Carisbrooke Castle Museum

Name

Carisbrooke Castle Museum

Legal name

Carisbrooke Castle Museum Trust

Website

https://carisbrookecastlemuseum.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Museum Services

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Historical Sites (71212)

akta.pro primary industry

History Museums (THAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

Keywords

• Heritage museum
• Historical preservation
• Cultural education
• Community heritage
• Island history

Headquarters

HQ city

Newport

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The museum relies heavily on donations from visitors and supporters. Online donations can be made via PayPal.
2. Membership/Supporters Scheme: Annual supporters membership at £36 per year or £3 per month via Direct Debit, providing exclusive benefits including special updates, event invitations, and behind-the-scenes access.
3. English Heritage Contribution: English Heritage, who manage the wider castle site, contribute less than half of the museum's annual budget.
4. Book and Merchandise Sales: Sale of books including '100 Treasures and Curiosities', 'The Lady of the Wight', 'Roman Vectis', and locally made crafts and gifts at the museum.
5. Event Tickets: Revenue from ticket sales for talks, events, and special fundraising events.
6. Easy Fundraising: Donations received when supporters shop online through the Easy Fundraising platform.
7. Legacy Bequests: Museum accepts gifts in wills to support future generations of island heritage preservation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Carisbrooke Castle Museum is an independent charitable museum that preserves, researches, and publicly exhibits over 37,000 objects documenting Isle of Wight history from the Norman conquest to the present day. Its core offering is on-site access to permanent galleries (Lower Gallery, Upper Gallery, King Charles Bedroom, Princess Beatrice's Kitchen, and the long-term-loan Ashburnham Collection), supplemented by school educational sessions, guided talks and tours, a Supporters Scheme membership, retail books and merchandise, and a public library and research service.

Product overview

Carisbrooke Castle Museum is a single-site museum attraction that operates as a unified offering, with admission included in the English Heritage entrance fee. The museum's core product is its permanent exhibitions and galleries: the Lower Gallery (History of Carisbrooke Castle), Upper Gallery (Island Stories), King Charles Bedroom, Princess Beatrice's Kitchen, and the Ashburnham Collection. These permanent offerings are supplemented by educational programmes including school sessions, talks and tours, and community-focused oral history projects such as the Island Voices Collection, Farming Memories, and VE Day 80 exhibition. The museum also offers a Supporters Scheme membership and publishes books including '100 Treasures and Curiosities'. Visitor engagement products like the Museum Explorer Trail and Mini Museum Explorer Trail enhance the family visitor experience. The museum collects, preserves, and displays over 37,000 objects related to Isle of Wight history from the Norman conquest to the present day.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 37,000 objects in collection
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ashburnham Heritage TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlaced the Ashburnham Collection on long-term loan at the museum, enabling greater public access to rare and significant items associated with King Charles I including Civil War era letters, manuscripts, personal items of clothing, and a lock of the King's hair.
• Brading Roman VillaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership of seven museums and cultural organisations as part of the Isle of Wight Museums and Schools project, led by Isle of Wight Council.
• Classic Boat MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership of seven museums and cultural organisations as part of the Isle of Wight Museums and Schools project.
• Dimbola Museum and GalleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership of seven museums and cultural organisations as part of the Isle of Wight Museums and Schools project.
• Isle of Wight Council Heritage ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Museums and Schools programme and various oral history projects including Newport Living History and Intergenerational Oral History Project.
• Shipwreck CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership of seven museums and cultural organisations as part of the Isle of Wight Museums and Schools project.
• Cultural Education PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership of seven museums supporting the Museums and Schools programme, funded through Arts Council England and Department of Education.
• British MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed Anglo Saxon artifacts to the exhibition 'Anglo-Saxon Treasures of the Isle of Wight', with items never before exhibited on the island.
• English HeritagecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManages the wider Carisbrooke Castle site. Provides contribution to museum's annual budget and includes museum admission in castle entrance fee. Many objects from their collection were featured in Anglo-Saxon Treasures exhibition.
• StoneCrabs TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduced 'Out on an Island' project entirely dedicated to LGBTQ+ Heritage on the Isle of Wight, including oral history interviews, exhibition, documentary, play and book.
• InspirEdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on multiple oral history projects including Island Memories, Memories of the Sea, Farming Memories, and Memories Matter.
• The New Carnival CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivered Island Carnival Memories oral history project funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund.
• Newport and Carisbrooke Parish CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivered Newport Living History project working with local schools and people with experiences of living and working in Newport.
• The Island Free SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Intergenerational Oral History Project where pupils conducted oral history interviews with older community members.
• QuayCraftsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIsland-based artist maker group who created contemporary artistic responses to museum objects for the 'Out of the Box' exhibition.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Dimbola Museum and Gallery: Isle of Wight museums and schools consortium partner. Comparable as a small, independently-operated heritage museum on the Isle of Wight with similar educational programming, volunteer reliance, and tourism-driven visitor base.
• Shipwreck Centre and Maritime Museum: Isle of Wight museums consortium partner. Comparable as a small specialist heritage museum on the Isle of Wight with similar volunteer-driven operational model and educational outreach.
• Brading Roman Villa: Fellow Isle of Wight heritage attraction and partner in the Isle of Wight Museums and Schools consortium. Directly comparable as a small, regionally-focused historical site museum on the Isle of Wight with similar educational programming and community engagement focus.
• Tudor House and Garden (Southampton): Small UK regional heritage museum housed in a historic building. Comparable as a small accredited museum with collection-focused programming, volunteer reliance, and educational outreach to schools and community groups.
• Isle of Wight Heritage Service: Local-authority heritage service that is a core partner of the museum, including the Anglo-Saxon Treasures exhibition and the Museums and Schools programme. Comparable as a regional heritage operator with overlapping collections and educational programming.
• Lewes Castle and Barbican House Museum: UK regional heritage museum operated within a historic castle, with strong educational programming and local artefact collection. Comparable as a small accredited regional museum with castle-based interpretation and community engagement.
• Classic Boat Museum: Isle of Wight museums consortium partner and specialist maritime heritage museum. Comparable as a small, volunteer-supported, regionally-focused heritage museum on the Isle of Wight with similar educational outreach.

Direct peers

• Yarmouth Castle: English Heritage-managed Isle of Wight castle site. Comparable in that it operates as a heritage visitor attraction under English Heritage management, with similar visitor-funnel dynamics to Carisbrooke Castle.
• Osborne House: English Heritage-managed Isle of Wight property with a heritage visitor attraction. Closely comparable in that English Heritage manages the site while a separate charitable trust often curates interpretation, mirroring the museum's relationship with English Heritage at Carisbrooke Castle.

Broad incumbents

• National Trust Properties on the Isle of Wight: Larger heritage operator running multiple historic properties on the Isle of Wight. Comparable as a heritage visitor attraction with educational programming and conservation activities, though operating at significantly greater scale and budget.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CarisbrookeCastleMuseum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carisbrooke-castle-museum
• Instagraminstagram.com/carisbrooke_castle_museum

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carisbrooke Castle Museum