Museum of East Anglian Life
Encyclopedia
The Museum of East Anglian Life is a Museum located in Stowmarket
Suffolk
, it specialises in presenting the agricultural history of East Anglia through a mixture of exhibits and living history demonstrations. It has recently taken to abbreviating itself as 'MEAL'.
The Museum also has two huts depicting different scenes from the 1950s including shops scenes, kitchens, living rooms and a Victorian schoolroom.
to renovate Abbot's Hall, creating a new entrance to the museum and restoring the Abbots Hall complex as its centrepiece.
breed of horse. The most famous of these horses was Remus, who became something of a celebrity in the Stowmarket area.
The Museum also has other rare breeds including Red Poll
Cattle
as well as the Large Black Pig
, Suffolk Sheep, Goat
s and Chicken
s.
Stowmarket
-See also:* Stowmarket Town F.C.* Stowmarket High School-External links:* * * * *...
Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, it specialises in presenting the agricultural history of East Anglia through a mixture of exhibits and living history demonstrations. It has recently taken to abbreviating itself as 'MEAL'.
History of the Museum
The site of the Museum was originally land belonging to the Abbots Hall estate. Changes to farming traditions in the 1950s and 1960s meant that many skills and ways of life were in danger of being lost thus the land and Hall was put in trust by the Longe family for the development of the Museum of East Anglian Life to preserve these.Buildings
One of the main features of the Museum is the variety of buildings situated within its 75 acres (30.4 ha) site which include:- Boby Building - Features exhibitions on agricultural engines and individual craft workshops and also features a working printing pressPrinting pressA printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...
and a cinemaMovie theaterA movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
. - William Bone Building - An exhibition on the history of the RansomesRansomes, Sims & JefferiesRansomes, Sims and Jeffries was a major British agricultural machinery maker producing a wide range of products including traction engines, ploughs, lawn mowers, combine harvesters and other tilling equipment. They also manufactured aeroplanes during the First World War...
company in East Anglia. - Eastbridge WindpumpEastbridge WindpumpEastbridge Windpump is a smock mill at the Museum of East Anglian Life, Stowmarket, Suffolk, England which has been restored to working order.-History:...
- A windpumpWindpumpA windpump is a windmill used for pumping water, either as a source of fresh water from wells, or for draining low-lying areas of land. Once a common fixture on farms in semi-arid areas, windpumps are still used today where electric power is not available or too expensive.-History:Windmills were...
used for draining land in the 19th century - Alton Watermill - A watermillWatermillA watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
dating back from the 18th century which is used to grind corn. It, like many of the museum buildings, was taken apart and then transported to the museum where it was subsequently reassembled; in the case of the watermill, it was moved to stop it being lost forever as a result of the Alton WaterAlton WaterAlton Water is a manmade reservoir. It is the largest in Suffolk, with a circumference of over 8 miles .-Construction:...
Reservoir.
The Museum also has two huts depicting different scenes from the 1950s including shops scenes, kitchens, living rooms and a Victorian schoolroom.
Restoration of Abbot's Hall
Currently the museum has been granted a 1.711 million pounds by the Heritage Lottery FundHeritage 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...
to renovate Abbot's Hall, creating a new entrance to the museum and restoring the Abbots Hall complex as its centrepiece.
Animals
The Museum is notable for the animals in its possession, in particular the rare Suffolk PunchSuffolk Punch
The Suffolk Punch, also historically known as the Suffolk Horse or Suffolk Sorrel, is an English breed of draught horse. The breed takes the first part of its name from the county of Suffolk in East Anglia, and the name "Punch" from its solid appearance and strength...
breed of horse. The most famous of these horses was Remus, who became something of a celebrity in the Stowmarket area.
The Museum also has other rare breeds including Red Poll
Red Poll
The Red Poll is a dual purpose breed of cattle developed in England in the latter half of the 19th century.-Description and uses:The cattle are red, preferably deep red with white only on the tail switch and udder. They are naturally polled...
Cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
as well as the Large Black Pig
Large Black pig
The Large Black or Devon pig is a breed of domestic pig native to Great Britain. It is a large breed, and is the only British pig which is wholly black. Large Black pigs are present in a number of countries including the UK, Australia, Canada and the United States of America. In the United States...
, Suffolk Sheep, Goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s and Chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
s.