Curtis Museum

Alton's local history museum, run by Hampshire Cultural Trust, covering 100 million years of the region's past. William Curtis (1803–1881), who helped start the Alton Mechanics Institute in 1837, founded it and raised money for the building it still occupies. Displays include the Alton Buckle, found during the 1959–61 Mount Pleasant Anglo-Saxon excavations, a rare Roman enamel cup, helmet, breastplate and sword from the 1643 Battle of Alton, and the tale of Sweet Fanny Adams. Admission is free; level access to the ground floor only.