January 2012 – Halesworth and District Museum

MUSEUM’S OLYMPIC CHALLENGE

Community News January 2012

MUSEUM’S OLYMPIC CHALLENGE

No prizes for guessing what will be dominating our lives come the summer. Yes, it’s the O-word!

The posters on stations may be telling us that the Olympics is just a short sprint away from Suffolk by rail, but Halesworth wants its own bit of Olympic spirit nearer to home. At least that’s what we think up at the Halesworth and District Museum where plans are being put together for our very own exhibition of ‘Halesworth’s Sporting History’.

Did you know, for example, that there was a Bowling Green attached to the Angel Hotel as far back as 1784? And have you ever heard of Bugler Ward, who won the Suffolk County Rifle Shooting Championship three times in the 1890s and on his third win was met at the station by the Town Band and paraded through the town as a civic hero. It’s fascinating facts like these that we’re hoping to pull together for the event. You may be able to help us.

We’d like this to be a real ‘community exhibition’, with all the sporting clubs in the area (don’t forget we cover Halesworth and the surrounding villages) helping us unearth aspects of their sporting past and present. It doesn’t need to be a gold medal or a championship cup. Vintage sporting equipment, old team photographs, posters of events, anything like this could help us piece together the story and provide an interesting display. And people’s recollections can, in themselves, be a great source for sporting history.

We hope to launch this display well in time for the Olympics themselves. We shall be getting in touch with the sports clubs early in the new year but, in the meantime, if anyone is interested in helping with this project or has got anything they can offer us by way of items for an exhibition or memories of Halesworth and district’s sporting past, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Vic Gray .

The Olympic spirit, Halesworth style? The vintage bicycle race at the Halesworth Carnival, 1933.

Opening Times

Winter Opening Times
The Museum will be closed between 14th December until 14th January

Mondays Closed
Tuesdays 10:00am to 12:30pm
Wednesdays 10:00am to 12:30pm
Thursdays 10:00am to 12:30pm
Fridays 10:00am to 12:30pm
Saturdays 10:00am to 12:30pm
Sundays Closed

Halesworth Museum – Summer Opening Times

Mondays Closed
Tuesdays 10:00am to 12:30pm
Wednesdays 10:00am to 4:00pm
Thursdays 10:00am to 12:30pm
Fridays 10:00am to 4:00pm
Saturdays 10:00am to 4:00pm
Sundays Closed

Group visits are welcome but must be pre-arranged with the Curator. Please email us with your requirements.

There is easy access for the disabled.

Diary of Events

Museum Talks: 2024 Series

Thursday 11 April: Zoe Adlam – Fool’s Gold: changing the law of treasure in England and Wales
Using local and national examples, this talk will question whether the law needs to be changed by adding the concept of ‘significance’. The talk covers what the law of treasure actually is and how it may fail to protect objects of significance. Should we be changing it in order to protect more objects?

Thursday 23 May: Walpole Old Chapel Discovery Project – Characters from the history of Walpole Old Chapel.
This talk, from supporters of Walpole Old Chapel and partners with the Museum in the ‘Discovery Project’ regarding the chapel, will uncover the stories of some of the fascinating people who have been involved with this extraordinary example of local non-conformist heritage.

Thursday 19 September: David Wollweber – Halesworth Witches of 1645
In August of 1645, the height of the English Civil War, two men and six women from Halesworth and the surrounding area went on trial for witchcraft at Bury St Edmunds. The presentation will look at why this happened and who was responsible and what happened to the so-called witches. This talk follows on from the successful talk for the u3a last September and will update on
further research that has been carried out.

Thursday 14 November: Alan Clapson – They Kept the Home Fires Burning
Following on from a talk in November 2014, with regards to the men from Halesworth who had lost their lives during the Great War 1914-18. This talk will concentrate on how the war affected the town and its people, and how it was ensured that on their return the men who had fought would find a town ‘Fit for Heroes’.

Venue: Halesworth United Reformed Church, Quay Street, Halesworth IP19 8EP
Talks start at 7.30pm, doors open at 7pm
Prices – £6.00, £3.00 for Museum Friends. Pay at the door, no need to book.