Opened in 1995 after refurbishment, the exhibition gallery 'Southport Seaside Garden City' looks back over more than 200 years, to Southport's emergence as a popular destination for visitors.
The Botanic Gardens Museum houses a number of fascinating objects within their permanent collections such as photographs and paintings that tell the story of nineteenth Century Southport, a dugout canoe that was found near Martin Mere in 1899, a Victorian parlour showing how a middle class Victorian family would have lived, a collection of old toys that will appeal to both children and adults alike and a Natural History room featuring a fascinating collection of birds and animals.
The Botanic Gardens Museum also features an exhibition dedicated to the famous British comic book Dan Dare which was created by Southport local Frank Hampson just up the road from the museum. The exhibition includes sculpted balsa wood heads of the main Dan Dare characters and their rocket ships, which were intended to enable the artists to draw them correctly from all angles.
The museum features many information boards to help with the interpretation of the town's history, and a free audio history guide is available on request.
Upstairs the museum includes entertainment, local history watercolours and the history of Southport's lifeboats. It is a great way for people of all ages, whether local or not, to learn about one of Britain’s classic seaside towns.