Exmouth historian: The town's first museums - and the museum as it is today
The origins of a museum in Exmouth go right back to around 1902 when there was an ironmonger's shop on the corner of The Strand run by J R Booth, and the top storey of the building was occupied by an antique shop; outside of this upper storey, there was painted the words 'Museum' which can be seen in the picture above.
Little however is known of what, if anything, was on actual display there.
By the mid-19th century, The Pilot Inn had a museum corner in the bar. It was not until the late 1970s that the actual idea of a museum in the town was first mooted. In 1979, the then-Exmouth Urban District Council met with various organisations and local historians to discuss this.
In 1983, the council proposed that the old stables in the council yard in Sheppards Row be used, as the horses had long gone and it was being used as a store. The Museum Society of Exmouth was formed with Eric Delderfield as its first chairman.
A funding appeal was launched which was magnificently supported by organisations, businesses and individuals in the town. The following year volunteers and tradespeople started to transform the building.
By 1985, the museum had been donated many artefacts and display cases. £10,000 had been raised for this part of the project and in July 1985 Lord Clinton formally opened the ground floor of the museum.
Work then started on The Hayloft with skilled tradesman as well as volunteers constructing a new floor and rafters after a further £6,000 had been raised for this purpose. In May 1986 this part was formally opened by Councillor Derick Dray.
The museum was by now bursting with artefacts and needed more space, so the council leased to it the old workman's cottage and land which adjoined the museum.
Walls were knocked through and a door put in the north wall giving further display space. Upstairs gave valuable storage for documents etc. The Cottage was formally opened by Viscount Exmouth on 9 May 1990.
There were now three main areas of the museum; the stables, the cottage and the hayloft – it was and still is a bit like the Tardis inside! The museum's first curator was Miss Evelyn Jackson who had retired to Exmouth from the United States.
The building itself is a museum all on its own in many respects. On the site originally in 1883 was a workman's cottage, the original occupant being William Long.
Later on, The Board of Health (the origins of the local council) borrowed some £800 to build stables, a new cottage and storage. The stables were needed to house the shire horses that were needed for council work like refuse collection and road maintenance.
The original stable partition pillars for the horses stalls can still be seen today and are an integral part of the ground floor of the museum. The main entrance to the stables was through a door that still exists and can be seen from outside but inside displays cover this over.
The present entrance door to the museum was the original tack room. Access to the hayloft was by means of a hatchway in the ceiling and hay was loaded here via a doorway which now opens into the curator's office.
The straw etc. was lifted by a jib crane attached to the outside wall and then the straw fed down through gaps in the floor – no health and safety in those days!
Next time I will bring you to the present day to prepare you for your visit.
If you would like to know more, a good starting point is the library on Exeter Road. There are many books in existence on all aspects of the history of Exmouth and these can often be found not only in good bookshops but also on line.
The Exmouth Museum staff are always happy to help and at the museum there is plenty of history to see and read about and a comprehensive library of newspaper cuttings relating to events and people in Exmouth. Please visit the Exmouth Museum website or contact [email protected].
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Ed: This is the tenth part of Mike Menhenitt's 'Walking Through Exmouth History' series. Use the links below to read previous articles:
Part One: The beginnings of Exmouth, from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age
Part Two: Exmouth in the Iron Age - and the arrival of the Celts
Part Three: Roman coins and Viking raids
Part Four: The impact of the Norman conquest, and how places in Exmouth got their names
Part Five: How Exmouth became a fashionable seaside resort in the 18th century
Part Six: How the docks brought prosperity to Exmouth - and then became the marina
Part Seven: The coming of the railway
Part Eight: Turnpikes, toll houses and inns in Exmouth
Part Nine: Jobs your ancestors had in the town through the ages
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