Allendale Town, England

Neil Cole's Adventures in Science Fiction: Museum of Sci-fi

Aliens and monsters lurk inside this museum dedicated to one man's lifelong adoration of all things sci-fi.

Neil Cole’s Adventures in Science Fiction: Museum of Sci-fi is the realization of the lifelong dream of the museum’s curator, Neil Cole, to display his love of all things science fiction. In a part of England renowned for ancient Roman fortresses and Hadrian’s Wall, the modern museum is fast becoming one of the region’s most unique tourist attractions.

Located in Allendale, a remote town in the North Pennines with a population of roughly 2,000, the museum has welcomed sci-fi fans from across the country and from abroad since its grand opening in October 2018, including famous guests such as John Levene from the original Doctor Who series.

The entrance, located in a tidy row of Georgian townhouses, is flanked by a life-sized Dalek and a TARDIS-themed car. Visitors walk a circuit along walls paneled to look like the interior of a spaceship, peering at displays featuring a lifetime’s collection of props, restored costumes, and original artwork from beloved science fiction classics such as the Alien franchise, Babylon 5, and, of course, Doctor Who. A Terileptil, Garm, and a soldier from the 1968 Planet of the Apes are just a few of the monsters lurking inside.