About
Westbury Manor Museum occupies a handsome 17th-century red-brick manor house at the heart of Fareham's historic West Street, telling the story of this Hampshire market town and its surrounding communities through engaging exhibitions, local collections, and a welcoming community-focused approach. The building itself is one of Fareham's most attractive historic structures, its warm brick facade, mullioned windows, and mature garden creating an inviting setting for exploring the town's rich heritage.
The museum's permanent galleries trace Fareham's evolution from a small medieval market town through its prosperous Georgian coaching era to its growth as a residential and commercial centre serving the nearby naval and military establishments of Portsmouth and Gosport. Displays explore the industries that shaped local identity — particularly the celebrated Fareham Red Brick, the distinctive clay product that gave the town's buildings their characteristic warm colour and was exported across southern England for centuries. The strawberry-growing tradition that once made Fareham famous, the oyster fishery that sustained generations of families on the upper reaches of Portsmouth Harbour, and the leather-working, rope-making, and maritime trades that provided local employment are all represented through original artefacts, photographs, and personal stories.
The museum maintains an active programme of changing exhibitions that bring fresh perspectives and contemporary relevance to the galleries. These temporary shows draw on the museum's reserve collections, feature work by local artists and photographers, address themes of community interest, and occasionally host touring exhibitions that bring national-quality displays to Fareham. The changing exhibition programme ensures that regular visitors always find something new, while the permanent collections provide continuity and depth. Community engagement is central to the museum's mission — oral history projects, reminiscence sessions, volunteer programmes, and collaborative exhibitions with local groups ensure that the museum remains a living institution connected to the people whose stories it preserves.
The museum's beautiful walled garden provides a peaceful retreat from the bustle of the High Street, with seating areas, herbaceous borders, and mature trees creating an attractive outdoor space for relaxation and community events. With free admission, a welcoming atmosphere, and a genuine commitment to preserving and sharing local heritage, Westbury Manor Museum serves as both a repository of Fareham's past and a vibrant community resource for the present.
Categories:
Annual Visitors (2019)
25,000
Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
Quietest: Tuesday, Wednesday
Busiest: Saturday
💡 Visit on a weekday morning for the quietest experience. Check the exhibition programme before visiting — the changing exhibitions are often the highlight. The walled garden is at its best in summer.
💡 Visitor Tips
- Check the temporary exhibition programme before visiting — the changing exhibitions are often the highlight and provide a reason for repeat visits. The museum website and social media channels announce new exhibitions.
- Westbury Manor is free and compact — a visit typically takes 45-60 minutes, making it easy to combine with shopping on Fareham's High Street or a visit to Fort Nelson on Portsdown Hill.
- The walled garden behind the museum is a hidden gem — a peaceful green space perfect for a quiet break. In summer, the garden hosts occasional outdoor events and is lovely for a packed lunch.
- Fareham railway station is just an 8-minute walk away, making the museum easily accessible by train from Portsmouth, Southampton, and London Waterloo via South Western Railway.
- The museum shop stocks local history books, prints, and gifts related to Fareham and Hampshire heritage — good for distinctive local souvenirs.
- No café on site, but Fareham High Street has numerous cafés, restaurants, and pubs within a 2-minute walk. The town centre offers a good range of independent and chain dining options.
- The museum is closed on Mondays and Sundays — plan your visit for Tuesday to Saturday. Weekday mornings are the quietest times for a relaxed browsing experience.
- If you're interested in local history, ask the museum staff about their collections — they are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Fareham's heritage, and reserve collections not on display can sometimes be accessed by appointment.
Highlights
The 17th-Century Manor House
Westbury Manor itself is one of Fareham's most attractive and historically significant buildings, a substantial red-brick house dating from the 17th century with later Georgian and Victorian additions. The building's warm brick facade — appropriately constructed from the local Fareham Red Brick that the museum celebrates — mullioned windows, decorative string courses, and mature garden setting create an immediately inviting atmosphere.
Inside, the manor's domestic proportions, fireplaces, timber floors, and panelled rooms provide an intimate and characterful setting for museum displays that contrasts with the clinical neutrality of purpose-built galleries.
The building's evolution through different periods and the marks of successive inhabitants are part of the story the museum tells, with the house itself serving as an artefact of Fareham's architectural and social history.
Fareham Red Brick Heritage
Fareham's most distinctive contribution to English building is the celebrated Fareham Red Brick — a warm, richly-coloured clay product that has been manufactured in the area since at least the medieval period and was exported across southern England for centuries. The museum's displays trace the brick-making industry from its origins using the distinctive local clay through the industrial-scale production that made Fareham bricks a standard building material for houses, churches, and public buildings throughout Hampshire and beyond.
Artefacts include brick moulds, maker's stamps, and examples of different grades and finishes.
The displays explain the geological conditions that gave Fareham clay its unique qualities, the seasonal pattern of brick-making that shaped working life, and the family dynasties of brickmakers who sustained the industry for generations.
Changing Exhibition Programme
Westbury Manor's active programme of temporary exhibitions is one of its greatest strengths, bringing fresh subjects, new perspectives, and contemporary relevance to the museum's galleries. These changing shows cover a wide range of topics — from local art and photography exhibitions to social history explorations, community projects, and occasionally touring shows that bring national-quality displays to Fareham.
Recent exhibitions have explored wartime Fareham, the town's maritime connections, local wildlife, and the work of regional artists and craftspeople.
The temporary exhibition space on the ground floor is professionally presented with good lighting and clear interpretation, belying the museum's modest size. Checking the exhibition programme before visiting is strongly recommended as the temporary shows are often the highlight.
Fareham's Market Town Heritage
The permanent displays trace Fareham's evolution from a medieval market town at the head of a creek on Portsmouth Harbour to its current role as a thriving residential and commercial centre. The Georgian period receives particular attention — when Fareham prospered as a coaching town on the route between London and Portsmouth, its High Street lined with elegant townhouses that survive today.
Maps, photographs, and trade directories trace the growth of the town through the Victorian and Edwardian periods.
Personal objects, domestic items, and tools from local trades give human scale to the historical narrative, connecting the broad sweep of economic and social change to the daily lives of ordinary Fareham residents. The museum is particularly strong on 19th and early 20th-century social history.
Collections
Westbury Manor Museum's collections focus on the history, social life, and material culture of Fareham and the surrounding area. Holdings include archaeological finds from local sites, civic records and documents, photographs spanning the 19th and 20th centuries, and domestic objects illustrating everyday life.
The local industry collection features brick-making equipment, strawberry-growing implements, and oyster fishing tools.
Fine and decorative arts include works by local artists and craftspeople. Costume and textile collections preserve examples of regional dress and needlework. The museum also maintains an oral history archive of recorded memories from local residents.
The collection is strongest for the Georgian, Victorian, and 20th-century periods.
Fareham's Story
The principal permanent exhibition traces Fareham's development from medieval market town to modern community. Displays explore local industries, trades, social life, and the impact of proximity to Portsmouth's military establishments. Original artefacts, photographs, and personal stories bring the town's history to life within the intimate setting of the 17th-century manor house.
📍 Upper Floor
Changing Exhibitions
Regularly refreshed temporary exhibitions covering local history, art, photography, and community-contributed displays. These changing shows ensure that the museum offers new experiences for regular visitors while maintaining the permanent collections as a foundation.
📍 Ground Floor Gallery
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.