Staff at the museums of Tuxford are always intrigued by the stories people share while enjoying the museums.
The Walks of Life Museum is delighted that recent visitor John B Tannen, stuntman and radio presenter, has arranged to come along and tell of his memories and his interesting life. The talk will be on Saturday 24th August at 2.00pm. Free entry with refreshments; all are welcome.
There are many social stories behind the objects in the museums, and their connection to services and trades today. Both museums are exploring this year’s themes for Heritage Open Days – Routes, Networks and Connections – and both will be holding special events.
On Saturday 7th September from 10.00am, the Walks of Life Museum will be offering free stalls in honour of International Charity Day. If you would like a stall to promote your cause and raise some funds, please contact Diane by the end of August at dianehunt08@btinternet.com or 01777 872776 (please leave a message).
The Museum of the Horse looks forward to an exhibition entitled ‘Roads, Coaches and Tuxford’, which will look at the development of the roads, travel and the coaching system with a study of Tuxford – one of the earliest stops on the Great North Road. The exhibition will run from 9th to 15th September, culminating in an illustrated talk on Saturday 15th September at 2.00pm by Sally Mitchell, Curator of the museum.
Through the exhibition and the talk, visitors can learn about pack horses and the pack horse bridges, how roads were established, and how the worthies of Retford went to Parliament and had the Great North Road diverted! Discover how the coaching system developed, and find out what happened if you were run over by a mail coach.
See a real mail coach, which is part of the Museum’s collection, situated in the courtyard. Find out about the difference between a posting house and a post box. See many of the day-to-day items that were used in days gone by. You can also find out about how many of the sayings of today originated in the coaching days.
Entry to the museums and talks is free. Donations are very much appreciated as the museums have no outside funding.
The Museum of the Horse opens 9.30am to 4.00pm Monday to Friday and 9.30am to 1.30pm on a Saturday (last entry one hour before closing). Contact 01777 838234 or curator@museumofthehorse.co.uk for more information.
The Walks of Life Museum opens Thursdays and Saturdays from 11.00am to 4.00pm (other times by arrangement). On the Heritage Open Days 6th to 15th September, the museum is open every day from 11.00am to 4.00pm. For more information contact 01777 872776 or dianehunt08@btinternet.com.
Traditional building skills with the conservation officer are ongoing and the paint has now been removed from the front of the house. Coming soon – lime plastering. Contact the museum if you are interested in joining in.