The Shell Museum

The Shell Museum sits in a small Dutch-gabled building in the village of Glandford, beside the Glaven valley near Holt. It was built in 1915 to house a collection of shells gathered over decades, and it still holds that collection alongside shell-decorated objects, fossils, birds' eggs, pottery and local archaeological finds. Children who like collecting, nature or odd old cabinets of curiosities tend to enjoy the close-up displays, and there is a painting and tapestry of the local coast to look at as well. The museum is a small charity with no grant funding, so it is a quiet, intimate visit rather than a hands-on attraction. The church and the river ford with its footbridge are a short walk away, which makes a gentle half-day outing with a picnic on the Glaven valley easy to combine with a visit.