Pontefract Museum facts for kids
Pontefract Museum is a cool local museum located in Pontefract, a town in West Yorkshire, England. It's a great place to learn about the area's past. The museum has many different types of items, including old objects found underground (called archaeology), historical documents, beautiful art, and lots of pictures. It also shows how people lived in the past, which is called social history. The museum first opened its doors in 1975.
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The Museum's Building: A Look Back
From Library to Museum
The building where Pontefract Museum is located is quite special. It's an Art Nouveau style building, which means it has a unique, flowing design that was popular in the early 1900s. This building was originally a library, funded by a famous rich man named Andrew Carnegie. The library first opened in 1904 and was designed by an architect named George Pennington.
In 1975, a brand new library was built in Pontefract. Because of this, the old Carnegie building was changed into the museum you see today. Even though it's now a museum, you can still see some of its original features. For example, the entrance hall has beautiful old tiles, and some of the furniture from 1904 is still there. The building was officially recognized as a special historical building (called Grade II Listed) when it became a museum in March 1975.
What You Can Discover: Museum Collections
Exploring Pontefract's Past
The museum has many interesting exhibits that tell the story of Pontefract. You can learn all about Pontefract Castle, which has a long and exciting history. There are also displays about the town's famous liquorice industry. Pontefract is well-known for its special liquorice sweets called Pontefract Cakes!
Amazing Finds and Historical Treasures
Inside the museum, you'll find ancient objects dug up from places like Pontefract Castle and St. John's Priory. One amazing discovery on display is the Ackworth Hoard. This is a collection of almost 600 old coins that date back to the time of the English Civil War.
The museum also shows off old packaging from the Pontefract liquorice factories. You can see colorful glass items and printed materials made right there in the town. Pontefract also holds a special place in history because it was where the country's first secret ballot took place in 1872. This was a big step for fair elections! The actual ballot box used for this historic event, which was sealed with Pontefract liquorice, is kept safe in the museum.
Most of the items in the museum are connected to Pontefract. This includes the town's history with mining. The museum has three main areas for exhibits. Besides the permanent displays, there's a special space for temporary exhibits that change over time. There's also a reference room where you can find historical documents about Pontefract.
See also
- Listed buildings in Pontefract
