British Surfing Museum - the home of UK surfing heritage

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The home of British surfing history

British Surfing Museum - latest news

The British Surfing Museum is planning to open in a new permanent home by 2010 - for the time being we are continuing with our popular travelling surf history exhibitions (see below).

We are in detailed talks with a trust that could see us based in a building right next to the beach - we'll let you know as soon as we have any further news. Please email us if you would like sponsor us or get involved.

Gabe Davies is now acting as our Patron and we have appointed a steering committee to help us establish The Surfing Museum full time in the Westcountry. Bilbo co- founder and legendary 1960s photographer Doug Wilson has just joined our committee which is great news for the project.

The Surfing Museum is a not for profit organisation founded in Brighton in 2003 - any money that comes into the museum is spent on the museum, its collection and our educational programmes. We will soon be applying to become a charity.

Donations and loans of old surfing equipment are very welcome, and will be subject to written agreement so you know what's going to happen with them.

Our work isn't just about the past. We're looking at what's going on now in surfing and the ocean environment, and what will happen in the future, working closely with Surfers Against Sewage and the Eden Project to help educate everyone to protect our seas and beaches and try to live in a sustainable way.

We’re creating a living museum that will be a vibrant social meeting place, educational, interactive and environmentally aware. The Surfing Museum draws upon the most extensive and historically significant collection of surfboards, literature and memorabilia in Britain.

Most importantly it’s a museum being built by you, the British surfer.

We have had more than 150,000 visitors to our exhibitions around the UK since the beginning of 2004 - we been in Brighton, Cornwall's fantastic Eden Project, the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum in England's north-east, Aberdeen Maritime Museum in Scotland, Havant Museum, Covent Garden in the heart of London, and Newquay and St Ives in the Westcountry.

British surfing history exhibition tour

'An art history of British surfing'

Red House Museum in Christchurch, Dorset - May 3 to June 14, 2008 (open Tuesday - Sunday)
The National Fishing Heritage Centre in Grimsby, Lincolnshire - June 28 to September 7, 2008 (open 7 days)

Here's a short video from ITV Local showing our latest installation at Christchurch.

Art and surfing have been inextricably linked for hundreds of years, and our new exhibition 'an art history of British surfing' looks at how both these elements combined to glide into British consciousness over the past few centuries.
From early sketches of surfers during the voyages of Captain James Cook in the 18th century and iconic hand sculpted wooden surfboards, to the flower power of the 1960s and garish fluorescent colours of the 1980s – paintings, posters, photography and film – ‘an art history of British surfing’ is a visual feast.
The act of riding a wave itself, is perhaps the purest form a surfing art; the surfer propelled by a pulse of energy from mother nature, painting lines on the ever changing canvas of the wave.
Among the artefacts on display will be original British surfboards dating back almost a century featuring art and sculptural form. It will be complemented by an eclectic mix of memorabilia showing amazing artwork from the creative minds of surfers and those drawn to this ancient pastime.
Also on show will be stunning replicas of ancient Hawaiian surfboards hand carved by the Tom Pohaku Stone – a lecturer in Hawaiian culture and surfer of legendary status.

Special surf history displays

Paddle Round the Pier charity weekend on Brighton beach on July 5 and 6, 2008 - we will have a 1960s surfing beach display featuring our 1966 VW splitscreen van alongside our friends & sponsors Oxbow - come and say hello! This promises to be a great weekend for all the family down on Brighton seafront near the West Pier.

Surfstock surfing and music festival will take place on August 29 and 30, 2008 near St Agnes in Cornwall. We'll have our 1960s surfing beach display there for everyone to see. This is set to be one of the best music festivals of the year - let's pray for surf!

The British Surfing Museum team

Pete Robinson - founder and director (Tel; 07801 522892); Bianca Robinson - company secretary; Gabe Davies - patron

Steering committee members - Alex Wade; Neil Watson; Alf Alderson; Kirsty Jones; Doug Wilson; Richard Gregory; Steve Frost; Dave Huff; Dan Smith; Grant Winter; James Scott.

Volunteers - Colin Blackman; Keiron Lewis; Graham and Jules MacDonald; Glenn Kessler, Chris Storey.

Latest news archive - click here to read about what we've been up to over the years

'Stoked' is our online exhibition space where classic surfing stories and art flourish - and you can catch videos of our vintage surfboards being ridden.

If you have a tale of surfing from times gone by, or any artwork you'd like us to display, please email us.

Here you can enjoy stories from 1960s surfing groms on their journey through life and waves, with some great old photos from this magical era.

Richard Gregory has produced some beautiful mini movies of some of our surfboards in action - a true living history.

Click here to see these exhibitions.

Mission statement

The Surfing Museum has been established to preserve and celebrate Britain’s rich surf heritage that dates back almost 250 years. The Museum hopes to inspire, educate and encourage debate about our surfing culture and our second home – the sea. Our unique and extensive collection is a visual treat; an inspiring learning resource that is a vibrant visitor attraction appealing to all.