South Mill Arts facts for kids
South Mill Arts is a fun place in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England. It's a center for theatre, art, local history, and events. One special building there, now called the Bishop's Stortford Museum, was the birthplace of a famous person named Cecil Rhodes.
The whole complex was updated in 2005. It has a theatre with 300 seats and a flexible studio space for different activities. There's also a museum, a gallery for art and photos, and a cafe where you can grab a snack. South Mill Arts offers many exciting events. You can see plays, dance shows, live music, and comedians. They also show movies in their comfortable theatre.
This arts center used to be called the Rhodes Arts Complex. But on August 24, 2020, its name was changed to South Mill Arts. This happened because people felt the old name was no longer suitable. They wanted the center to have a name that better represented its role in the community today.
Discover the Bishop's Stortford Museum
The Bishop's Stortford Museum is located in a building called Netteswell House. This house is famous because it was where Cecil Rhodes was born. He was a British businessman who started a big diamond company called De Beers. He also played a role in the history of a region in Africa that was once named Rhodesia after him.
The museum has a special part called the Rhodes Collection. Here, you can find interactive displays, old documents, interesting objects, and photos about Cecil Rhodes' life. The group that looks after his birthplace is a registered charity.
History of the Museum
The Bishop's Stortford Museum brings together two older collections. It combines items from the former Rhodes Memorial Museum and the Bishop's Stortford Local History Museum. The Rhodes' Birthplace Museum first opened in 1938. It was set up in two houses built in the early 1800s. These buildings are now protected as Grade II-listed buildings. The current museum, as you see it today, opened its doors in 2005.
What You Can See at the Museum
In the original part of Cecil Rhodes' home, you can learn about his life. There are also items from Southern Africa from the 1800s, collected during his travels. You can even see a recreated Victorian drawing room. This room shows what a middle-class family's living room looked like back then. It includes family items that belonged to the Rhodes family. The museum also has exhibits that tell the story of the local area and its history.
