Stamford Museum
Encyclopedia
Stamford Museum was located in Stamford
, Lincolnshire
in Great Britain
. It was housed in a Victorian building in Broad Street, Stamford and was run by the museum services of Lincolnshire County Council from 1980 to 2011.
Stamford was declared England's first Conservation Area
in 1967. The town has been here since Anglo-Saxon and Viking times. Five medieval churches, a 15th century almshouse as well as many other historic buildings remain.
Pottery and the eighteenth century Daniel Lambert
, renowned for his girth. Notable exhibits included a Blackstone oil engine
and the only known fragment of the Stamford Eleanor Cross
.
In the upper gallery were permanent displays on the archaeology and social history of the town. The lower galleries hosted a regular programme of temporary exhibitions. Also on display here was the Stamford Tapestry, which took 17 years to make and was hung in 2000 as part of the Millennium celebration.
There was a large research collection available by appointment. It includes a number of photographs and information files on local people, places and events.
The County Council reports that it is developing plans for a new heritage hub in Stamford Library. This is due to open in December 2011.
Stamford, Lincolnshire
Stamford is a town and civil parish within the South Kesteven district of the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is approximately to the north of London, on the east side of the A1 road to York and Edinburgh and on the River Welland...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. It was housed in a Victorian building in Broad Street, Stamford and was run by the museum services of Lincolnshire County Council from 1980 to 2011.
The building and area
The building was built in 1895 as a technical school and has the words School of Art and the town crest carved above its doorway. It is built from oolitic limestone and designed by local architect, John Charles Traylen. The museum moved to these premises in 1980, having originally been located on High Street in the library.Stamford was declared England's first Conservation Area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
in 1967. The town has been here since Anglo-Saxon and Viking times. Five medieval churches, a 15th century almshouse as well as many other historic buildings remain.
Collections
The museum interpreted the town's history, including Stamford WareStamford Ware
Stamford Ware is a type of lead glazed earthenware, one of the earliest forms of glazed ceramics manufactured in England. It was produced in Stamford, Lincolnshire between the ninth and thirteenth centuries. It was widely traded across Britain and the near continent. The most popular forms were...
Pottery and the eighteenth century Daniel Lambert
Daniel Lambert
Daniel Lambert was a gaol keeper and animal breeder from Leicester, England, famous for his unusually large size. After serving four years as an apprentice at an engraving and die casting works in Birmingham, he returned to Leicester around 1788 and succeeded his father as keeper of Leicester's gaol...
, renowned for his girth. Notable exhibits included a Blackstone oil engine
Blackstone & Co
Blackstone & Co. was a farm implement maker at Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. In 1896 they built lamp start oil engines. By 1912 they had developed a new diesel engine that ran on vaporizing oil and was fired by a spark...
and the only known fragment of the Stamford Eleanor Cross
Eleanor cross
The Eleanor crosses were twelve originally wooden, but later lavishly decorated stone, monuments of which three survive intact in a line down part of the east of England. King Edward I had the crosses erected between 1291 and 1294 in memory of his wife Eleanor of Castile, marking the nightly...
.
In the upper gallery were permanent displays on the archaeology and social history of the town. The lower galleries hosted a regular programme of temporary exhibitions. Also on display here was the Stamford Tapestry, which took 17 years to make and was hung in 2000 as part of the Millennium celebration.
There was a large research collection available by appointment. It includes a number of photographs and information files on local people, places and events.
Closure
In June 2010 it was announced that the Museum is to close because of Lincolnshire County Council cuts. The museum closed on 30 June 2011 despite local opposition.The County Council reports that it is developing plans for a new heritage hub in Stamford Library. This is due to open in December 2011.