Museum of Witchcraft and Magic

The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Boscastle holds the largest collection of objects relating to witchcraft and magic in the world — not as a curiosity cabinet but as a serious archive of popular religious and magical practice from the medieval period to the present. It was founded by Cecil Williamson, who opened it in Castletown on the Isle of Man in 1951 before eventually settling it at Boscastle in 1960.

The collection spans folk magic, cunning craft, ceremonial magic, Wicca, and the material culture of witchcraft trials. It includes witch bottles (sealed vessels of pins, hair, and urine used to ward off or reflect curses), poppets, cursing stones, charms, and the tools of both malefic and benefic magic. Many of the objects in the collection were used — not made for display — and carry the unmistakable quality of things that once mattered to someone very much.

In 2004 Boscastle was devastated by a flash flood that destroyed much of the village; the museum survived with its collection intact, which many who knew its contents did not find entirely surprising. The museum continues to be run as a genuine centre of study rather than a tourist attraction, and its reputation among scholars of folklore and the history of popular religion is considerable.