Charnwood Museum

Charnwood Museum sits in Queen's Park in the centre of Loughborough and tells the story of the Charnwood Forest area and its people. Housed in a former indoor swimming bath, the free museum is organised around four themes covering the natural landscape, living in Charnwood, working life and leisure, giving a clear sense of how this part of north Leicestershire has been shaped over time.

Visitors can see Precambrian fossils from the ancient rocks of Charnwood Forest, including casts of the famous Charnia, one of the earliest complex life forms ever identified. Other displays cover the bell foundry and hosiery industries that made Loughborough nationally important, alongside agricultural tools, domestic interiors and items linked to the surrounding villages and quarries.

Family-friendly trails, hands-on activities and a small temporary exhibition space mean the museum works well as a short visit on its own or combined with a wander through Queen's Park, with its bandstand, aviary and cafe just outside the door.