Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse |
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| Location | 162 London Road, Northwich, Cheshire, England |
| OS grid reference | SJ 658 731 |
| Built | 1839 |
| Architect | George Latham |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Designated | 8 July 1969 |
| Reference no. | 1161095 |
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The Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse is in Northwich, Cheshire, England. It tells the story of how people lived and worked in west Cheshire. The museum used to be called the Salt Museum. This was because it mainly focused on the history of salt mining. Salt has been an important local industry since Roman times.
In 2010, the museum changed its name to Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse. This new name shows that it now covers more of the area's history. It also tells the story of the building itself, which was once a workhouse. A workhouse was a place where poor people could live and work. The museum building was built in 1839. It is a special old building, listed as Grade II on the National Heritage List for England.
Contents
What You Can See at Weaver Hall Museum
Weaver Hall Museum has many items that show the history of Cheshire. You can learn about old buildings, how people lived, and local industries. These displays cover everything from ancient times to today.
Some of the permanent exhibits include a Victorian workhouse schoolroom. You can also see the Board of Guardians boardroom. This was where important decisions about the workhouse were made.
The museum also has a huge collection of over 8,000 pictures. These images show the history of west Cheshire. They especially focus on the salt and chemical industries. They also show how canals were used for transport.
Besides its own collections, the museum hosts other events. You can see visiting art shows and special exhibitions. They also have holiday activities, talks, and film shows. The museum has its own small cinema called the Regalette. This name honors the town's last cinema, the Regal, which closed in 2007.
In 2009, more than 20,000 people visited Weaver Hall. It's a popular place to learn about local history!
How Weaver Hall Museum Started
The Museum's Journey
The very first salt museum in Northwich began in the 1800s. Two local salt business owners, Thomas Ward and John Brunner, started it. They believed the town needed a place to explain why it was known as the "salt capital of the world." Ward and Brunner gave the museum and a library to the town in 1887.
The museum's collection first shared a building with the Northwich library. However, the building collapsed because of mine subsidence. This was a big problem in the town back then. A new building for both the library and museum was built in 1909. This building is still there today, but it only houses the Northwich library now. Even so, the old name for both is still above the door.
The museum collection moved to its current home in the old workhouse building in June 1981. This move happened thanks to the hard work of Mary, Lady Rochester. She played a key role in setting up the museum. When it opened, it was called The Salt Museum. It showed exhibits mainly about the history of the salt industry.
In 2004, Matt Wheeler became the Curator. He started many new special exhibitions and events. This led to a big increase in visitors. One famous exhibition in 2009 was 'Above the Clouds: Mallory & Irvine and the Quest for Everest'. It featured many items related to two Everest explorers from Cheshire, George Mallory and Andrew ('Sandy') Irvine. This exhibition was one of the most complete ever done on them. It was even nominated for an award!
In 2010, another museum nearby, the Lion Salt Works, was being redeveloped. This led to changes at the Salt Museum. It adopted its current name, Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse. Its focus also grew to cover the wider history of the west Cheshire area.
The Story of the Workhouse Building
The building that is now Weaver Hall opened in 1839. It was built because of a new law called the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. This law changed how aid was given to poor people across England and Wales. Groups of local areas were joined together into "unions." These unions were in charge of helping the poor and needy.
The law said that able-bodied people could not get help in their own homes. If they wanted aid, they had to live in a workhouse. The conditions in workhouses were meant to encourage people to find jobs instead of relying on charity.
The Northwich Union Workhouse was planned in 1837. This was after 65 local parishes and townships joined together. The architect George Latham designed the building. In 1850, a hospital for people with fevers was added. In 1863, better rooms for new arrivals were built, which included proper baths.
The Poor Law Unions stopped in April 1930. The Northwich Workhouse then became a public assistance institution run by Cheshire County Council.
In 1948, the building became the Weaver Hall Old People’s Home. Most of the workhouse buildings were taken down in the 1960s. But some original rooms facing London Road remained. This included a special Board of Guardians room built in 1892. The main building stopped being an old people's home in 1968. The residents moved to a new building built behind it.
See also
- Salt in Cheshire
- Open pan salt making
- Weaver Hall, Darnhall
