Strange museums

Museums are normally meant to expand your mind – but some are more likely to have you scratching your head wondering why they exist. Read on for our guide to some of the strangest museums around the world – and see if you can spot the one we made up.

Barometer museum

In some ways the most high pressure museum in the world, Barometer World in Devon has a range of antique barometers and weather instruments, including a thermometer which uses leeches.

Cornish pasty museum

We don’t know what’s weirder: the fact that there’s a museum devoted to Cornish pasties, or the fact that it’s in Mexico, where miners from Cornwall first took the pasty in 1824.

Parasite museum

Probably one to avoid just after lunch, this museum in Japan is home to blood-sucking ticks, intestinal worms, fleas and other parasites you’d prefer to be in a glass cabinet than in your body.

Lawnmower museum

If it’s high-tech thrills and spills you’re after, watch The Lawnmower Man. If you’re more interested in the history of cutting grass, visit this museum in Southport instead.

Devil’s Rope Museum

This museum might not get as many visitors if they called it ‘The Barbed Wire Museum’. But that’s what ‘devil’s rope’ actually is, and this museum features exhibitions about barbed wire, and even hats made from the spiky stuff.

Hair museum

Some people might have haircuts that look like abstract art, but the hair museum in Kansas City, America contains actual works of art such as wreaths and jewellery all made from human hair.

Museum of Bad Art

Whereas New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) has masterpieces from famous artists like Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollack, the Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) in Boston has some of the worst paintings and sculptures from amateur artists in America.

Road works museum

If you don’t see enough of traffic cones every day, the Road Works museum in Birmingham has a collection of antique cones dating back nearly 20 years, and the opportunity to dig your own hole with a spade and pneumatic drill.

Pencil museum

Drawing on local history – the Lake District being where the graphite used in pencils was first discovered in the 16^th century – Keswick’s Pencil Museum features the world’s first pencil and the world’s longest pencil amongst other attractions.

Noodle museum

A tribute to many students’ favourite snack, the Noodle museum in Osaka, Japan explores the history of instant noodles since they were invented in 1958, and gives visitors the chance to cook their own at the end.