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Local and Social History

The collections relate to the life and village of Emsworth in the 19th and 20th centuries and include objects and items of local interest with 50 fine art items, 200 costume and textiles, 1500 social history, 50 agriculture, 50 archaeology, 1250 maritime, 200 personalia, 50 transport, 500 oral history, 50 archives and 1000 photographs. The collections include items relating to the fishing industry, oyster fishing, boat building, sea-faring families, coastal trade in grain and coal and watermills supplying the Royal Navy with flour.

Source: Cornucopia

Date: Not known, but before 2015

Licence: CC BY-NC

Social History Collection

The collection includes items associated with founders of the movement – Hugh Bourne and William Clowes, in addition to ephemera including posters, cards, certificates and circuit plans, the 1828 pipe Organ (the first one to be used in a Primitive Methodist Chapel), an 1821 printing press used by the movement and a pulpit made by one of the Pioneers from a chest of drawers.

Subjects

Social History

Ethnography Collection

African material brought back by missionaries.

Subjects

Ethnography

Fine Art Collection

Portraits in oil.

Subjects

Fine Art

Costume and Textile Collection

Costume.

Subjects

Costume and Textile

Medals Collection

Medals and medallions.

Subjects

Medals

Photographic Collection

Photographs of people, places and events.

Subjects

Photographic equipment

Archives Collection

Letters and chapel deed.

Subjects

Archives

Source: Cornucopia

Date: Not known, but before 2015

Licence: CC BY-NC

Archaeology

Evidence of human settlement and activity from the Palaeolithic through to the present day. Significant excavation archives are: The Town Mead Hoard (Iron Age); Abridge Villa (Roman); Nazeing Hoard (Saxon) and Waltham Abbey Church (Medieval and Post-Medieval.

Fine and Decorative Art

Police uniforms, wedding dresses and christening robes are well represented in the costume collection. In addition, there is a small collection of fashion accessories, including fans and jewellery. The small textile collection includes samplers, banners and lace. The collections include a wide variety of visual and applied art- paintings, prints, sketchbooks, sculpture and ceramics. Either the artist or the subject matter has a connection with the historic county of Essex. Significant collections of work by Walter Spradbery and Haydn Mackey.;Small collection of ethnography from Asia and Africa, collected by the Buxton Family of Warlies in Waltham Abbey.

Photography

The museum holds a collection of approximately 5,000 photographs of the district, including the Francis Frith Collection and the Waltham Abbey Historical Society Collection.

Archives

The Police Archives contains photographs as well as documents. The most significant item in the museum archive collection is the Waltham Abbey Bible from c.1200. The museum holds an extensive archive of local newspapers covering most of the 20th century, a comprehensive set of maps of the area, including the 1897 and 1923 series of Ordnance Survey maps, and printed ephemera such as letter heads and property details, from the 19th and 20th centuries. There is an extensive archive relating to local policing from 1800 to 2001. “The Police Archives held by Epping Forest District Museum includes material from the Waltham Abbey Police Historical Collection and the Waltham Abbey Historical Society. Together they document the story of policing from 1800-2001. The collections include a large photographic and documentary archive covering the Metropolitan Police from 1820 -2000. Areas covered include Abridge, Bethnal Green, Chadwell Heath, Cheshunt, Chigwell, Claybury, Chingford, Dalston, Enfield, Epping, Hackney, Leyton, Leytonstone, Loughton, Nazeing, Waltham Abbey, Walthamstow, Wanstead and Woodford.

Source: Cornucopia

Date: Not known, but before 2015

Licence: CC BY-NC

Epworth Old Rectory was, from 1709 to 1735, the family home of Samuel and Susanna Wesley and their 19 children (10 of whom survived into adulthood), including John and Charles Wesley, founders of Methodism.

The Rectory is a Queen Anne Grade 1 Listed Building which had a number of extensions during the early 19th century, all of which were later demolished. Some outbuildings were added in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The property still retains over 3 acres of glebe land – referred to by the Wesleys as ‘the Croft’ – in addition to formal gardens.

The building continued to be used by the Church of England as a rectory for the parish of St. Andrew’s until 1954 when it was bought by the British Methodist Church with strong support from the World Methodist Council. It was then opened in 1957 to the general public as a museum dedicated to the life and times of John and Charles Wesley, and their family.

A collection of historical objects, ceramics, paintings, prints, period furniture and other “Wesleyana” has grown over the years, with a library of books and documents connected with the Wesleys being donated to the museum in the 1980s.

In December 2009, the Rectory was first awarded full accreditation status with the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. Our Accreditation was further re-awarded in 2014. EOR is in the process of submitting a renewal application, renewing accreditation status, in Autumn 2019.

In 2015, EOR became the specified repository for objects pertaining to the women’s movements within the Methodist Church.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2022

Licence: CC BY-NC

Items belonging to John, Charles, Susanna or Samuel Wesley and other members of the family, including furniture, letters, and personal possessions.

