Tudor House Museum, Weymouth facts for kids
The Tudor House Museum, also known as Tudor House, is a very old building in Weymouth. It was built in the early 1600s. Today, it's a museum that shows what life was like a long time ago. It's one of the best-kept Tudor buildings in the UK. The house is close to Brewers Quay and Weymouth Harbour. It has been a special "Grade II Listed" building since 1953. This means it's protected because it's an important historical place.
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History of Tudor House
Building the Old House
Tudor House is a large, three-story building. It was built around the year 1600. Experts think it was finished between 1603 and 1610. A rich merchant built it right next to the harbour. This was handy because he could unload his goods directly from his boats. The house is made of strong Portland stone. Its roof is made of stone slates.
Life in the 1600s
The house originally stood by an area called 'The Cove'. This was an inlet from the harbour. Ships could moor right alongside the house. Today, the museum shows how a middle-class family lived in the early 1600s. It's one of Weymouth's most special Tudor buildings.
Changes Over Time
The house's original use changed in the late 1700s. The inlet filled up with mud and became a street. The building was then split into two smaller houses. In the 1930s, the house was almost torn down. It was thought to be too old and unsafe to live in. This happened just before the Second World War. Luckily, the war stopped the demolition. After the war, the Weymouth Ancient Buildings Society bought it. But the house was empty during the war. It was also damaged by bombs.
Saving and Restoring the Museum
In the 1950s, a local architect named Walmsley Lewis bought the house. He was the last of the people who looked after it. He worked hard to fix it up. He turned it back into one single home. He furnished it to look like a middle-class home from the early 1600s. To do this, he traveled all over the UK and Europe. He bought real items from the Tudor and Stuart times.
Tudor House Today
When Walmsley Lewis passed away in 1977, he gave the house to the Weymouth Civic Society. They still own and run the museum today. Volunteers from the Civic Society give tours of the house. They tell visitors about Weymouth's history in the early 1600s. This was when it was a busy port for trade and exploration. The guides also describe daily life back then. They talk about furniture, clothes, cooking, and how people made light. In May 2011, the museum celebrated its 50th anniversary. People from Weymouth and Portland got free tours of the building.
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