Leominster Museum facts for kids
| Former name | Leominster Folk Museum |
|---|---|
| Established | 1972 |
| Location | Leominster, Herefordshire, England |
The Leominster Museum is a cool place to visit in Leominster, England. It used to be called the Leominster Folk Museum. This museum is special because it's run by volunteers who love history!
Contents
Discovering Leominster's Past
The museum first opened its doors in 1972. It collects and shows off many old items from the local area. These items help tell the story of Leominster.
What You Can See
- Old Money: You can see old banknotes and cheques from the Leominster & Herefordshire Bank.
- Mail History: There are early postage marks, showing how mail was sent long ago.
- Railway Relics: Find out about the old Leominster and Kington Railway.
- Ancient Finds: See the Bronze Age Aymestrey burial. This is a very old burial site!
- Cider Making: There's even a full cider mill on display. It shows how cider was made in the past.
Art by John Scarlett Davis
The museum also has many artworks by John Scarlett Davis. He was an artist born in Leominster. You can see a self-portrait he painted in 1828. There is also a book with 173 of his sketches. The museum bought this special book in 1979.
Special Projects and Exhibitions
The museum often creates new projects and shows. These help people learn about different parts of history.
World War I Project
In 2014, the museum received a grant to create a project called "Rifles and Spades." This project remembered how World War I affected the local area. It finished in April 2015.
- Open Days: The museum held three special open days.
- Public Talks: There were three talks for the public to attend.
- Commemorative Event: A big event was held at Leominster Priory. About 240 people came!
- Traveling Exhibition: An exhibition called 'Our Story' was shown at Leominster Library. It then traveled to different villages and schools.
- Education Packs: The museum also made learning packs for schools.
Changing Exhibitions
Besides its regular displays, the museum tries to have a new temporary exhibition each season. For example, in 2015, there were two interesting shows:
- '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
The museum building is on Etnam Street. It was built in 1855. Originally, it was a mission hall. It was used by workers who were building the local railways.
