Staff at Gainsborough Heritage Centre are now looking forward to the summer months and making plans for interesting activities.
Gainsborough is lucky to have a group of dedicated people with a passion to keep Gainsborough’s heritage alive. It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 30 years since an enthusiastic team of volunteers got together to stage an exhibition at the town’s Richmond Park, showing a brilliant display of artifacts and memorabilia from days gone by. It was a huge success, with members of the public showing enthusiasm for a local museum.
So that was how it all began: the band of enthusiastic volunteers went on to open up a vast collection of exhibits in Marshall’s works, having many successful exhibitions until the developers of Marshall’s Yard gave them notice to move out.
They soon found new premises and, in 1994, the Gainsborough Heritage Centre opened up in the old Post Office building on the corner North Street. It needed a vast amount of work but they were lucky to be awarded a grant from the Co-op birthday award fund; most was used for structural, plumbing, plastering, and electrical work.
Another generous grant was awarded by WREN along with a further £45,000 investment plan to create a permanent exhibition room. By 2016, the centre was at last reopened by local well known actress Julia Deakins. Julia’s parents owned the local precinct newsagents shop in North Parade during the 60s and 70s.
The Heritage Association is going from strength to strength and always looking for ways to move forward to keep Gainsborough heritage alive – something they most certainly couldn’t have done without the valuable volunteers and the members of the public who support them.
The Centre is open on Saturdays and Tuesday, 10.00am to 4.00pm. As well as the museum and café, the shop is also well worth a visit with a fantastic range of books (many by local authors), DVDs, prints – lovely gifts for that hard to buy for person in your life.
Entrance is just £3.00, with children going free when accompanied by an adult – or why not consider annual membership, allowing unlimited free entry, for just £15.00? Group bookings can also be arranged.
Please note the Centre will be closed on Saturday 6th May for the King’s Coronation.