Staffordshire County Museum facts for kids
| Location | Servants' Quarters, Shugborough Hall, Milford, Staffordshire, England |
|---|---|
| Type | County Museum |
| Owner | Staffordshire County Council |
The Staffordshire County Museum is a cool place to learn about life in Staffordshire, England! It's located in the old Servants' Quarters at Shugborough Hall, near Stafford. Here, you can explore a Victorian kitchen, laundry, and even a brewhouse, just like they were long ago. The museum also has lots of other exhibits and special shows.
In 2016, the National Trust took over managing the Shugborough Estate. The museum at Shugborough was closed for a short time. In 2017, the estate reopened. Some of the museum's displays in the servants' quarters and farm are still there. The Staffordshire County Council plans to move the main County Museum to a new building in the future. This new building will be called the Staffordshire History Centre.
Contents
Exploring the Museum's Collections
The Staffordshire County Museum collects items that show what life was like in Staffordshire over the last 200 years. The museum displays objects from the Staffordshire County Council's huge collection. This collection has over 25,000 everyday items, 35,000 photographs, and 1,800 pieces of art.
Everyday Life and History
The museum is especially strong in items related to cooking, cleaning, and laundry from the past. You can also find collections about:
- Clothes and fabrics
- Medicine
- Coins and medals
- Old documents and records
- How people lived and worked
- Different ways people traveled
The museum has a very large photo collection. It includes over 35,000 pictures. These photos show places, buildings, people, jobs, groups, activities, fun events, and transport in Staffordshire since the 1850s.
The collections help us understand Staffordshire's history, especially in farming and daily life. They cover topics like:
- Old customs and beliefs
- Public services (like police or fire)
- Education and schools
- How people communicated and used money
- Wars and defense
- Transport (like trains and cars)
- Shops and pubs
- Crafts and different jobs
- Childhood and toys
- Sports and entertainment
- Health and raising babies
Special Collections to See
The museum has some really special collections. One is a group of horse-drawn carriages. These include carriages once owned by important families from Staffordshire.
Another highlight is the Douglas Haywood Puppet Collection. It's a nationally important collection of puppets!
The costume collection is also amazing. It features clothes and accessories from the last 400 years. You can see wedding dresses, old sewing samples, and even servants' uniforms. The museum also has a collection of shoes and boots from Lotus Ltd. This was Stafford and Stone's last shoe factory.
The fine art collection shows famous places, landscapes, and people from Staffordshire. It includes works by well-known local artists.
Where to See the Collections
You can see these collections in different parts of the museum. There are galleries that explore themes like health, toys, and costumes. You can also visit the restored Victorian servants' quarters. There's even a recreated school room, chemist's shop, and tailor's shop.
The museum's farming collections are shown at Shugborough Park Farm. Some of the fine art and craft collections are displayed in temporary shows at the Shire Hall, Stafford. More and more photos and objects from the museum's collection are becoming available to view online!
