Tobacco Museum

Collectors of Cigarette Packets please click here.

An extraordinary eclectic assemblage of tobacciana covering the whole quirkiness of the social history of the weed that changed the world.  Here we have a custom built hall to house the five rooms depicting the various facets of tobacco history.  Visit the Tobacconist and see thousands of cigarettes, some dating back to the late 1800s, along with numerous varieties of tobaccos.  Discover the historic cigar box stencils, print blocks  and cigar ephemera in the cigar making room.

We consider the story and history of tobacco to be a very important part of social history, often neglected, due to it being a controversial subject.

There are many thousands of cigarettes, cigars and tobaccos spanning the last 120 years, most of the packets containing their original contents. 

* The Tobacconist - having an ante room for the selection and sampling of the many brands of cigars as would have been seen in a high class shop.

* The tobacco wholesalers trade counter - has been created, which would be found in many towns, for the use of retailers.

* The cigar making room - we were particularly fortunate in obtaining from a cigar making factory which closed down many years ago - a unique collection of stencils and print blocks used for the naming of boxes, some of these date back to the late 1880s. The firm used to produce small quantities for individual customers, i.e. hotels, associations and retailers. Also to be seen in this room is cigar leaf, cutting boards, labels and the moulds for shaping.

* The large display room - with various advertising items and also many of the quirky things produced in association with tobacco.