Wisbech & Fenland Museum facts for kids

Wisbech & Fenland Museum

Established	1835
Location	Museum Square, Wisbech, Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom PE13 1ES
Type	Museum
Owner	Wisbech and Fenland Museum Trustee Company Ltd

The Wisbech & Fenland Museum is in the town of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, England. It is one of the oldest museums in the United Kingdom built specifically for this purpose. The museum's logo is W&F.

Museum History

The museum started as a group for members in 1835. It is now a charity. The museum first opened in July 1835 in two rooms at 16 Old Market Place. Visitors could see the collections on Fridays.

Early Years and New Building

In 1839, it cost one shilling to enter. By 1841, the curator was looking for someone to supervise the museum. The original building was sold in 1845. The museum then moved to its current building in 1847. This new building was designed to hold both the Museum and the Literary Society. These two groups joined together in 1877.

The museum building is now a Grade II* listed building. This means it is a very important historical building. It was designed by architect George Buckler. Professor Adam Sedgwick gave a lecture when the museum opened on July 27, 1847. The building cost between two and three thousand pounds to build. The museum still uses its original display cases and bookcases.

The building is built over the old moat of Wisbech Castle. This means the ground has moved a little over time. This has caused some movement in the front of the building.

Special Collections and Items

The museum has many important collections. These include items about local history. There are also items about Thomas Clarkson, who worked to end slavery. A very special item is the original handwritten copy of Charles Dickens' famous book, Great Expectations. This was given to the museum in 1863.

Other interesting things include a breakfast set said to belong to Napoleon. It was supposedly captured at the Battle of Waterloo. There is also Thomas Clarkson's chest. It holds 18th-century African textiles, seeds, and leatherwork. Clarkson used these to show why direct trade with Africa was important.

20th Century Highlights

In 1910, Baron Peckover was re-elected as the museum's president. The museum has a large collection of maps. These maps have been shown in different exhibitions over the years.

In 1947, there was a discussion about selling the Great Expectations manuscript. It was worth a lot of money. However, the Charity Commissioners said it could not be sold. The manuscript was given to the museum "for the benefit of the town" and "should never be sold." So, the sale was stopped. In the 1950s, the Fenland Archaeological Society worked from the museum.

Recent Discoveries and Partnerships

In May and June 2018, an archaeological dig happened on the museum grounds. This was part of the Wisbech High Street project. Local groups and the public helped with this dig.

In 2018, the museum building was added to the Heritage at Risk Register. This means it needed repairs. Benjamin Zephaniah, a famous writer, visited the museum in 2018. He said it was his favorite museum. The museum has also started working with Cambridge University Library. They are exploring the museum's collections together. The museum also partners with the University of Cambridge Museums.

In 2021, the museum received a large grant of £616,000 from Historic England. This money was for roof repairs. In 2022, the museum celebrated its 175th anniversary. A concert was held at Wisbech Castle because of the building work at the museum.

Local and Social History Collections

The museum's collection shows the history of the Fens area. It includes old farming tools and drainage equipment. There are also items for shooting and fishing. These items show how people lived and worked before modern machines.

The museum also shows the history of Wisbech as a port town. There is a display about the shipping industry. Wisbech was once a major port for grain. It also imported wood, slates, coal, and stone.

You can see items related to crime and punishment used locally. Wisbech once had a jail, a pillory, and stocks. A mantrap from Peckover House and Garden is also on display. The museum shows what life was like in the 1800s and early 1900s. It has household items and tools from local trades.

The museum has posters from the town's Georgian Angles Theatre. This is one of the oldest theatres built for plays in the country. There is also a model of a woad mill from Parson Drove. Woad was a plant used to make blue dye. It was grown mostly in the Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire Fens. The museum's top gallery has items linked to the Cambridgeshire Regiment.

Manuscripts Collection

This collection includes important handwritten books. You can see Hours of Idleness by Lord Byron. There is also Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Another notable manuscript is The Monk by Matthew Lewis.

Natural History Collection

The museum has a great collection of natural history items. These include rocks and minerals from the local area and around the world. There are also fossils like ichthyosaurs, belemnites, and shark teeth. You can see shells, mounted birds, mammals, and fish from the 1800s. The collection also features butterflies, moths, and beetles. There is a herbarium with plant specimens, including an early collection by William Skrimshire.

