Fairlynch Museum

Fairlynch Museum is one of very few thatched museums in existence and is a typical example of a "Marine Cottage Orne". Built around 1811 by ship owner Matthew Lee Yeates, it is said he added the turret so that he could see his ships arriving with their loads of limestone and coal for the Budleigh lime kilns and with timber for Exmouth. The house is Grade II listed, with an unusual feature for a house of this size, that being a double-wing staircase.

The Budleigh Salterton coastline is part of the World Heritage "Jurassic" Coast. The museum has an exhibition of local geological specimens, including the curious radio-active nodules from the local cliffs and unique discoid pebbles, the remains of a vast prehistoric river.

The local history exhibition traces the impact of the coming of the steam railway in 1897, on the greenfields of what is now the Greenway and Moor Lane area of Budleigh Salterton, up to the recent redevelopment of the old station and yard. The museum also has a collection of costumes, lace and toys some of which date from the 18th century.

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