Crab Museum

Last updated
Crab Museum
Established2021
LocationBroad Street, Margate, Kent
Director
  • Bertie Suesat-Williams
  • Ned Suesat-Williams
  • Chase Coley
Website www.crabmuseum.org

The Crab Museum is a small idiosyncratic museum in Margate, Kent, England. Considered the first museum in Europe dedicated to decapods, it was founded in 2021 by local brothers Bertie and Ned Suesat-Williams with friend Chase Coley, from Essex. [1]

Contents

It is located in the upstairs floor of the Pie Factory building on Broad Street in Margate Old Town. The lower floor operates as Pie Factory Gallery. [2]

Overview

Regarding the backgrounds of the three founders, Ned Suesat-Williams is an archaeologist and educator; his brother Bertie Suesat-Williams is a geographer and children's writer; while Chase Coley is a sound artist. [3] Approached from the perspective of the climate crisis, the trio considered a few different marine biology-related ideas for the museum's topic of focus before landing on crabs [1] for the "many directions that a crab can take you. You can use crabs to talk about everything from global politics to fidget spinners". [3] Partly intended as a nod to Margate's "eccentric" attractions, the Crab Museum employs "science, humour and philosophy", combining scientific facts about crabs and how they fit into broader natural history and the ecosystem with absurdist displays and irreverent cartoon drawings by artist Ed Stockham. [4] [5]

Funded by a combination of merchandise from the gift shop and crowdfunding, [6] the museum is free to enter. The attraction is set to undergo expansion in 2025 with a new roof garden. [7]

Events

The Crab Museum collaborated with Butterfly Conservation on the 2023 Conservation Fest. [8]

In April 2024, the Crab Museum held a competition for the World's Funniest Crab Joke, judged by a panel of comedians Rose Matafeo, Phil Wang, Harry Hill and Sally Phillips. [9] During Pride 2024, the Crab Museum hosted a temporary exhibition in partnership with the Vagina Museum. [10] Later that year, Robin Ince put on a show at the Crab Museum titled The Universe and the Neurodiverse: Stories from Outer and Inner Space. [11] [12]

Reception

The Crab Museum received a 2023 Digital Culture Award for the museum's use of and presence on social media, awarded by Arts Council England. [13]

References

  1. 1 2 Addley, Esther (11 March 2024). "'We want to talk about ideas': how Margate's Crab Museum is trying to get people to think differently". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  2. ↑ Flaig, Joseph (22 October 2022). "Claws For Thought: Crab Museum Wins Hearts & Minds For Eco-Revolution". The Quietus. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  3. 1 2 Bailes, Kathy (19 February 2021). "Trio aiming to open claw-some crab museum packed with science, humour, history and more". The Isle of Thanet News. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  4. ↑ "The Crab Museum in Margate, Europe's only crab museum, with a cult following, marks its first anniversary". Kent Online. 22 October 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  5. ↑ Smiley, Hugh (21 January 2023). ""Crabs taught me to be anti-capitalist": how a Margate museum is on a mission to change politics". The New Statesman. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  6. ↑ Marshall, Alex (27 December 2023). "This Silly Museum About Crabs Has Serious Things to Say". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  7. ↑ Maisner, Stuart (2 February 2025). "Crabs 'poo from their chests', museum says". BBC News. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  8. ↑ Reilly, Adam (30 January 2023). "Conservation Fest Margate 2023! Presented by Crab Museum and Butterfly Conservation". Inside Kent. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  9. ↑ Barkham, Patrick (27 April 2024). "And now for the pinchline: competition crowns world's funniest crab joke". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  10. ↑ "Don't Miss...The Kiwi Weekender, Mariokart & Vagina Museum". Don't Miss Margate. 11 August 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  11. ↑ "Robin Ince: 'If I see something that's interesting, I just want to go and do it'". Strange Tourist. 21 September 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  12. ↑ Ince, Robin (15 November 2024). "How I survived a giant crab attack". Big Issue. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  13. ↑ Bailes, Kathy (31 March 2023). "Margate's Crab Museum takes top national award". The Isle of Thanet News. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
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