Haslemere Educational Museum facts for kids
Haslemere Educational Museum, 2009
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Established | 1888 |
|---|---|
| Location | Haslemere, Surrey, United Kingdom |
The Haslemere Educational Museum is a fun place to learn about nature, history, and science. It was started in 1888 by a famous surgeon named Sir Jonathan Hutchinson. He wanted to share his amazing collection of natural history items with everyone.
The museum moved a couple of times before finding its permanent home in 1926. It's located on Haslemere High Street in Haslemere, Surrey, England. In 2012, the museum won a special national award. It's an independent charity and holds nearly half a million items, including specimens, artifacts, and old photos!
Contents
A Look Back: Museum History
Sir Jonathan Hutchinson was a very successful surgeon. He had homes in London and Haslemere. He was also super interested in all kinds of science and nature. At his farm in Haslemere, he had already collected many specimens and fossils from his travels.
In 1888, he opened a museum in his farm buildings. He believed in a new idea for museums: letting people have a 'hands-on' experience. This was quite revolutionary back then! By 1895, his collection grew so much that it needed a bigger space. So, it moved to what is now called Museum Hill.
Sir Jonathan himself gave talks at the museum. Before he passed away in 1913, he left money to help the museum grow even more. The museum then moved to its current spot on Haslemere High Street in 1926.
Learning for Kids
From the very beginning, education was a main goal for the museum. In 1899, they even started a special Museum Examination just for children! This shows how much they cared about helping young people learn.
Meet the Curators
The museum has had some amazing curators over the years. A curator is like the person in charge of the museum's collections.
- Ernest William Swanton: He was the curator for over 50 years, from 1897 to 1948! Ernest was a mycologist, which means he studied fungi. He even wrote a book called Fungi and How to Know Them. He helped many people learn about mushrooms and other fungi.
- John Clegg: He took over as curator from 1949 to 1962. John loved to write and take photos. He was especially interested in pond life. He wrote a famous book about pond life for the Observer series. He also wrote The Freshwater Life of the British Isles.
- Arthur Jewell: John Clegg's assistant, Arthur Jewell, became the next curator. Arthur started working at the museum right after school in 1974 and retired in 2008. The museum's Education Room is named after him! There's even a stuffed Siberian bear, a museum mascot, named Arthur in his honor.
Museum Community
Many people have helped the museum over the years. One important person was Margaret Hutchinson. She was Sir Jonathan's granddaughter and a naturalist. She volunteered as a librarian and was part of the museum's team for a long time.
Penny Hollow, another volunteer, worked at the museum for 40 years! She started right after school in 1969. She remembered Margaret Hutchinson as a respected figure who everyone looked up to. Penny also shared that the museum has a wonderful team spirit. Everyone, both staff and volunteers, works together like a family.
A Special Award
In 2012, the museum won the Sunday Telegraph Family Friendly Museums Award. This was a huge honor, as they were chosen from over 600 other museums! It shows how great the museum is for families and kids.
The museum celebrated its 125th birthday in 2013. Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, even attended the celebration!
What You Can See: Exhibits
The Haslemere Educational Museum has three main areas, called galleries. These galleries cover different topics:
- Geology: This is where you can learn about rocks, minerals, and the Earth's history.
- Natural History: Here you'll find amazing things about animals, plants, and the natural world.
- Human History: This section explores how people lived in the past, with artifacts from different cultures.
Together, these galleries hold about 240,000 specimens and 140,000 artifacts from all over the world! You can also see exhibits of textiles and fine art.
The Museum Library
The museum has a large reference library. It's filled with about 7,000 books and many scientific and historical magazines. There are also over 22,000 documents, mostly about the local area. Plus, you can find more than 2,000 maps and about 35,000 old photographs! These pictures show the museum's history from when it started until today.
Meet Pa-Er-Abu
One of the most interesting exhibits is the mummy of Pa-Er-Abu. He is believed to have been an Egyptian priest who lived around 300 BC. It's amazing to see something so old right here in the museum!
More to Explore: Other Features
Beyond the main building, the museum has beautiful grounds to explore. These include:
- A herb garden with different plants.
- A pond where you can spot wildlife.
- A meadow and woodland area with many wild plants. These plants attract all sorts of animals!
- An observation beehive, where you can safely watch bees at work.
The museum also has spaces for special exhibitions. They regularly hold workshops, courses, and talks for people of all ages. They even visit schools and community groups to share their knowledge.
With help from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the museum is creating online databases. They also hired a full-time education specialist to help with learning programs.
The museum works closely with the Haslemere Natural History Society. The museum's library has some of the Society's books. The Society also holds talks at the museum during the winter.
Many important people support the museum. Professor David Bellamy, a famous naturalist, once said that the Haslemere Educational Museum was his favorite museum when he was a child!
The museum also hosts the Haslemere Visitor and Local Information Centre. This is a great place to get information about the town.
