Be part of Bradford’s history
Good things often come in small packages – and that’s certainly true of Bradford’s museum, upstairs at the town library. Our main ‘wow factor’ exhibit is Miss Christopher’s chemist shop, relocated in its entirety from Silver Street to the museum in 1990, when the library opened. In addition, curator Roger Clark has created numerous themed displays which tell the story of our town from pre-Roman times to the present day.
We have about 6,000 visitors a year, and open virtually all year round, from Wednesday to Sunday.
In order to keep the museum open, we rely entirely on our team of volunteer stewards – and we are keen to recruit more.
Stewarding provides an excellent opportunity to learn more about the Bradford Hundred and its remarkable history, and to share that knowledge with visitors from all over the world, as well as from the local area.
You don’t need to make a huge commitment: we open for two two-hour sessions – 10.30am-12.30pm and 2pm-4pm – from Wednesday to Saturday, plus Sunday afternoons. Some people prefer to do one or more regular weekly, fortnightly or monthly sessions, others are happy to fill in as and when needed. Full training is given, and we also hold monthly coffee morning socials at The Swan – a great chance to meet up, chat and swap ideas.
Stewarding is great fun: it’s wonderful to see (and hear) the reactions of first-time visitors as they come into Miss Christopher’s! Other exhibits are devoted to Bradford’s industrial and domestic history, and we have quite an impressive collection of paintings, prints and photographs of the town and its institutions over the past two centuries.
If you’re interested in supporting the museum by volunteering as a steward, please contact Gillian King – gmkingbearfield@googlemail.com – or Joceline Bury – jocelinebury@me.com. We would be delighted to hear from you. You can also find out more about stewarding here.
We will also be running a stall at the Volunteers’ Day in St Margaret’s Hall on Sunday 7 June, when the museum will be open from noon until 4pm and any would-be stewards will be able to have a look round, meet current stewards and find out more about the museum.