Hastings Museum and Art Gallery facts for kids
 |
|
 |
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Established | 1892 |
|---|---|
| Location | John's Place, Bohemia Road, Hastings, East Sussex, England TN34 1ET |
| Type | Regional museum, art gallery, history museum, decorative arts museum, natural history museum, local museum, archaeological museum, Asian art museum, ethnographic museum |
| Public transit access | Visiting the museum |
The Hastings Museum & Art Gallery is a cool place to visit in Hastings, East Sussex, England. It's both a museum and an art gallery. It first opened in 1892 in a different building. Then, in 1927, it moved to its current home.
As of 2019, the museum had about 97,000 items! These objects tell stories about local history, nature, art, and cultures from all over the world. You can explore galleries about early local history, from ancient times to the Saxons. There are also displays of local wildlife and even a dinosaur gallery. Plus, you can learn about Native North American cultures and a famous conservationist named Grey Owl, who was born in Hastings.
Contents
- The Museum Building
- What's Inside? The Collections!
- Community History: Stories of Hastings
- Archives: Old Papers and Photos
- World Cultures: Journeys Around the Globe
- Archaeology: Digging Up the Past
- Numismatics: The World of Coins
- Natural History: Local Wildlife
- Geology: Dinosaurs and Fossils!
- Fine Art: Beautiful Paintings
- Decorative Art: Art for Everyday Life
- Costume and Textiles: Fashion Through Time
- Images for kids
The Museum Building
The museum has been in its current spot, called John's Place, since 1928. This building was first designed as a private house in 1923. It's made of red brick with special sandstone decorations.
The building looks quite unique! It has a roof that looks like castle walls (called crenelated). There's also a covered porch with columns (a loggia) and a cool window that sticks out (an oriel window). The strong oak doors have studs on them. The town of Hastings bought the house and turned it into the museum in 1928.
The Amazing Durbar Hall
In 1932, the museum added an extension. This new part created an art gallery and housed the incredible Durbar Hall. This hall was originally part of an Indian palace! It was built for a big exhibition in London in 1886.
The Durbar Hall was the main attraction of the Indian section at the exhibition. It was designed by Caspar Purdon Clarke. Two skilled woodcarvers from India, Mohammed Baksh and Mohammed Juma, built it on site. They came all the way from Punjab just for this project! During the exhibition, the Prince of Wales used the hall for official events.
After the exhibition, a man named Thomas Brassey bought parts of the Indian palace. He had them rebuilt as an extension to his house in London. Later, his son gave the hall to Hastings in 1919. It was stored away until the 1930s. Then, it was rebuilt at the museum, looking just like it did in the Brassey family's London home.
Today, the lower part of the Durbar Hall is used for many events. These include talks, theatre shows, and even weddings! The upper part of the hall is now one of the museum's world cultures galleries.
What's Inside? The Collections!
The Hastings Museum & Art Gallery has been collecting items since 1890. That's when the Hastings and St Leonards Museum Association started. The museum now has about 97,000 objects from all over the world!
Community History: Stories of Hastings
The museum's community history collections tell the story of Hastings. They show how life has changed from the 1500s to today. You can see objects about tourism, fishing, and boat building. There are also items about smuggling and famous local events like the Bonfire Societies.
You can learn about old industries like ironworking and gunpowder making. The collection also has many photos and old guidebooks. Plus, there are items about daily life, like cooking tools, toys, and games. You can also find things related to local theatre, education, and even the First and Second World Wars. The museum also has special collections about famous local people. These include John Logie Baird (who helped invent television) and writer Robert Tressell.
Archives: Old Papers and Photos
The museum has a huge collection of old papers, maps, and photos. These are called archives. They tell us a lot about Hastings and the people who lived here. You can find papers from famous locals like John Logie Baird and Robert Tressell.
There are also documents about the Cinque Ports (a group of historic coastal towns) and local societies. The archives include maps, photographs, and old books. You can even see papers related to the famous property developer James Burton and his architect son, Decimus Burton.
World Cultures: Journeys Around the Globe
Hastings Museum has many amazing objects from different cultures around the world. This is called the world cultures collection. It includes items from India, China, Japan, Africa, Australia, and North America, among many other places.
A big part of this collection came from the Brassey family in 1919. These objects were part of the personal museum of Anna Brassey. Lady Brassey loved to collect things and take photos. She gathered most of these items while traveling the world in the 1870s and 1880s. Many objects are from the Pacific and Melanesia.
The museum also has a large collection of items related to Native North Americans. This includes objects collected by writer Clare Sheridan during her visit to America in 1937. There's also a special collection about Grey Owl. He was born in Hastings but became famous for living as a Native American conservationist.
Archaeology: Digging Up the Past
The museum's archaeology collection has ancient objects found in Hastings and nearby areas. Archaeology is the study of human history through digging up old sites. Most items are from British history.
You can see many flint tools from the Stone Age to the Iron Age. Some of these were found in Hastings Country Park. There are also good examples of ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman pottery. Plus, you can find a few items from other parts of the world, like South America and New Zealand.
Numismatics: The World of Coins
The numismatics collection is all about coins! It has coins from Roman times all the way to the 20th century. You can see rare Saxon coins from Sussex, including some made in Hastings.
The collection also has over 700 local hop tokens. These were special tokens used instead of money in the past. You can also see commemorative medals and campaign medals.
Natural History: Local Wildlife
The museum's natural history collection mainly focuses on birds found locally in the early 1900s. This includes some very rare birds known as the Hastings Rarities. There are also a few examples of larger mammals and fish.
The insect collection includes butterflies, moths, and other insects. You can also see shells, corals, and sponges.
Geology: Dinosaurs and Fossils!
The geology collection has fossils of plants and animals from the local area. Hastings is famous for its Iguanodon dinosaur remains. The museum has many dinosaur fossils, including footprints! These footprints come from the Cretaceous rocks at Fairlight and Galley Hill.
Fine Art: Beautiful Paintings
The museum's fine art collection has many paintings, drawings, and photos of Hastings. These artworks show how the area looked from the late 1700s to today. The museum also has a smaller collection of British art from the 20th century. You can also see some European artworks and sculptures by local artists.
Decorative Art: Art for Everyday Life
The decorative art collections include ceramics (like pottery), furniture, silverware, and jewellery. The most important part is the ceramics collection. It has a wide range of pieces, from ancient times to modern art. This includes rare items like the large Maiolica Dish from Modena.
You can also see a great selection of pottery made in Sussex. The collection also has many old Sussex firebacks. These were decorative metal plates placed at the back of fireplaces. There are also old clocks and watches from the 1700s and 1800s.
Costume and Textiles: Fashion Through Time
The costume and textiles collection has a variety of old clothes. You can see local items like smocks (loose shirts) and waistcoats. There are also women's and children's clothing, lace, and embroidered pieces. The museum also has a good collection of English, French, and German dolls.
Images for kids
-
The Lower Durbar Hall set up for a wedding.
-
Close-up of the beautiful carved wood in the Durbar Hall.
