Nantwich Museum facts for kids
The Nantwich Museum is a cool local museum located in the town of Nantwich, which is in Cheshire, northwest England. It first opened its doors in 1980. The museum is set up inside an old building that used to be the town's public library, built way back in 1888. Inside, you can explore lots of interesting things about Cheshire's past. The museum shows how important the area was during the English Civil War. You can also learn about how people used to make salt and cheese, and how they created shoes, clothes, and even clocks in Nantwich.
Discovering Nantwich Museum
The Nantwich Museum is easy to find right in the middle of Nantwich, on a street called Pillory Street. The building itself has a long history! It's made of red bricks and was designed by an architect named Thomas Bower. It was finished in 1888. Before it became a library and then a museum, this spot was actually where the town's old jail stood. The museum officially started welcoming visitors in January 1980.
What You Can See Inside
The museum has different areas, called galleries, that tell the story of Nantwich through time. You can learn about:
- Roman Salt Making: Discover how people in Roman Britain made salt in this area a very long time ago.
- The Great Fire: Find out about a huge fire that happened in Nantwich in 1583, during the time of the Tudor dynasty.
- The English Civil War: Learn about the Battle of Nantwich in 1644, which was a big event during the English Civil War.
- Local Industries: See how people made shoes and clothes in Nantwich, and how they became skilled at making clocks.
The museum has also grown over the years with two special additions. One area focuses on cheese-making. Here, you can learn all about the history of Cheshire cheese, especially how Nantwich played a part in making it famous. This section also includes the Joseph Heler meeting room.
There's also a community gallery where local artists can show their work. Plus, the Millennium Gallery is used for special exhibitions that change over time. Some of the art you might see includes a painting of a horse race called Mr Walsh's Perdita, with jockey up, on Nantwich Racecourse. This is the only known picture of the old Nantwich Racecourse! You can also see a portrait of a local historian named James Hall, painted by his son, Walter J. Hall. The museum also displays works by a Nantwich artist named Herbert St John Jones (1872–1939). If you like maps, the museum has a collection of those too.
In April 2019, a new part of the museum opened called the Cheshire Civil War Centre. This section gives even more details about Cheshire's role in the English Civil War.
Visiting the Museum
The Nantwich Museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday. The best part is that entrance is completely free! The museum gets help from Cheshire East Council and Nantwich Town Council, and also from local fundraising efforts.
See also
- List of museums in Cheshire
- History of cheese
- Salt in Cheshire