Archaeology Collection

The museum's archaeology collection helps visitors understand Fenland life. It covers periods from prehistoric times to the recent past. The Roman-British collection has beautiful pottery. It also includes the skeleton of a woman from Coldham, about 1700 years old. A special item is the highly decorated Iron Age Wisbech Scabbard. It was found locally and dates back to around 300 BC.

Pottery and other items found in the Welle Stream show life in the Iron Age, Roman, and Medieval times. The museum often gets new finds from local digs. It recently received items from the 2009 dig at Wisbech Castle. The museum also worked on a community dig on its own grounds in 2019.

Ancient Egyptian Collection

The museum has a collection of items from ancient Egypt. These items show a lot about Egyptian life and beliefs. You can see a mummified hand on a red velvet cushion. Other items include a mummified cat. There are also small statues of Egyptian gods like Osiris, Isis, and Horus. You can also see canopic jars and several stelae (gravestones). The museum has an Egyptian handling collection. This is popular with school groups and other visitors.

Artworks Collection

The museum has 165 paintings and sculptures that you can see online. The collection includes famous people like Napoleon and Charles I of England. It also features people with local connections, such as Baron Peckover and Thomas Clarkson. There are also scenes showing local Woad production.

Photography Collection

The Fading Images website lists over 100 photographers in Wisbech. This is more than any other town in Cambridgeshire. The museum's collection includes 19th-century photos of Wisbech by Samuel Smith. There is also the Lilian Ream collection. Herbert Coates took topographical images of East Anglia in the 1920s. Geoff Hastings photographed Wisbech buildings in the 1950s and 1960s. George Annis took photos in the 1970s.

The museum also has some of the earliest photos of Madagascar. These were taken in the 1850s by William Ellis. He was a member of the London Missionary Society. The museum also holds a collection by Margaret George (1899–1983). She was a social documentary photographer. She started taking photos at age twelve. She photographed daily village life, from workers in fields to mothers with newborns. She carefully dated and described her photos.

Public Access and Visiting

Until 2023, it was free for everyone to visit the museum. Since May 1, 2023, adults pay £5 to enter. This fee buys a year-long season ticket. The museum is open from 10 am to 4 pm, Tuesday to Saturday. It is sometimes open on Bank Holidays but usually closed on Sundays.

The museum is important for sharing the history of Wisbech and Fenland. It often takes part in local events. It also offers activities for families and individuals. There are temporary exhibitions, workshops, and other events. In January and early February, the museum is only open on Saturdays. The museum has been updated to include a lift. This makes it easier to access different levels.

Museum Library

The museum has a reference library with about 12,000 books. Most of these books are non-fiction. They cover history, biographies, medicine, travel, and exploration. There are fewer fiction, drama, or religious books. A catalogue of the library from 1882 was reprinted in 2011.

Friends of Wisbech and Fenland Museum

The Friends of Wisbech and Fenland Museum is a charity. They raise money for the museum. They also publish books about local history. In 2024, an individual membership costs £10. A membership for two people at the same address costs £15.

They have published many books. These include The Life and Times of Chauncey Hare Townshend, a Victorian Collector (1998). The Trade of a Farmer: John Peck of Parson Drove was published in 2000. An East Anglian Odyssey: the story of the DaSilva puppet company came out in 2006. In 2019, they published a series of photo books by Geoff Hastings and Andy Ketley. The first book, Images of Wisbech no.1, sold out quickly. More books in the series followed. They also published a series called Wisbech Inns, Taverns and Beer-houses. These publications have won awards.

Awards and Recognition

The museum was nominated for the Kids in Museums 'Family Friendly Museum Award' in 2021. This was in the Best Small Museum category.

The Friends group was nominated for the BAFM 'Impact Award' in 2022. The Friends then won the BAFM Friends of the Year Award in 2023. In 2024, the museum received £5,000 from the Benefact Group's Movement For Good program.

Museum Funding

The museum offers free admission for visitors under sixteen and full-time students. Others pay £5 for a season ticket. The museum relies a lot on volunteers. It gets money from sponsors, admission fees, donations, and shop sales. Grants are also an important source of funds.

The Fenland District Council no longer provides grants. However, the Wisbech Town Council gives grants. There is also a 'Re-founders' scheme and grants from the 'Friends' group. The museum has also started a 'Supporters Circle' scheme. People can donate monthly through Direct Debits.