Grosvenor Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grosvenor Museum |
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Grosvenor Museum
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| Location | Grosvenor Street, Chester, Cheshire, UK |
| OS grid reference | SJ 404 659 |
| Built | 1886 |
| Built for | Chester Society for Natural Science, Literature and Art |
| Architect | Thomas Lockwood |
| Architectural style(s) | Free Renaissance |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Designated | 6 August 1998 |
| Reference no. | 1376261 |
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The Grosvenor Museum is a cool museum located in Chester, Cheshire, in the United Kingdom. It's a special old building, protected because of its history and design. The museum gets its name from the Grosvenor family, who are the Dukes of Westminster and own a lot of land in Cheshire. It first opened its doors in 1886. Later, it was made bigger in 1894 and got major updates between 1989 and 1999. Inside, you can find amazing things like ancient Roman artifacts, beautiful paintings, old musical instruments, and even a room set up like a Victorian living room!
Contents
How the Museum Started
The Grosvenor Museum was created in 1885. A group called the Chester Society for Natural Science, Literature and Art played a big part in making it happen. This society was started in 1871 by Charles Kingsley, who was a priest at Chester Cathedral.
In 1873, the society teamed up with the Chester Archaeological Society and the Schools of Science and Art. Together, they raised money to build the museum. They collected £11,000, which was a lot of money back then! A large part of this, £4,000, came from the First Duke of Westminster. The Duke also gave them the land on Grosvenor Street where the museum stands.
Thomas Lockwood was chosen as the architect to design the building. The first stone was laid on February 3, 1885, by the Duke. The museum officially opened on August 9, 1886. A big new section was added in 1894.
The first person in charge of the museum was Robert Newstead. He worked there from 1886 to 1913, and again from 1922 to 1947. Newstead later became a Professor of Entomology (the study of insects) at Liverpool University. He was also made a special citizen of Chester. In 1915, the City of Chester started helping to run the museum. By 1938, the city took full control of all the collections and displays.
Building Design
The museum building is made from red bricks from Ruabon, with stone decorations. It has a red tile roof and is built in a style called free Renaissance. Above the main door, there are carvings that show Science and Art. The special Dutch gables (the top parts of the walls) have carvings of peacocks. These peacocks are next to the symbols from the Grosvenor family's coat of arms.
Inside the entrance hall, you'll see four tall columns made from Shap granite. There's also a beautiful mosaic floor that shows the city's arms. This mosaic was made by a company called Ludwig Oppenheimer.
Recent History and Updates
In 1947, Graham Webster became the new curator. He created the Newstead Gallery, named after the first curator, which opened in 1953. Webster also saved an old house at 20 Castle Street from being torn down. He turned one of its rooms into the first "period room" at the museum, called the Victorian Parlour, which opened in 1955.
A new art gallery was added in 1989. In 1990, the museum went through a big renovation. All the public galleries were updated and improved. The museum was reopened in 1992 by the Prince of Wales. In 1993, the Webster Roman Stones Gallery won an award for being the North West Museum of the Year.
In 1999, the museum received £300,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This money was used to make the museum easier for everyone to access and to create a new shop. These improvements were finished, and the museum reopened with full ground-floor access in 2000.
The Museum Today
Today, the Grosvenor Museum welcomes over 100,000 visitors every year. The Education Service, located on the top floor, offers fun ways for children to learn about Chester's history.
The museum has a large collection of Roman tombstones. It also owns 23 paintings by the artist Louise Rayner, which is the biggest collection of her work in any public museum. You can also see six recorders made by Peter Bressan. Four of these form the only complete set of Bressan recorders in the entire country! The museum also hosts a variety of temporary exhibitions throughout the year.
The Grosvenor Museum is open most days, and it's free to enter!
See also
- Grade II listed buildings in Chester (central)
- List of museums in Cheshire
