Winter closure 2024-5

Winter closure 2024-5

The Museum has now closed for its customary short winter period. As usual, we hope to do some deep cleaning, touching up the paintwork, replace worn or tattered labels and generally refresh the Museum. This is also the only real opportunity in the year in which it it is possible to get things out, spread them about and think about what needs to be done.

We hope to see you after...

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Discussion Group talk: Somersetshire Coal Canal – An update on the origins, recent past and current restoration.

Discussion Group talk: Somersetshire Coal Canal – An update on the origins, recent past and current restoration.

  A summary of the history of this interesting local canal and work in progress, led by Derrick Hunt

Wednesday 4th December 2024 at 7.30pm in the Library meeting room.

Discussion Group covers a wide range of subjects, and if you haven’t been along to a session yet, do try it out.The meetings take place on the first Wednesday of each month except January and August, at...

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Discussion Group talk: A history of Bradford floods

Discussion Group talk: A history of Bradford floods

Bradford has probably always been afflicted with flooding of the River Avon. Danny O’Callaghan will lead the November Discussion Group talk on the subject on Wednesday 6th November.

The meetings take place on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30pm in the Library Meeting Room, and are FREE to members. Non-members can attend one session before being asked to join. If you...

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Discussion Group Talk: Thomas Fuller, designer of Bradford on Avon Town Hall & national architect of Canada

Discussion Group Talk: Thomas Fuller, designer of Bradford on Avon Town Hall & national architect of Canada

Julian Orbach, architectural historian and Museum Trustee, will be delving into the life and works of architect Thomas Fuller (1823-1898), including Bradford’s Town Hall and Canada’s Parliament building in Ottawa.

Wednesday 4th September 2024 at 7.30pm in the Library meeting room.

Discussion Group covers a wide range of subjects, and if you haven’t been...

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The Museum Autumn Lecture 2024

The Museum Autumn Lecture 2024

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Discussion Group talk: The Study of Medieval roof tiles and other roof furniture.

Discussion Group talk: The Study of Medieval roof tiles and other roof furniture.

Jane Mann and Becky Clarke have been studying medieval ceramic roof tiles and other parts of roof-coverings from archaeological sites around Wiltshire. Not Just plain tiles, but the more complex tiles that lined the ridges of roofs, usually ornately carved and glazed. They will be joined by historian Martyn Whittock who will give a short history of the medieval Clarendon Palace near...

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Special Exhibition: Eric Walrond, a Harlem Renaissance writer in 1940s Bradford on Avon

Eric Walrond by Clifton Powell, courtesy of Wiltshire Museum

Saturday 16th March – Sunday 7th April, 10am – 4pm daily at the West Barn, Barton Farm Admission free

Bradford on Avon Museum, in conjunction with the Bradford on Avon Preservation Trust, is pleased to announce our special exhibition for 2024: Eric Walrond, a Harlem Renaissance writer in 1940s Bradford on Avon.

Regarded as a major literary figure of...

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Opening again for 2024

Opening again for 2024

From 14.00 on Wednesday 17th January 2024 Bradford on Avon Museum resumes its normal timetable of opening. There has been the usual programme of deepish cleaning, replacing of some dog-eared and out-of-date labels, a lick of paint here and there and the hundreds of glass bottles in the old pharmacy shop have been been dusted ready to receive visitors.

 

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Museum’s winter break

Museum’s winter break

Bradford on Avon Museum has closed for its usual annual break and will re-open on Wednesday 17th January 2024 at 2pm. In the meantime it will be having a spruce-up and a bit of re-arrangement.

We wish you all a very merry Christmas and look forward to seeing you in the New...

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December Discussion Group Meeting: Recent Work at the Tithe Barn

December Discussion Group Meeting: Recent Work at the Tithe Barn

Our next meeting is 7-30pm, Wednesday 6th December in the Library Meeting Room. John Samways has kindly agreed to report on recent work at the Barton Farm Tithe Barn. Look forward to seeing...

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November Discussion Group meeting: Bearfield Church

Bearfield Church, formerly Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel

Robert Beesley will present a summary of his work at Bearfield Church, where he has been examining the burial ground and baptism records.  He will also outline the history of the church and its congregation.

7-30pm on Wednesday 1st November, in the Library Meeting Room as usual.

We hope you can join...

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The Museum will be closed on the day of the Coronation

The Museum will be closed on the day of the Coronation

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Another Bradford-made Clock

Another Bradford-made Clock

The Museum now has a third clock that was made in Bradford on Avon.

This one, signed by Edward Hopkins, is just the face and movement, without the long case in which it would have originally been housed. It has a brass face that is decorated with figures representing the four seasons in the spandrels (corners). Behind the face is an eight-day movement that drives hours, minutes...

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Museum re-opening for 2023

Museum re-opening for 2023

After a brief winter break, Bradford on Avon Museum is starting the New Year by re-opening from 14.00 on Thursday 19th January 2023.

We wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year

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Visiting the...

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New Museum book: Rowley-Wittenham

New Museum book: Rowley-Wittenham

The deserted village of Rowley is now represented by earthworks just to the south of the modern village of Westwood. It and another adjacent manor called Wittenham became depopulated during the late medieval and Tudor periods and eventually, in 1882, the land was transferred from the Hundred of Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire to the parish of Farleigh Hungerford in Somerset.

In...

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New Museum book: A vanished world

New Museum book: A vanished world

Following on from Dan Farrell’s histories of Bradford on Avon’s pioneering rubber industry, Riding on rubber and Rubber town, comes Margaret Dobson’s social history of the works and the way it dominated the life of the town.

A vanished world is on sale at Ex Libris bookshop in the Shambles and will be available in the Museum when it...

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Closing for the winter break

Closing for the winter break

As usual at the end of November, Bradford on Avon Museum has closed for its short winter break.

This is our opportunity to do some maintenance, cleaning and touching up the paintwork. Although it is getting to be more and more difficult in our small space, it may be possible to make some changes to the display cases and squeeze in a few more objects. It is also an opportunity to...

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Archaeological work at Holt and at Belcombe Court, Bradford on Avon

Archaeological work at Holt and at Belcombe Court, Bradford on Avon

Home Croft, Holt

Members of the Museum’s Research Group, led by Rob Arkell, have been carrying out investigations at two local sites over the last year.

Earthworks in Home Croft, the field just over the southern fence of the Courts Garden in Holt, suggested the site of early village houses and perhaps the original Manor House. We have carried out...

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Restricted opening times in June

Restricted opening times in June

Sadly, the lack of availability of Volunteer Stewards in June means that Bradford on Avon Museum will have to restrict our opening times a little for that month. The Museum will only be open on the afternoons of Thursday, Friday and Sunday 14.00 to 16.00 as well as mornings and afternoons on Saturday 10.30 to 12.30 as 14.00 to 16.00. This includes opening over the Jubilee...

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Re-opening at last!

Re-opening at last!

More than two years has passed since the Museum closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, at last,  we have finally been given the green light to open by Wiltshire Council, the owner of the building in which the Museum resides.

We resume normal service on Thursday 19th May -normal except that we have reduced our hours by not opening on Wednesdays. During the two year closure...

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