Congleton Museum facts for kids
Entrance to Congleton Museum
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| Established | 29 July 2002 |
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| Location | Congleton, Cheshire |
| Type | Local |
Congleton Museum is a cool place in Congleton, a town in northwest England, right by the River Dane. This museum tells the story of Congleton and its past. A group of people who loved local history started the Congleton Museum Trust in 1985. You can find the museum in the Market square of Congleton.
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How the Museum Started
In 1985, a group of people from Congleton decided to create a museum. They formed the Congleton Museum Trust. Their goal was to collect old items, raise money, and find a good spot for the museum.
In the mid-1990s, another group joined in. They were planning to fix up Congleton Town Hall. They decided to include a museum in their plans. The old police station, a Victorian building next to the town hall, was chosen to be the museum.
The Heritage Lottery Fund gave the project over £200,000. Other local groups, businesses, and councils also helped. Building work began in January 2002. Congleton Museum officially opened its doors on July 29, 2002.
The Duke of Gloucester officially opened Congleton Museum on October 9, 2002.
What You Can See and Do
The museum focuses on the history of Congleton and the areas nearby. It especially highlights ancient times, the English Civil War, the Industrial age, and World War II. The main exhibits are on the ground floor.
Upstairs, there's a special room for learning. It has a research library with maps and books. This room is used for school visits, talks, and special events. There are also display cases showing other cool items from the museum's collection.
Cool Items and Stories
The museum has many interesting things. You can see a burial urn from about 1500 BC. There's also a log boat from around 930 AD. Plus, they have two collections of old coins from the 1600s.
The museum uses displays to show what life was like in Congleton. You can see scenes from prehistoric times. There are also displays about the Civil War. You can learn about the time when the textile industry was big. And you can explore what life was like during the Second World War.
Figures from the past tell their stories. Interactive computers help you learn more about the history. Special maps show how the town changed over hundreds of years.
The Civil War was very important for Congleton. A former mayor, John Bradshaw, was the first to sign the paper to execute King Charles I. The museum even has a cannonball from that time. It's still stuck in a piece of wall from Biddulph Hall!
The museum often has new, temporary exhibits. These sometimes show work from local schools.
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Congleton Stocks
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A Selection of War Medals
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Display case including a copy of a James I Charter
Visiting the Museum
It's free to enter Congleton Museum! The museum is easy to get around for everyone. It has a wheelchair lift for the stairs. There's also an accessible toilet. A hearing loop system is available for talks and walks.
Learning and Events
The museum offers a special "Second World War Evacuee Experience." This is for primary school children. It teaches them about what it was like to be an evacuee during the war.
The museum also hosts local history walks. These walks explore different themes about the town's past. They have had themes like "Surprising trades" and "A pub crawl through Time." Experts or the museum's Collections Manager, Ian Doughty, give talks. Topics have included the Staffordshire Hoard and how to research local history.
Researching History
The museum has a special reference library for local history. It contains books and papers about Congleton and the area around it. The museum's archive has old town documents. These include town charters and account books. It also has papers from estates, businesses, and private families. The museum has over 5,000 pictures. These photos show a visual history of Congleton.
See also
