian features while creating modern gallery spaces, achieving a harmonious blend of heritage architecture and contemporary museum design. Architectural details reward close attention — carved capitals, decorative tiles, and ornamental ironwork appear throughout, reminding visitors that the building is as much a work of art as the collections it contains.
Fine Art Collection
RAMM's art collection spans five centuries with particular strengths in Devon landscapes, marine paintings, and 18th-century portraiture. The gallery displays works by significant artists including Joshua Reynolds (born in nearby Plympton), Francis Towne, and Samuel Prout, whose Devon and European landscapes are beautifully represented.
The marine collection reflects Exeter's maritime heritage with dramatic seascapes and ship portraits.
Modern and contemporary art features alongside historic works, creating stimulating visual dialogues across periods. Decorative arts — ceramics, silver, glass, and furniture — are displayed alongside paintings in integrated gallery settings that show how fine and applied arts complemented each other in domestic and public spaces.
The collection provides a comprehensive visual history of art in and about Devon.
Collections
RAMM holds over one million objects spanning world cultures, natural sciences, fine art, decorative arts, and archaeology. The world cultures collection — Designated by Arts Council England as being of outstanding national significance — includes exceptional Pacific, African, and Native American material.
Natural history holdings encompass Devon geology, palaeontology, zoology, and botany.
The fine art collection features five centuries of paintings with strengths in Devon landscapes and marine art. Archaeological collections trace Devon's human story from prehistoric to medieval periods. Decorative arts include Devon ceramics, silverware, and international glass and furniture.
Making History: Archaeology
Devon's human story from Palaeolithic cave-dwellers through Roman Isca Dumnoniorum to medieval Exeter, told through outstanding archaeological finds. Includes significant Roman military collection from the legionary fortress beneath modern Exeter, Bronze Age Dartmoor material, and medieval artefacts from the city's prosperous wool trading era.
📍 Ground Floor
Wonderful Devon: Natural History
Devon's extraordinary biodiversity and geological heritage, from Jurassic Coast fossils to contemporary wildlife. Stunning specimens displayed with modern ecological interpretation. Includes marine reptiles, minerals, and mounted specimens of Devon fauna.
📍 Ground Floor
World Cultures
Outstanding ethnographic collection reflecting Exeter's global connections. Pacific, African, and Native American material displayed with sensitive modern interpretation that contextualises colonial collecting while celebrating the artistry and cultural significance of objects from around the world.
📍 First Floor
Fine Art and Decorative Arts
Five centuries of painting with strengths in Devon landscapes, marine art, and portraiture. Integrated displays combine paintings with ceramics, silver, glass, and furniture, creating visual dialogues between fine and applied arts across periods.
📍 Upper Galleries
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.