The Mo Sheringham Museum facts for kids
The main entrance to the museum, on the East Beach promenade in Sheringham.
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| Established | 1987, moved and upgraded in April 2010, further enlarged in 2017 |
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| Location | Sheringham, Norfolk, United Kingdom |
| Type | Local History and fine art and antiquities |
| Collection size | Features an historic fleet of lifeboats and fishing boats, local photographic collections, other artworks, geology, social history and regularly-changed exhibitions |
Sheringham Museum at the Mo is a cool museum in the town of Sheringham, Norfolk, England. It first opened in April 2010. Before that, the museum's collection was kept in old fishermen's cottages. The new building, called "The Mo," gave the museum much more space.
Contents
Discovering Sheringham's Past
Sheringham has a very long history, going back over a thousand years! People like the Romans and Vikings lived here a long time ago. The town's name, Sheringham, might even come from a Viking village called 'Scira's Home'.
The first museum was in small, old fishermen's cottages. These buildings were too small for all the interesting things the museum wanted to show. For example, they had three large, restored lifeboats that needed a lot of room.
The Mo: A New Home for the Museum
The building known as "The Mo" has an interesting past itself. It was once a house named after a girl called Morag, who was born in 1881. Later, during World War II in 1940, the military used the property. It was mainly used to train soldiers how to fight in towns.
After the war, the building was badly damaged and taken down in 1946. The empty space then became an outdoor bandstand and a playground for kids.
How the Museum Got "The Mo"
In 1996, a water company called Anglian Water bought the site. They built a big new system for the town's water. As part of the deal, they built a new building on top of a large water tank. This new building was empty for a while.
Then, in 2009, the local council and Anglian Water agreed to let the Sheringham Museum Trust use the building. This was great news for the museum!
What You Can See at The Mo
In April 2010, the museum officially opened in its new home at "The Mo." The exhibits show you all about Sheringham's history. You can learn about the town's fishing industry and how it became a popular holiday spot. The museum also has a special area for the Sheringham Shoal Windfarm Visitor Centre.
The museum is run by volunteers from Sheringham. It's open for about ten months each year and often has new, temporary exhibits. Besides its amazing collection of Sheringham lifeboats (they now have four, with a fifth in another spot!), the museum helps coordinate other maritime history projects in the East of England. It also leads a group focused on the history of Gansey sweaters, which are special knitted jumpers worn by fishermen.
See also
- J C Madge on display in The Sheringham Museum
- Forester’s Centenary on display in The Sheringham Museum
- The Manchester Unity of Oddfellows on display in The Sheringham Museum
