Founded by Dr Marie Stopes the famous birth control pioneer, Portland Museum opened in 1930. It is housed in two picturesque thatched Portland Stone cottages, nestling above Church Ope Cove. Inspired by one of these cottages, Wessex author, Thomas Hardy, made it the home of Avice, the heroine in "The Wellbeloved", one of his last novels.

The Museum’s collection reflects the most significant aspects of Portland’s history: the sea, stone, archaeology and Island life, through its association with famous people over the centuries, and the social history of the Islanders. Over the past four years since Portland Museum Trust took over its management, the Museum’s displays and exhibitions have been refreshed and enhanced, but locals tell us that it still feels like the Museum they always loved to visit, whilst new visitors are captivated by its intimate feel and the interesting story it has to tell of Portland’s history.