Founded in February 1836 by the town's mayor Edward Pett Thompson, it was initially housed in the old Guildhall and run by the Dover Philosophical Institute.

On 20 July 1999 the Queen opened a new gallery on the museum's second floor centred on the Dover Bronze Age Boat.

The White Cliffs Experience was closed in 1999 for a combination of reasons; the Labour opposition group on Dover District Council had always been against the WCE, labelling it 'The White Elephant Experience' and opposing the amount of money it took to run as well as complaining that it fell short of achieving the predicted 300,000 visitors a year.

When they came to power in 1997, the new Labour council's policies for regenerating Dover relied on attracting industry and acting as an 'enabler' rather than a provider of heritage and tourism facilities.

Various quotes were received to update the WCE but were beyond what the Council were prepared to pay, so they decided to cut their losses and close the Experience.