Skip to content
To Do in Surrey
Weekly email
MuseumsHistory and heritageIndoor and rainy day

Dorking Museum and Heritage Centre

Dorking, Mole Valley

Shops along Dorking High StreetPhoto of Dorking: Paul Gillett, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo of Dorking: Paul Gillett, CC BY-SA 2.0

A volunteer-run local history museum telling the story of Dorking from the Cretaceous period to the present. Displays include local chalk fossils with a large dinosaur tail, Wedgwood pottery from Leith Hill Place and the six Dorking people who sailed on the Mayflower in 1620.

Highlights

  • Chalk fossils, including a 2.5-metre Mantellisaurus tail
  • Mayflower pilgrims from Dorking
  • Ralph Vaughan Williams and the Wedgwood family
  • Changing exhibitions every couple of months
  • Tours of the 17th-century South Street Caves (spring to autumn)

Good to know

  • Only assistance dogs are admitted
  • A free audio guide is available on the Bloomberg Connects app
  • Dorking West is the nearest station; Dorking main station is a 20-minute walk

Getting there

Loading the map…

Dorking Museum and Heritage Centre, 62 West Street, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1BSParking: No public parking. Use North Street (RH4 1DE) or Church Street (RH4 1DF) pay and display car parks; the entrance is opposite North Street car park.

Get directions

Checked on 19 October 2026 against dorkingmuseum.org.uk, dorkingmuseum.org.uk, dorkingmuseum.org.uk. Details change, so please confirm with the venue before you travel. How we check

Spotted something wrong or missing? Tell us

More things to do in Dorking

Nearby

Shops along Dorking High StreetPhoto of Dorking: Paul Gillett, CC BY-SA 2.0
Arts and cultureDorking · under 1 km

Dorking Halls

An Art Deco arts centre built in 1931 at the top of Dorking High Street, with a Grand Hall for music, comedy and pantomime, three cinema screens and a café bar. It is reopening in December 2026 after a second phase of works to its systems and stage.

Prices vary by event; check the official site when booking.Directions
Rows of vines on the slopes at Denbies Wine EstatePhoto: Cjc13, CC BY-SA 3.0
Food and drinkDorking · 2 km

Denbies Wine Estate

A large single-estate vineyard on the slopes of the North Downs outside Dorking, with a visitor centre, wine shop, restaurants and an art gallery. Visitors can take a guided cellar tasting or a vineyard train tour, or walk the 7 miles of public footpaths through the vines.

Free to visit the estate, shop and footpaths. Tours, tastings and the vineyard train are paid; check prices and book on the official site.Directions
The footbridge over the River Mole near the stepping stones at Box HillPhoto: Victor Ochieng, CC BY-SA 2.0
WalksTadworth · 2 km

Box Hill

A chalk hill on the North Downs with wide views over the Mole Valley and the Weald, ancient box woodland and chalk grassland. It is a popular start for waymarked walks, the North Downs Way and the Zig Zag Road cycle climb used in the 2012 Olympic road race.