Willis Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Willis Museum
The old Town Hall, now the Willis Museum
Location	Market Place, Basingstoke
Built	1835
Architectural style(s)	Neoclassical style
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name: Town hall with attached drinking fountain
Designated	6 November 1984
Reference no.	1230876
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The Willis Museum is a cool place to learn about the history of Basingstoke, a town in Hampshire, England. You can find it in the Market Place, inside a building that used to be the Basingstoke Town Hall. This old building is so important that it's officially recognized as a Grade II listed building.

A Look Back in Time

The Museum's Home: An Old Town Hall

The building where the Willis Museum is today has a long history. Since the 1300s, there was a special meeting place called a Mote Hall in the Market Place. The current building was finished in 1835. It was designed in a fancy style called neoclassical.

When it was first built, the Town Hall had an open area downstairs. This space was used as a market where farmers could sell their corn. Later, this open area was closed off and turned into offices. The rest of the building worked as the town hall and a court. Sometimes, fun dances were even held upstairs!

The building had a small clock tower at first. In 1887, a much bigger clock tower was added to celebrate Queen Victoria's Jubilee. This larger tower was taken down in 1961 because it was thought to be unsafe. But don't worry, the old clock inside survived! It was made way back in 1760 and is now on display in the museum.

The local council used this building for their meetings for many years. In 1922, they bought a bigger house for their main offices. But they still met at the old Town Hall until 1974. After that, a new council building was built, and the old Town Hall was no longer needed for town meetings.

How the Museum Started

The museum itself didn't start in this building. It first opened in 1931 in a different place called the Mechanics' Institute. A local clockmaker named George W. Willis founded it, and it was first called the Basingstoke Museum.

In 1956, the museum was renamed the Willis Museum, honoring its founder. It grew to cover the history of Basingstoke and the area around it. This includes everything from ancient times to how the town changed in the 1960s and 1970s. The museum finally moved into the old Town Hall building in 1984. The museum gets money from visitors and also from the local council to help it keep running.

What You Can See

Cool Exhibitions and Displays

The Willis Museum has many interesting things to see about local history. You can learn about "Basingstoke Man," which are the remains of an ancient human found nearby. There's also a very old wedding cake that some people say is the oldest in the world!

The museum is also home to the Sainsbury Gallery. This special gallery hosts different temporary exhibitions throughout the year. It was added to the museum in 2008 with help from the Linbury Trust. Past exhibitions have included fun topics like:

• May The Toys Be With You (about toys!)
• Turner and the Sun (about famous paintings)
• Alice in Wonderland (a magical journey)

Jane Austen Statue

Right outside the museum, you'll find a statue of Jane Austen. She was a very famous writer who lived nearby. This life-sized bronze statue was made by an artist named Adam Roud. It was created to celebrate 200 years since Jane Austen passed away. It's believed to be the first statue of her in the whole world!

The spot for the statue was chosen because it's thought to be the same area Jane Austen would have visited. She might have come here to shop or to dance at the assembly rooms nearby. Jane Austen spent the first 25 years of her life in Steventon, a village not far from Basingstoke. The artist, Adam Roud, said he wanted the statue to show Jane Austen as a "daughter and a sister" walking through her town.