The Food Museum facts for kids
Abbot's Hall
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| Established | 1967 |
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| Location | Iliffe Way, Stowmarket, Suffolk, England |
| Collection size | Over 40,000 objects |
The Food Museum, formerly called the Museum of East Anglian Life, is located in Stowmarket, Suffolk, England. This museum focuses on showing the history of farming in East Anglia. It does this through many exhibits and live demonstrations, helping visitors see what life was like long ago.
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How the Food Museum Started
The land where the museum now stands was once part of a large farm. This farm belonged to the Abbot's Hall estate, which has been around since medieval times. Over the years, many different families owned the estate.
In the 1950s and 1960s, new machines changed farming a lot. People worried that old skills, tools, and buildings would be lost forever. A local farmer named Jack Carter and others decided to help. They worked hard to collect and save items from rural East Anglia.
After showing temporary exhibits for a few years, Vera and Ena Longe helped a lot. They put 70 acres (about 28 hectares) of farmland, Abbot's Hall, its gardens, and some cottages into a trust. This was so the land could be used as a museum. The museum first opened its doors in 1967. In April 2022, the museum changed its name to The Food Museum.
Exploring the Museum's Buildings
The Food Museum covers 75 acres (about 30 hectares) and has many interesting buildings. These buildings show different parts of East Anglian history.
- Abbot's Hall — This main building has rooms that explore what "home" means in East Anglia. It looks at both the actual houses people lived in and their feelings of belonging to a place.
- Edgar's Farmhouse — This old farmhouse dates back to the 1300s. It was "found" inside a newer Victorian farmhouse in Combs. To save it from being torn down in 1970, it was carefully taken apart. Then, it was moved and rebuilt at the museum. It was the first historic building to be put back together on the museum site.
- Crowe Street Cottages — These are the last two workers' cottages that were part of the Abbot's Hall Estate. They show how people who worked on the estate used to live.
- Boby Building — Here, you can see old farming engines. There are also workshops for different crafts. You might even see a working printing press or watch a film in the cinema area.
- William Bone Building — This building has an exhibit about the history of the Ransomes company. They made many important farming tools and machines in East Anglia.
- Eastbridge Windpump — This is a windpump from the 1800s. It was used to drain water from the land, which was important for farming.
- Alton Watermill — This watermill from the 1700s was used to grind corn into flour. Like many buildings at the museum, it was moved here to save it. The watermill was moved to prevent it from being destroyed when the Alton Water Reservoir was built.
The museum also has two huts that show what shops, kitchens, and living rooms looked like in the 1950s. There's also a Victorian schoolroom, showing how children learned long ago.
Restoring Abbot's Hall
The museum received money from the Heritage Lottery Fund to fix up Abbot's Hall and the Crowe Street Cottages. This project finished in April 2012. The renovated buildings officially opened in June 2012.
Now, Abbot's Hall has nine spaces for exhibits. These exhibits explore ideas about home and belonging in East Anglia. There is also space for special temporary exhibits. The Crowe Street Cottages now show how they looked when the last workers lived there. Abbot's Hall is open all year. It also has a permanent exhibit about the life and work of George Ewart Evans, who studied old stories and traditions.
Fun Events at the Museum
The museum site hosts several exciting events throughout the year. Since 2011, it has been the home of the Stowblues Festival. This music festival is organized with BBC Radio Suffolk.
In August 2016, the museum started hosting its biggest event, the annual East Anglian Living History Fayre. This event is put on with Black Knight Historical. It brings history to life with reenactments and demonstrations.
