Museum Publication: The Christopher Pharmacy
The first of Bradford on Avon Museum’s booklets has now been published, in conjunction with publishers Bed and Bolster.
The all-colour booklet details the history of the chemist shop that now forms the centrepiece of the Museum and gives an idea of how its business was carried out.
The booklet sells at £2 and is available in the Museum and from the Tourist Information...
Read MoreSt Laurence School model Roman villas
For a second year the Museum is co-operating with St Laurence School to produce a short display of models of Roman villas. They have been made by the school’s Year 7 History Skills Project pupils, inspired by the villa that lies under the school playing field.
The exhibition is in the exhibition room next to the Museum. It is open during Library hours and runs until 6th...
Read MoreNew Acquistion
There are certain social history objects that we have been hoping for over the years, but have eluded us. One such is a fireman’s helmet from Bradford’s volunteer fire brigade.
Well, finally one has come our way. It dates from the 1930s and belonged to Willson Moore. It is very light and seems to be made of shellac-covered fabric over a layer of shock-absorbing latex foam,...
Read MoreMuseum gets Accreditation
We have recently heard that Bradford on Avon Museum has received full accreditation from the MLA -Museums, Libraries & Archives, the central government’s overseeing body and one of the quangos that is going on the bonfire.
This means that we have been judged to have met the MLA’s national standards for the Museum’s constitution and for our procedures for collection...
Read MoreFinds Day 2010
The Museum’s Finds Day on Saturday 2nd October brought a steady stream of archaeological and geological objects for us to identify. Katy Hinds, the Wiltshire Finds Liaison Officer, came from Salisbury for the day to help out and record things for the county database.
We all agreed that the find of the day was a beautiful Early Neolithic flint arrowhead. It had been found in a back...
Read MoreMuseum receives royalty!
On 30th September 2010 Jonathon Falconer, author (right) and Peter Leach, publisher and printer (left) presented the Museum’s Treasurer Chris Dale with a cheque for £1000. The money came from profits on the sales of Jonathon’s book “Names in Stone 1939-1945“.
Jonathon has now launched his second “Names in Stone” book, remembering...
Read MoreBecome a Volunteer Steward at the Museum
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If you’re fascinated by Bradford’s past, why not share your passion with others? We urgently need Volunteer Stewards who can help out at the Museum, welcome visitors and share stories.
Because of the security of the objects on display, the Museum can only be open when there is a Steward on duty (two on Sundays...
Read MoreBudbury Excavation
In July 2009, members of the Museum Society carried out a small archaeological dig in the garden of 4 Budbury Place, believed to be the Medieval Budbury Manor House. This followed the discovery by the owners, Jane and Peter Mann, of a cobbled surface, possibly dating from the later middle Ages. The site has the added interest that it lies adjacent to the Budbury Iron Age hillfort discovered by...
Read MoreMBE for new museum trustee Roy Canham
We’re delighted to welcome former Wiltshire county archaeologist Roy Canham on board as a trustee. Roy, who was recently awarded an MBE for services to heritage in the Queen’s birthday honours list, will be spearheading a major new campaign to put Bradford on Avon museum firmly on the...
Read MoreMost successful ‘Finds Day’ ever run in Wiltshire!
Roger Clark, honorary curator at Bradford on Avon Museum, with the rare 17th century spoon found near the foundations of the Saxon church, with Tracey Williams, honorary trustee, and Katie Hinds, Wiltshire county finds liaison officer, who is based at Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum.
When we held our first ‘Finds Identification Day’ in September, we had no idea...
Read MoreBuried clothes riddle solved
One of the more curious collections of objects brought into Finds Day was a hoard of old black felt hats, shoes, buckles, braces and buttons found by Clare Pugh and her son Flynn from Bradford on Avon while they were out walking their dog Bunty along the canal bank at Avoncliff.
Clare and Flynn had spotted the hats – along with leather soles, collars and cuffs, strips of fur,...
Read MoreRare medieval ring dug up in Winsley
A very unusual finger ring dug up in a lavender patch in Winsley has been identified by Katie Hinds and Nick Griffiths of Salisbury & South Wiltshire Museum as a medieval copper alloy finger ring from 1485- 1600 that may have been worn by someone with connections to the Yorkists/Richard III.
Discovered earlier this summer, the distinctive ring has two hands clasped in troth (faith)...
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