The Brickworks Museum

The Brickworks Museum occupies the last remaining Victorian steam-driven brickworks in the country, beside the River Hamble. Families can follow the route of the brickmakers through the historic buildings, see the big kilns and machinery, and look at reconstructed rooms that show how people lived and worked in different decades. The museum says there is plenty for younger visitors, with hands-on activities throughout, children's play areas indoors and out, and family trails. A vintage penny arcade with more than thirty machines is a popular stop. Once a month the engines are steamed up for a Steam Up day, when traction engines and a miniature railway often run, and the site also hosts seasonal events such as a Victorian Christmas fayre. Dogs on leads are welcome inside most areas. The site is outdoors-and-indoors, so muddy weather underfoot is worth planning for.