Stratford Armouries facts for kids
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| Established | 2007 |
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| Location | Gospel Oak Lane, Pathlow, Stratford on Avon |
Stratford Armouries is a small and interesting museum. It is located near Stratford-upon-Avon in England. The museum is part of the Stratford-upon-Avon Lodge Retreat, which is a hotel. It has three main rooms filled with cool historical items. You can see things about famous leaders, old wars, and brave missions. Admission to the museum is free.
Contents
A Look Back in Time
The Wigington family arrived in the Warwickshire area around 1750. In the 1800s, James's Great Grandfather Thomas Mabbutt was a director. He worked at the Abingdon Gunworks Company in Birmingham. This company made different types of guns.
Building a Collection
Over 250 years, the Wigington family built a private collection. It included many arms and pieces of armour. In 2007, a museum was built to show this collection. It was on a large piece of land, about 86 acres. This land used to be an old air force base.
Famous Exhibits
The first museum was open to everyone. It had many amazing things to see. One special item was a life-sized armoured Indian elephant. There was also a cannon from the year 1450. A giant crossbow, based on a design by Leonardo da Vinci, was also on display. A famous armour maker named Terry English designed the elephant armour. He also worked on movies like the Harry Potter series.
Changes to the Museum
The museum found it hard to make money. So, in 2015, most of the collection was sold. The land was then turned into a hotel with cabins. The current, smaller museum is now in a separate building at the hotel. It reopened in the spring of 2016.
What You Can See
The museum has four main exhibits. They are spread across three rooms.
The Churchill Collection
The largest room holds a special collection. It is all about Winston Churchill. He was a very important British leader during the Second World War. This collection has items from his political life and his personal life. Jack Darrah and his daughter Carol Harwood put this collection together.
First World War Trench and Bomber
The second room takes you back in time. It has a recreated trench from the First World War. Trenches were long ditches where soldiers lived and fought. This room also has parts of a Vickers Wellington bomber plane. These planes were used during the Second World War.
Pegasus Bridge Artefacts
The third room is the smallest. It contains items from a famous mission in the Second World War. This mission was to capture a bridge in France. It is known as the Pegasus Bridge. You can see many interesting things about the gliders used in this brave attack.
