Tewkesbury Borough Museum
Encyclopedia
Tewkesbury Borough Museum is a small community museum dedicated to the social history
and heritage of Tewkesbury
in Gloucestershire
, England.
The museum is housed in a 17th-century half-timbered building at 64 and 64a Barton Street in property which was given to the Borough of Tewkesbury in 1956 on the express condition that it be used as a museum; but the museum did not open until 1962, after all of the previous tenants of the building had left.
The building is Grade II* listed by English Heritage
.
An active society of Friends of Tewkesbury Museum supports the work of the museum.
In 2010 excerpts from the diary of the British soldier Lieutenant Mark Evison of the Welsh Guards
, who died after being wounded in Afghanistan in 2009, were displayed at the museum alongside letters from previous generations of soldiers.
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
and heritage of Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury is a town in Gloucestershire, England. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and also minor tributaries the Swilgate and Carrant Brook...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England.
The museum is housed in a 17th-century half-timbered building at 64 and 64a Barton Street in property which was given to the Borough of Tewkesbury in 1956 on the express condition that it be used as a museum; but the museum did not open until 1962, after all of the previous tenants of the building had left.
The building is Grade II* listed by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.
An active society of Friends of Tewkesbury Museum supports the work of the museum.
Exhibits
Exhibits include:- Early Roman artefacts discovered when the Roses TheatreRoses TheatreThe Roses Theatre is an art-house cinema and live performance venue located in the centre of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England. Its main auditorium seats 375 and accommodates 35mm film / digital projection as well as live performance. It offers patrons a wide range of music, theatre, film and...
was built, including a Roman skeleton - A diorama of the Battle of TewkesburyBattle of TewkesburyThe Battle of Tewkesbury, which took place on 4 May 1471, was one of the decisive battles of the Wars of the Roses. The forces loyal to the House of Lancaster were completely defeated by those of the rival House of York under their monarch, King Edward IV...
- Exhibits about the Tewkesbury Mop FairMop FairMop Fairs are a feature of many English towns and are traditionally held on or around "Old Michaelmas Day". They originated as a Hiring fair and their history dates back some 600 to 700 years.-History:...
- A 1950s vintage model funfair
- Material about the important local stocking knitting industry
- An exhibit about Healings Flour Mill
- Pieces relating to the Antarctic explorer Raymond PriestleyRaymond PriestleySir Raymond Edward Priestley was a British geologist and early Antarctic explorer.-Biography:Raymond Priestley was born in Bredon's Norton,Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, in 1886, the second son and second of eight children of Joseph Edward Priestley, headmaster of Tewkesbury grammar school, and his...
, from Bredon's Norton
In 2010 excerpts from the diary of the British soldier Lieutenant Mark Evison of the Welsh Guards
Welsh Guards
The Welsh Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division.-Creation :The Welsh Guards came into existence on 26 February 1915 by Royal Warrant of His Majesty King George V in order to include Wales in the national component to the Foot Guards, "..though the order...
, who died after being wounded in Afghanistan in 2009, were displayed at the museum alongside letters from previous generations of soldiers.