History, Wimborne | Posted on June 23rd, 2026 | return to news

Wimborne museum explores Dorset’s Gypsy and Traveller communities

The Museum of East Dorset’s new exhibition is titled ‘Home: Gypsy and Traveller Lives in Dorset’.

A new museum exhibition seeks to shine a light on the rich, resilient and often overlooked histories of Gypsy and Traveller communities across the county.

The exhibition, titled ‘Home: Gypsy and Traveller Lives in Dorset’, runs at Wimborne Minster’s Museum of East Dorset from 18 July 2026 to 23 January 2027. It is presented in partnership with Dorset History Centre and Kushti Bok – a Dorset-based charity which supports and promotes understanding of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

Gypsy and Traveller families have long had an impact on East Dorset, with members of these communities appearing in censuses, church, military, school and medical records, photographs and local newspaper archives. However, much of this history has remained hidden from public view; this exhibition aims to bring those stories to life.

Museum curator Millie Lake said: “‘Home’ invites visitors to see Dorset’s history afresh through stories that have often been overlooked. This layered, multi-voiced exhibition explores belonging and identity, highlighting Gypsy and Traveller histories as part of Dorset’s wider cultural heritage.”

The exhibition shows where and how Gypsy and Traveller communities in Dorset have lived over the past century, and how ideas of home differ within and across families. For some, home is rooted in a fixed place; for others, it is defined by movement, kinship and long-standing ties to particular landscapes.

Drawing on archival material from Dorset History Centre, contributions from Kushti Bok, and objects reflecting both historic and contemporary experience, the exhibition offers a multi-dimensional view of Gypsy and Traveller life.

Highlights include wooden scale models of traditional vardos (Gypsy wagons), soil samples collected from historic stopping places across Dorset, and historic photographs from Dorset History Centre, offering glimpses into everyday life.

There are also objects on displayed loaned by members of Kushti Bok, and oral histories that allow visitors to hear directly from people with lived experience.

Access to the exhibition is included in the museum’s standard entry price. A ticket to the Museum gives visitors unlimited entry for a whole year, meaning families can return repeatedly throughout the summer holidays and beyond. To find out more about the Museum of East Dorset, visit https://museumofeastdorset.co.uk.