The Brighstone Village Museum opened in 1994 through voluntary effort and the valued help of The National Trust, which made part of its cottage premises available for use as a display area.

The museum depicts aspects of life in Brighstone during the latter part of the nineteenth century. Around a central tableau representing cottage life are display cases and panels depicting local schooling, employment, coastal activities and the influence of the church during the Victorian era.

From Museum leaflet :
"Some men earned their living from fishing, but not all activities in Brighstone Bay were entirely legal. Incomes were often supplemented by the proceeds from liquor smuggling from the continent. Stories abound of such exploits which enjoyed much collusion from the villagers.

Shipwrecks were common along the off-shore rock ledges during south-westerly storms. In 1860, two lifeboat stations (RNLI) were established on local shores - one at Grange, about a mile from here, and one at Brook, two miles further" up the coast. A third was established at Atherfield, about two miles down the coast, in 1890.