Swanage Museum

Analysis

Swanage Museum is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Swanage. It was registered in September 1977, 49 years ago. Its declared purposes cover arts/culture/heritage/science and environment/conservation/heritage, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. It says it sponsors or undertakes research and acts as an umbrella or resource body.

In the financial year ending December 2025, Swanage Museum reported income of £22k and spending of £27k, spending 121% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income fell from £37k to £22k (-39%), an average of -12% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2022, when income dropped by 40%. Over the whole period it spent 115% of the income it received.

Among 17,634 England and Wales charities whose main cause is arts, culture, heritage and science and that reported income, Swanage Museum sits at the 52nd percentile: it is larger than about 52% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 47th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Bolton U3a (£22k), The Villages Music Festival (£22k) and South Wales Gay Men's Chorus (£22k).

Data notes from the register: Spending has exceeded income in each of the last three reported years, so the charity has been drawing on reserves or other funds.