Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery

Built as a memorial to Prince Albert, the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery occupies a striking Gothic Revival building on Exeter's Queen Street that first opened in 1868. A major redevelopment, completed in 2011, linked the Victorian galleries with a modern extension, and the following year the museum was named Art Fund Museum of the Year.

The collections range widely. Natural history displays include Gerald, a mounted giraffe who is a long-standing favourite with younger visitors. Galleries of world cultures and antiquities sit alongside the archaeology and history of Exeter and Devon, from prehistoric finds to the Roman city. Decorative arts include a notable collection of Exeter silver, and the fine art galleries show paintings and works on paper with strong links to the South West.

The breadth of subjects makes the museum a good choice for families and mixed groups, and it draws around 340,000 visitors a year.