Following its annual winter conservation clean, Mr Straw’s House was reopened to the public from Thursday 7th March.
Most National Trust properties inspire thoughts of historic mansions, wealth and grandeur. However, tucked away in a private cul-de-sac in Worksop, you’ll find Mr Straw’s House – the National Trust’s first small domestic property, acquired in 1990.
Mr Straw’s House is a preserved 1920s period home of a grocer’s family, virtually unchanged since the Straws moved there in 1923.
William Straw moved to Worksop in 1886, to work for his brother Benjamin at his grocers. He later bought the shop and set up on his own. A decade later, aged 32, William married Florence and they had three sons: William Jr, Walter and David, who died in infancy.
In 1923, the family moved from the flat above the shop to fashionable Blyth Grove. Florence chose wallpaper, carpets and furniture of the time and filled the house with ornaments and elegant glassware. Sadly, William Straw Sr died suddenly in 1932 and from that day, little changed in the house.
After the passing of Florence, neither son saw the need for many modifications and as the world around them changed with accelerating vigour, William and Walter Straw carried on as they always had done.
The house represents a true step back in time. Visit and discover more about the family who refused to modernise. Visitors can spend time in the display rooms, hear nostalgic stories of the Straws, and get a glimpse of some of the collection usually hidden away in drawers and cupboards.
There is also the opportunity to chat with the Collections and House team about how they care for over 30,000 treasured possessions and ordinary domestic items that can still be seen exactly where their owners left them.
The theme in the house this year is ‘A simpler life at a slower pace: the Straws, their hobbies and technology’. The house (S81 0JG) is open on Thursdays and Fridays from 7th March to 1st November, 9.00am to 3.00pm, as well as various Saturdays during June and July. Admission is by pre-booked, timed, self-led tours. Visits are in small groups of four people only, to help with the conservation work at the property.
Please book through the Mr Straw’s House website at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mrstrawshouse or by calling the Booking Office on 0344 249 1895. Admission is £8.00 for adults, £4.00 for children and free to National Trust members. Car parking is available in the orchard opposite the house.
Monthly Worksop Walk
Learn a little more about the history of Worksop and the Straw family on a led walk through the town, taking in the places the Straws worked, worshipped and wandered. They take place on the last Friday of every month, beginning on Friday 29th March, at 10.00am from Warwick Villa, 5 Blyth Grove. The cost is £5.00 per person and booking is essential via the website.