Leominster Museum facts for kids
| Former name | Leominster Folk Museum |
|---|---|
| Established | 1972 |
| Location | Leominster, Herefordshire, England |
Leominster Museum, once known as Leominster Folk Museum, is a cool place in Leominster, Herefordshire, England. It's run by amazing volunteers who love history! This museum shows off lots of old things from the local area. It helps us learn about the past of Leominster and the people who lived there.
Discovering Leominster's Past
The Leominster Museum first opened its doors in 1972. It collects and displays many interesting items from the local area. These items help tell the story of Leominster's history.
What You Can See at the Museum
The museum has a wide range of old objects. You can see old banknotes and cheques from the Leominster & Herefordshire Bank. There are also early postage marks from the area. If you like trains, you'll find things from the old Leominster and Kington Railway.
The museum also has a very old Bronze Age burial from a place called Aymestrey. Plus, there's a complete cider mill, which was used to make cider!
Art by a Local Talent
The museum is home to several artworks by John Scarlett Davis. He was an artist born right in Leominster. You can see a self-portrait he painted in 1828. The museum also owns a book with 173 of his sketches. They bought this special book at an auction in 1979.
Special Projects and Exhibitions
The museum often gets involved in exciting projects. They also host different temporary exhibitions. This means there's always something new to see!
Remembering World War I: Rifles and Spades
In 2014, the museum received a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This money helped them create a project called "Rifles and Spades." It was all about how World War I affected the local area.
The project had many parts:
- Three special Open Days at the museum.
- Three public talks for everyone to learn more.
- A big event at Leominster Priory, attended by 240 people.
- An exhibition called 'Our Story'. It was first at Leominster Library, then traveled to different villages and schools.
- Educational packs for schools to use.
Changing Exhibitions
Besides its regular displays, the museum likes to put on new shows each season. For example, in 2015, they had two cool temporary exhibitions:
- 'Here be Dragons!' was about the history of Morris Dancing and Mumming in Leominster.
- 'An Unlikely Champion' told the story of Bill Bengry and Bengry Motors.
The Museum Building's History
The building where the museum is located is on Etnam Street. It has its own interesting history! It was first built in 1855. Back then, it was a mission hall for workers who were building the local railways.
