Mildenhall Museum, King Street, Mildenhall, Suffolk IP28 7EX
( 01638 716970 : info@mildenhallmuseum.co.uk
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The museum is situated opposite Bussens & Parkin, in King Street and there is a large car park not 100 metres away.
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ADMISSION IS FREE but use of the research facility at the Museum is £1 and any research undertaken on your behalf may incur a small fee to cover our expenses
We are open during the following hours for 2008.
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1st Mar - 30th April & 1st Oct - 20th December |
1st May - 27th September | |
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Sunday |
Closed |
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| Monday | Closed | |
| Tuesday | Closed | |
| Wednesday | 2.00pm - 4.00pm | 2.00pm - 4.30pm |
|
Thursday |
2.00pm - 4.00pm |
2.00pm - 4.30pm |
|
Friday |
10.30pm - 4.00pm |
10.30am - 4.30pm |
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Saturday |
2.00pm - 4.00pm |
2.00pm - 4.30pm |
Groups and school parties are accommodated at other times by appointment.
The "Mildenhall Natural History & Archaeological Society" was formed by a group of enthusiasts in the 1940s. Among the founder members were Lady Briscoe and Dr C Parsons. The Society held its first one-day exhibition on 26 May 1951 as part of the 'Festival of Britain' celebrations. This proved so successful that it was decided to maintain a permanent exhibition in a small museum. Two small rooms over the town Hall (the bedrooms of the caretaker's flat) were made available and the Museum was open every Sunday afternoon. Mr Jim Bell was curator for many years until 1975 when Mrs Margaret Seabrook took over.
(from l to r) Dr Rees, Dr Arden-Jones and Dr. Parsons/font>
Click here to enlarge photograph
At first the exhibits were mainly archaeological with some natural history items. The collection grew and several private collections (e.g. the Ford and Ashley collections) were bequeathed to the Museum and it became necessary to find larger premises. Through the efforts of Dr H G St M Rees, the upper floor and one ground floor room were leased from the Trustee Savings Bank's premises, an attractive timber framed building on the south west corner of the High Street and Market Place. The museum paid a nominal rent of £100 per annum and reopened on 6 October 1968. The timber-framed building is of interest. From the 1870s until 1947, when the TSB took over, it housed Gurney's & Co.’s Bank - the first in the town.
The Museum was badly damaged by fire in the early hours of 6 February 1973. Fortunately Mr Frank Davison, then manager of Lloyds Bank, alerted the Fire Brigade at 2 a.m. and they managed to prevent the fire spreading from the roof. Very little of the collection was completely destroyed but much of the interest of many of the archaeological specimens stored in the attics was lost as the labels relating them to a particular site were lost.
After the fire the Museum's collections were stored in an old stable at the rear of the Eastern Electricity Board's showroom in the High Street whilst rebuilding took place. By November 1973 the collection had been reassembled in and moved back. A very great deal of work had been done by Dr C T E Parsons, Mr Jack King and Mr Bob Stevens and many volunteers who searched the ashes for specimens and cleaned the rooms for the reopening.
The Museum was officially reopened by Lady Briscoe's son, Sir John Briscoe, on 16 June 1974. The reorganisation had made available more space and general artefacts of local historical interest were displayed, as well as archaeological and natural history items.
By 1983 the TSB wished to expand into the Museum's rooms (which were in any case by then too small for the Museum's growing collections) and the Museum had to move again. Forest Heath District Council offered the Museum's Trustees two derelict flint cottages on the corner of King Street and Market Street at a peppercorn rent, together with an interest-free loan for five years to enable the Museum to renovate and adapt the building. The two entrances in Market Street were blocked up, the cottages converted into one building with a large extension covering the site of two wells at the back. At present the accommodation consists of an entrance room, four rooms and a cellar with displays, a small office-cum-library, a small store and a staff kitchen and toilet. It is hoped that in the future another floor can be built onto the flat roofed single storey extension.
At the end of the five years the Council converted the loan to a gift. No entry charge is made to the Museum. Funds come from grants from District and Parish Councils, donations and sales of publications. In 1999 the Mildenhall Natural History and Archaeological Society and Friends of Mildenhall Museum amalgamated to form the Museum Society. This society aims to promote interest in the Museum and to raise funds for its development. The museum mounts small temporary exhibitions from time to time and refurbishes rooms as funds become available.
Home Page | A Brief History of Mildenhall | About the Museum | Mildenhall Treasure | Programme | Links to other Sites | About this site | Contact us | Education & Schools page | Our Latest Exhibits | 'End of an era' for Sandfords