Museum of Witchcraft and Magic facts for kids
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| Established | 1951 |
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| Location | Boscastle, Cornwall |
The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic is a fascinating place in Boscastle, Cornwall, England. It's all about witchcraft and magic from Europe. Inside, you'll find amazing collections related to folk magic, ceremonial magic, Freemasonry, and Wicca. People say it has the biggest collection of such items in the world!
The museum was started in 1951 by an English folk magician named Cecil Williamson. He wanted to show off his personal collection of magical objects. It was first called the Folklore Centre of Superstition and Witchcraft and was located on the Isle of Man. A well-known Wiccan, Gerald Gardner, even helped out there.
Later, Williamson and Gardner had a disagreement. Gardner bought the museum from Williamson in 1954. He renamed it the Museum of Magic and Witchcraft. Gardner's museum stayed open until the 1970s. Its contents were then sold to the Ripley's company.
In 1954, Williamson opened his own new museum back in England. It was called the Museum of Witchcraft. He moved it a few times because of strong local opposition. Finally, he set it up in Boscastle in 1960. In 1996, Williamson sold the museum to Graham King. King added more magical items to the collection. The museum was damaged by a big flood in Boscastle in 2004. In 2013, the museum's ownership went to Simon Costin.
Today, the museum is a very popular place for tourists to visit. It's also highly respected by people interested in magic and the occult in Britain. There's even a charity called Friends of the Museum of Witchcraft that helps raise money for it. The museum also has a huge library about these topics for researchers.
Contents
Exploring the Museum's Past
How It Began: 1947–1960
After World War II, Cecil Williamson, who used to make films, decided to open a museum. He was very interested in witchcraft, so that became his topic.
Williamson first tried to open his museum in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1947. But local people didn't want it there, so he had to stop his plans. He then chose Castletown on the Isle of Man. This area had many stories about fairies and witches. It also had tourists and laws that made it easy to open a museum. He bought an old mill in 1948, known as the Witches' Mill. He also opened a restaurant next to it called the Witches' Kitchen.
The museum was first named the Folklore Centre of Superstition and Witchcraft. It opened in June 1951, just when an old law against witchcraft was removed. Williamson told a newspaper that he knew many witches. He even invited a group of witches to perform rituals at his museum. This group was likely the Bricket Wood coven, led by Gerald Gardner. Gardner was called the museum's "resident witch." He performed a magical ritual at the opening. This helped Williamson promote his museum. It also helped Gardner share information about Wicca.
Williamson was also interested in practical magic. In 1952, he said he could help people remove curses. He was like an old cunning man. He learned many of these spells from books. He was also interested in the famous magician Aleister Crowley.
However, Gardner and Williamson disagreed. Gardner thought some of the museum's displays were too dramatic. Williamson then removed a photo of Gardner from the museum. Eventually, Williamson sold the museum to Gardner.
The Williamson-Gardner Split: 1953–1964
Williamson decided to move back to England. He took his collection of witchcraft items with him. In 1954, Gardner bought the Witches' Mill from Williamson. He renamed it The Museum of Magic and Witchcraft. Gardner filled it with his own collection of items.
Gardner ran the museum until he passed away in 1964. His assistant, Monique Wilson, briefly ran it. Then, the museum closed, and its collection was sold. The Ripley's company bought the collection. They opened "Museums of Witchcraft and Magic" in the US. But due to pressure from local groups, Ripley's changed the names. They became "World of the Unexplained." Later, Ripley's closed these museums. Many of the witchcraft items went to Ripley's Believe It or Not museum in Blackpool, England.
When Williamson returned to England in 1954, he opened his new Museum of Witchcraft. It was in Windsor. It was successful during tourist season. But local people were still against it. So, Williamson decided to move it again.
In 1954, Williamson moved the museum to Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire. The museum faced many problems there. People painted signs on walls and hung dead cats from trees. Eventually, it was badly damaged in a fire.
Boscastle: 1960-Present Day
In 1960, Williamson moved the museum to Boscastle in Cornwall. He showed some items related to ceremonial magic. But he was mostly interested in folk magic and what he called the "wayside witch."
Williamson retired in 1996. He sold the museum to Graham King and Liz Crow. King was a practicing Pagan who was interested in witchcraft. He found out the museum was for sale in a newspaper. King and Williamson completed the sale on Halloween night in 1996. King and Crow reorganized the museum. They removed some of the more dramatic exhibits.
King appeared on TV shows like A Seaside Parish. He also arranged the burial of Joan Wytte. She was a woman accused of witchcraft who died in prison in 1813. Her body had been at the museum for many years. She was buried in a local forest in 1998. The museum was damaged during heavy floods in August 2004. It closed for repairs and reopened in March 2005.
After King took over, a group called the Friends of the Museum was created. They hold an annual weekend of talks. This group later became a charity. In 2011, a book called The Museum of Witchcraft: A Magical History was published. It celebrated the museum's sixtieth anniversary. The book had contributions from many people involved in magic and Pagan communities.
On Halloween 2013, King transferred ownership of the museum to Simon Costin. Costin is a designer and curator who started the Museum of British Folklore in 2009. King still owns the museum building, which is leased to Costin's Museum. Costin said that the museum would continue to run exactly as it was.
What You Can See: The Exhibits
The museum's exhibits mostly show items related to old folk magic and the cunning folk. This was Cecil Williamson's original plan. One room looks like a traditional cunning woman's cottage. It's called "Joan's cottage." It has a model of a 19th-century cunning woman. She is surrounded by herbs and tools used for telling the future.
The museum also has exhibits about the witch trials in the early modern period. These were times when people were accused of witchcraft. You can also learn about the modern Pagan religion of Wicca. Other exhibits cover practices like ceremonial magic, Freemasonry, and alchemy.
Some items in the collection belonged to famous people in magic. There's a special cup used by the magician Aleister Crowley. You can see good luck charms made by Gerald Gardner. There are also ritual swords and an altar stone that belonged to the well-known Wiccan Alex Sanders. The museum keeps adding new items to its collection. Many modern witches and magicians have left their tools to the museum in their wills. The exhibits help tell the story of witchcraft over time. They show how it is still important today.
See also
