Whitstable Museum and Gallery facts for kids
Museum entrance
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| Established | 1985 |
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| Location | 5A Oxford Street, Whitstable, Kent CT5 1DB, United Kingdom |
| Type | heritage centre; seafaring traditions museum |
| Collection size | Diving, oyster trade, shipbuilding trade, Peter Cushing, steam locomotive |
| Public transit access | Rail: Whitstable railway station Buses: National Express, Stagecoach |
The Whitstable Museum is a fun heritage centre in Whitstable, Kent. It's like a time capsule showing the town's history. You can see Invicta, one of the world's oldest steam engines. The museum also shares stories about the local oyster trade. Plus, you can explore historical diving equipment.
Contents
A Look Back in Time
The Whitstable Museum you see today first opened its doors in 1985. It quickly became a special spot. In 2001, the museum won the Nautiek Award. This award is given for helping to preserve diving history. It was the first time a UK museum received it!
In 2015, the museum got a fresh new look. It reopened after some big improvements. Part of the money for this came from a £15,000 grant. This grant was from Arts Council England.
The museum building has a small front door. But it opens into a really big hall full of cool displays. A long time ago, in 1881, a group called the Ancient Order of Foresters bought the building. They even wrote "Foresters' Hall" above the door.
What You Can See: Museum Exhibits
The museum has many interesting collections and displays. You can learn about the natural world around Whitstable. There are exhibits on the local oyster trade, which is very famous. You can also see early diving equipment.
The museum also celebrates the actor, Peter Cushing. He was a famous movie star who lived nearby. Other displays cover the 1953 floods. You can also learn about shipwrecks and maritime archaeology. This is the study of old things found underwater.
Special Items on Display
A very special item is the 1830 steam locomotive Invicta. This old train used to run on the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway. This was one of the very first railways!
You can also see Whitstable's first horse-drawn fire pump. This old pump needed twenty-six volunteers to make it work! In 1867, an insurance company gave it to the town.
The diving display is really cool. It shows a standard diving dress with a Siebe Gorman helmet. There's also a traditional red bonnet. This bonnet protected the diver's head inside the helmet. The museum also has items from the Hindostan. This was a large ship that wrecked in 1803.
In 2010, the BBC chose some special items from the museum. These were pudding pan pots. They were used to show the history of Kent as part of a big project. The project was called "A History of the World in 100 Objects".
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Museum entrance
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Display hall, looking towards entrance
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Display hall, looking from entrance
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1867 fire pump
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Courtyard garden
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Diving display
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Slipper limpets, blamed for the previous decline of the Whitstable oyster trade
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Modern oyster fishing at Whitstable, 2007
Art and Local Connections
The museum's collection also includes many paintings of ships. These show how Whitstable was connected to trade around the world. There are also pictures of the town, shore, and coast. You can see art by local artists. Sometimes, the museum even borrows artworks from galleries in other countries.
Museum Events and Exhibitions
The museum hosts about six special exhibitions each year. Some of these shows are about local history. Others have traveled around the country. Many exhibitions also have fun public events linked to them.
For example, in 2001, there was an exhibition about art and water. In 2002, visitors could even touch old diving equipment. They could also watch films about diving. From 2009 to 2010, there was a show about Favourite. This was the last oyster yawl, a type of fishing boat. In 2010, there was also an exhibition about the Girl Guides.
The museum is a big part of the annual Whitstable Oyster Festival. During the festival, they host interactive exhibitions. These are hands-on and fun! In September 2009, the museum had a special World War II frontline exhibition.
Learning Space
In 2009, the museum created a new space for education. This area is right at the front of the building, on Oxford Street. The local Council agreed to this plan. It helps the museum teach more people about history.
