Harborough Museum
Encyclopedia
Harborough Museum was opened in 1983 in a former mill building that also houses the Harborough District Council offices and is set in the historic market town
of Market Harborough
.
The museum celebrates Market Harborough’s history as a centre of industry and trade between Leicestershire
and Northamptonshire
.
Regular displays include Symington Corsets, including the world famous liberty bodice
, Symington Soups, Table Creams and Pea Flour, Harboro Rubber Company, Falkner’s Boot and Shoe Making Workshop, 18th century long case clock made in Harborough, 17th century toys found in the local church, local archaeology finds and many temporary displays.
Harborough Museum is managed by Leicestershire County Council
and Harborough District Council.
The Museum is accredited by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
(MLA).
finds in Britain, the Hallaton Treasure
. The project included purchasing the finds, conserving the finds, displays at Harborough Museum and at Hallaton
Museum, two touring exhibitions, web based resources, workshops for schools and community groups, and events for the public.
The redevelopment was funded with grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund
, The Art Fund, The Headley Trust, Renaissance East Midlands and local contributions from the Friends of Leicester and Leicestershire Museums, the Leicestershire Museums Archaeological Fieldwork Group, Leicestershire County Council
and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport among others.
The treasure was discovered near Hallaton in the Welland
valley in 2000 by local community archaeologists and University of Leicester
Archaeological Services. The treasure hoard includes over 5000 silver and gold coins, a silver gilt Roman helmet, jewellery and lot of other objects. Most of the items date to around the time of the Roman Conquest of Britain
. The site of the treasure proved to be an internationally important ritual site dating mostly to the generations before and after the Roman Conquest of Britain in the 1st century AD.
The Roman Helmet is currently undergoing conservation and research at the British Museum
.
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of Market Harborough
Market Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town within the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England.It has a population of 20,785 and is the administrative headquarters of Harborough District Council. It sits on the Northamptonshire-Leicestershire border...
.
The museum celebrates Market Harborough’s history as a centre of industry and trade between Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
and Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
.
Regular displays include Symington Corsets, including the world famous liberty bodice
Liberty bodice
The liberty bodice , like the emancipation bodice or North American emancipation waist, was an undergarment for women and girls invented towards the end of the 19th century, as an innovative alternative to a corset. In the United Kingdom they were well-known for decades, with some older women...
, Symington Soups, Table Creams and Pea Flour, Harboro Rubber Company, Falkner’s Boot and Shoe Making Workshop, 18th century long case clock made in Harborough, 17th century toys found in the local church, local archaeology finds and many temporary displays.
Harborough Museum is managed by Leicestershire County Council
Leicestershire County Council
Leicestershire County Council is the county council for the English non-metropolitan county of Leicestershire. It was originally formed in 1889 by the Local Government Act 1888. The county is divided into 52 electoral divisions, which return a total of 55 councillors. The council is controlled by...
and Harborough District Council.
The Museum is accredited by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council is a non-departmental public body in England and a registered charity with a remit to promote improvement and innovation in the area of museums, libraries and archives...
(MLA).
Museum Developments
Harborough Museum reopened in September 2009 after a 11-month redevelopment. This was as part of a £934,000 project to display one of the most significant Iron AgeIron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
finds in Britain, the Hallaton Treasure
Hallaton Treasure
The Hallaton Treasure, the largest hoard of British Iron Age coins, was discovered in 2000 near Hallaton in southeast Leicestershire, England, by volunteers from the Hallaton Fieldwork Group...
. The project included purchasing the finds, conserving the finds, displays at Harborough Museum and at Hallaton
Hallaton
Hallaton is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 523....
Museum, two touring exhibitions, web based resources, workshops for schools and community groups, and events for the public.
The redevelopment was funded with grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
, The Art Fund, The Headley Trust, Renaissance East Midlands and local contributions from the Friends of Leicester and Leicestershire Museums, the Leicestershire Museums Archaeological Fieldwork Group, Leicestershire County Council
Leicestershire County Council
Leicestershire County Council is the county council for the English non-metropolitan county of Leicestershire. It was originally formed in 1889 by the Local Government Act 1888. The county is divided into 52 electoral divisions, which return a total of 55 councillors. The council is controlled by...
and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport among others.
The treasure was discovered near Hallaton in the Welland
River Welland
The River Welland is a river in the east of England, some long. It rises in the Hothorpe Hills, at Sibbertoft in Northamptonshire, then flows generally northeast to Market Harborough, Stamford and Spalding, to reach The Wash near Fosdyke. For much of its length it forms the county boundary between...
valley in 2000 by local community archaeologists and University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
Archaeological Services. The treasure hoard includes over 5000 silver and gold coins, a silver gilt Roman helmet, jewellery and lot of other objects. Most of the items date to around the time of the Roman Conquest of Britain
Roman conquest of Britain
The Roman conquest of Britain was a gradual process, beginning effectively in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, whose general Aulus Plautius served as first governor of Britannia. Great Britain had already frequently been the target of invasions, planned and actual, by forces of the Roman Republic and...
. The site of the treasure proved to be an internationally important ritual site dating mostly to the generations before and after the Roman Conquest of Britain in the 1st century AD.
The Roman Helmet is currently undergoing conservation and research at the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
.