Museum of British Surfing facts for kids
The museum in Braunton
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| Established | 6 April 2012 |
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| Location | Braunton, Devon, England |
| Founder | Pete Robinson |
The Museum of British Surfing is a cool place in Braunton, Devon, where you can learn all about the history of surfing in the United Kingdom. It's a museum dedicated to showing how surfing grew and became popular in Britain!
Contents
How the Museum Started
The Museum of British Surfing was created by Pete Robinson, a journalist and surfing expert. He first started it as an online project in 2003. His goal was to share the history of surfing in the UK.
First Exhibitions
The very first public display, called 'Exhibition of British Surfing History', opened on April 6, 2004, in Brighton. Pete Robinson used his own collection of surfing items for this. The museum also had help from the family of Viscount Ted Deerhurst and the surfing company Oxbow.
These early exhibitions traveled to many places across the UK. From 2004 to 2011, displays like 'An Art History of British Surfing' visited cities such as London, Newquay, and Aberdeen.
A Special Hawaiian Surfboard
One amazing item shown in these early exhibitions was a historic wooden surfboard. It belonged to a Hawaiian high chief named Abner Paki and dated back to the time of Captain James Cook. This was the first time this special board was shown outside of Hawaii.
The board was loaned by the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. It was displayed at the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum in Marton, England. A Hawaiian cultural ambassador, Tom Pohaku Stone, even visited and made a traditional 'olo' surfboard, which he gave to the Cook museum.
Collecting Surfing Stories
The museum also has a mobile display that travels to different surfing spots. They also worked on a project called 'The First Wave'. This project collected stories and memories from some of the earliest British surfers.
The Permanent Home
The Museum of British Surfing became a registered charity in 2010. Its permanent home opened on April 6, 2012, in Braunton, near the North Devon coast. The museum is located in an old railway building that used to be a goods shed.
The museum received awards for its commitment to being environmentally friendly. It works towards being "carbon neutral," which means it tries to have no negative impact on the environment.
A Gift to Surfing
Pete Robinson, the founder, gave his entire collection of surfboards and surfing items to start the museum. He called it "a gift to surfing in Britain." He left the project in 2015.
Since 2015, the museum has been run by a group of volunteers. These volunteers are trustees like Kevin Cook, Charlie Spurr, Ian Watson, and Christian Dormer. In 2019, the museum received special accreditation from Arts Council England.
What You Can See
The museum has a collection of more than 200 different British surfboards. You can see all sorts of designs and shapes!
There are also videos and photographs. One interesting photo shows the famous writer Agatha Christie with a surfboard in Waikiki, Hawaii. Another picture shows King Edward VIII (when he was Prince of Wales) also surfing in Waikiki. This shows how surfing was a sport for important people in the early 1900s.
A recent exhibition focused on John Wrightson. He is thought to be the first person to surf in Britain! This happened in 1890 at Bridlington. He was taught by two Hawaiian princes, David Kawānanakoa and Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole.
