The Tank Museum

Name: The Tank Museum
Address: Linsay Road, Bovington, Bovington, GB
Telephone: +44 1929 405096

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Museums ·Bovington ·Closed

4.922.2K

Most reviewed in BovingtonTravelers' Choice 2026

Visit: 4–10 hours
Ideal for kids, teens, friends

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About

The Tank Museum is a military museum at Bovington Camp, about 2 km north of Wool, exploring tanks, armoured vehicles and their crews.

Menu & prices

Restaurant Sample MenuFree From menu

More photos 8

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What's on here

Remembrance Events Sunday · All day

TANKFEST 2027 15 Nov – 27 Jun 2027

Behind the Scenes Tour Sunday · All day

South West Model Show Spring 15 Nov – 7 Feb 2027

A Dorset Christmas Sunday, 10:00

Inside the Chieftain Tank Tour 21 Nov – 20 Dec

“The tanks have done marvels”: The 110th Anniversary Seminar Saturday, 08:00

The Tank Story Saturday · All day Show more

Why go

More than 300 tanks from 26 countries
Tank history from the Somme to Normandy and Iraq
Tanks in Action displays with explosions and a mock battle

Opening hours

Today10:00 – 17:00Show all

Monday10:00 – 17:00

Tuesday10:00 – 17:00

Wednesday10:00 – 17:00

Thursday10:00 – 17:00

Friday10:00 – 17:00

Saturday10:00 – 17:00

Sunday10:00 – 17:00

Don't miss

Little WillieThe British prototype is the oldest surviving tank in the world.
Tiger 131The only working German Tiger I tank; it was used in the film Fury.
British Mark IThe oldest surviving combat tank, from the First World War.
Mark VOne of the few working First World War tanks.World War I Hall
DD amphibious tankThe last surviving operational example, used in the Normandy landings.

Know before you go What's inside With kids Tips for your visit

Know before you go

Open daily, 10:00–17:00.
Tickets can be bought online through the museum’s website.

What's inside

The World War I Hall follows early tank crews from 1916 to 1918.
The Inter War Hall explores rapid advances in tank design.
The Second World War section is the largest, with tanks from most countries involved.
The Cold War Hall includes vehicles from the Cold War and Gulf War.
The Tank Story Hall follows tank development from its invention in 1915 into the future.
Tamiya Hall displays postwar tanks including a Centurion, M60 and T-72.
British Steel explores Chobham composite armour and the Centurion’s service from 1945 to 1991.
Battlegroup Afghanistan covers Royal Armoured Corps action in Afghanistan.
The Vehicle Conservation Centre displays vehicles previously unseen by the public.
The displays include first-hand accounts from soldiers who fought in the conflicts.
Rotating special exhibitions and talks cover selected subjects.

With kids

Educational workshop activities: cavalry role-play includes dressing as cavalry soldiers, practising a mock sword charge and handling replica gear.
A home-front workshop includes 1940s role-play and a simulated air raid in an Anderson shelter.
A Normandy beach model workshop explores tank adaptations for amphibious landings.
A Second World War workshop includes trying on gas masks, helmets and uniforms and sounding a hand-cranked air-raid siren.
A workshop lets pupils build a quarter-scale Sherman Firefly model and learn how its parts work together.
An interactive workshop lets children climb inside a First World War Mark IV tank.
In a pupil activity, participants enter a Chieftain tank through its top hatch; minimum height is 1.25 metres.

Tips for your visit

There is a restaurant on site. Its website has a sample menu and a Free From menu.

Interesting facts3

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Medals belonging to Harold Mortimore, the first man to command a tank in battle, are on display.
Home - The Tank Museum
The collection includes the replica Mark IV tank built for the film War Horse.
The Tank Museum - Wikipedia
The interwar collection includes a Vickers A1E1 Independent, a Peerless armoured car and a Rolls-Royce.
Tank Museum - Wikipedia

Shorts

History

The Royal Tank Regiment subsequently had a hall built for the vehicles.

1916Bovington Camp was established to train tank crews.
1919Some tanks remained at Bovington for their historical interest to engineers and crews.
1923After visiting Bovington and seeing remnants of early tanks, Rudyard Kipling proposed creating a museum there.
1943British forces captured Tiger 131 in Tunisia in April. It was later restored to running condition at Bovington.
1947The museum opened to the public at the Royal Tank Regiment’s Bovington Camp.

Show all

1982George Forty became director and expanded and modernized the collection.
1982–2012David Fletcher worked as a museum historian.

How to get there

BusAddress: Linsay Road, Bovington. A bus connects Wool station with the museum; the station is just under 2.5 km away.

Sources: The Tank Museum - Wikipedia · Wareham (England) - Wikivoyage (see) · Home - The Tank Museum · Visit Us - The Tank Museum · Tickets & Prices - The Tank Museum · Tank Museum - Wikipedia · Musée des Blindés de Bovington - Wikipedia · The Tank Museum: menu (its own site) · The Tank Museum: menu (its own site) · School Trips - The Tank Museum · checked 6 Oct 2026

Where

Linsay Road, Bovington

Website: tankmuseum.org/
Phone: +44 1929 405096

Plan from here: A day out →

Questions and answers

Which military organisations does The Tank Museum represent?

It is the museum of the Royal Tank Regiment and the Royal Armoured Corps.

Does The Tank Museum have temporary exhibitions and talks?

The museum hosts rotating special exhibitions and talks on selected subjects.

Do The Tank Museum displays include soldiers’ own experiences?

Yes. They include first-hand accounts from soldiers who fought in the conflicts.

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