Ilchester Museum facts for kids
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Entrance to the Ilchester Museum in the High Street (Note the hanging "Ilchester Museum" sign above the front door)
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| Location | Ilchester, Somerset, England |
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| Type | Local museum |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Official name: Town Hall House | |
| Designated: | 19 April 1961 |
| Reference #: | 1267580 |
The Ilchester Museum is a small local museum located in Ilchester, Somerset, England. It is housed in an old private building known as the Town Hall House. This historic building stands right behind the Ilchester Town Hall. The Town Hall House is officially recognized as a Grade II listed building, meaning it's an important historical structure.
History of the Museum
The Museum Building
The building where the museum is located was originally a private house. It was built using strong stone called rubble masonry, likely finished in the 18th century. It sits behind the Ilchester Town Hall. The house might have been changed a bit when the town hall was completed in 1816.
The front of the building, facing High Street, has an interesting design. On the ground floor, there's a main doorway in the middle. On either side of the door, you can see two bay windows that stick out. All of these are covered by a sloping slate roof. The two floors above have classic sash windows. At the very top, there's a low wall called a parapet along the roofline.
What You Can See Inside
The Ilchester Museum opened its doors in 1989. It was created to honor a local author named James Stevens-Cox. He wrote an important book called A History of Ilchester, the Ancient County Town of Somerset, which came out in 1947. The museum is looked after by the Ilchester Town Trust.
The museum has many cool exhibits that show the town's history. You can learn about Ilchester from the Iron Age and Roman times, when it was known as Lindinis, all the way up to today.
Some of the special items on display include a complete female skeleton from the end of the Roman period. There is also the town's very old 13th-century mace. A mace is like a special staff or rod that shows authority. This one has symbols of Richard I and also carvings of three kings and an angel. It's actually the oldest staff of office in all of England!
The museum also has a full set of Maundy Money. This special money was given by Queen Elizabeth II to a local person in Wells Cathedral in 1993. The museum was able to get this unique collection in 1995. In 2017, a short radio show about the old prisons of Ilchester was featured on BBC Radio Somerset's program, Treasure Trove. Museum staff helped with the show, sharing their knowledge.