Items relating to the history of Methodism including notable Methodists, events, organisations and general history including:

1. Archives
2. Books
3. Ceramics – reflecting the history of Methodism and world-wide Methodism
4. Costume
5. Paintings
6. Prints
7. Paper based ephemera
8. Photographs

The Methodist Women’s Collection, the purpose of which is to illustrate how women and women’s groups from the late 17th century to the present have driven forward the Methodist movement, describing their organisational character and development, and exemplifying this with the stories of individuals and their objects. The scope of this collection includes the following:

1. Connexional (or Connexionally-significant) artefacts relating to the history of the women’s movement in Methodism from the late 17th century to present, such as from the following organisations:
   • Women’s Work
   • Women’s Fellowship
   • Women’s World Federation (latterly World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women)
   • Women’s Network
   • Young Wives
   • Girls League
   • Methodist Women in Britain
2. District or Circuit artefacts, for example, District banners that once formed a Connexion-wide campaign display, banners, souvenirs, badges of office and Presidential insignia
3. Artefacts from individuals that uniquely characterise what it is or was tbe a woman within the movement
   • Personal testimony manuscripts
   • Presentation/goodwill gifts
   • Archive material
   • Photographs
   • Paper based ephemera
   • Souvenirs
   • Lockets containing locks of hair from women prominent in the Methodist Society

The Gwyron Aston Library currently contains 3847 books

Supporting collections:

1. Furniture and artefacts to enable the interpretation of the house to the period when the Wesleys lived here (1709 – 1735), including both period and replica pieces
2. Handling artefacts for reminiscence, sensory and children’s use
3. Currently there are 3789 accessioned artefacts in the EOR collections

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2022

Licence: CC BY-NC

Social History Collection

Collection contains a diverse range of personal and domestic artefacts. In general they relate to everyday life, but are not all unique to the Erewash region. Strongest in domestic bygones, in particular kitchen and laundry equipment. Additional strengths are children’s toys and dolls. Active collecting in areas of employment, recreation, religion, the family and family life – all items to have strong local significance. Local history collections include all material which has direct link with Erewash area. Existing collections are strongest in respect of the development of local government in Ilkeston and Long Eaton. Policy of active collecting to represent areas outside Ilkeston; trades, industries and transport; minority groups in the community. Local interest and significance

Subjects

Community; Trades (occupations); Domestic life; Leisure; Local government; Transport; Religion; Family; Employment; Social history; Toys; Industry

Fine Art Collection

Local significance. Collection contains Howitt Bequest of paintings; largely 18th century oils and watercolours. Also works by local artists, many topographical scenes. Future collecting limited to Erewash scenes, and passive collection of work by notable artists. Similar policies apply to photographic art.

Subjects

Watercolour painting; Fine arts; Paintings

Decorative and Applied Arts Collection

Collection of decorative art and ceramics. Policy is only to acquire items of local history interest, e.g. pottery manufactured by the West Hallam Art and Earthenware Co. Ltd. Local significance.

Subjects

Ceramics; Decorative arts

Geology Collection

Local significance. Collection may acquire specimens of local rocks and minerals to complement local history collections, e.g. coal mining, brick and pottery ironstone/gravel/sand extraction and quarrying.

Subjects

Quarrying; Geology; Building materials; Mining; Coal mining; Minerals

Agriculture Collection

Small collection of agricultural items. Local interest.

Subjects

Agriculture

Archaeology Collection

Local significance. Small collection of objects. Not policy to acquire except for locally-provenanced chance finds.

Subjects

Archaeology

Costume and Textiles Collection

Costume and costume accessories. Further acquisition limited to selected, locally-manufactured items. Local significance.

Subjects

Textiles; Costume

Science and Industry Collection

Local significance. Collections include material relating to local industries.

Subjects

Trade (practice); Science; Industry

Photography Collection

Local history collections include photographs. Local significance.

Subjects

Photographs; Photography

Oral History Collection

Local significance. A collection of recordings related to local people and local history. Active policy towards recording.

Subjects

Oral history; Recordings; Local history

Transport Collection

Collections include relevant transport related material. Policy to collect objects that illustrate nature and scale of local transport, and working conditions therein, with cautious approach to large objects. Local significance.

Subjects

Transport; Employment

Archives Collection

Local significance. Local history collections include printed ephemera.

Subjects

Printed ephemera; Local history; Archives

Source: Cornucopia

Date: Not known, but before 2015

Licence: CC BY-NC

The museum collects objects relating to the history and development of Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) and its predecessors. This includes private brigades (e.g., stately homes, works brigades) and former local district and borough brigades within Essex boundaries (including those transferred to the London Fire Brigade in 1965). After 1965, these brigades’ histories are covered by the London Fire Brigade Museum, although the museum may still display relevant items for context.

The museum’s primary objective is to record firefighting history in Essex. However, material from outside Essex may be considered if it is historically relevant or enhances the overall story. Unusual or novelty fire-related items may also be considered to engage visitors.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2025

Licence: CC BY-NC

The collections range from the 1800’s to the present day, covering firefighting during the Victorian era, both World Wars, and post-war developments. They can be considered under the following headings:

Archives

Extensive records include manuals, photographs, training notes, maps, and firefighters’ service histories.

Artwork

Models of firefighting equipment and fire engines illustrate equipment construction and usage.

Equipment

Objects include hoses, branches, nozzles, fire extinguishers, corridor pumps, and manual pumps—essentially “small gear.” It also encompasses personal protective equipment such as uniforms, helmets, and chemical protection suits.

Working Collection

This mainly consists of (non-roadworthy) fire engines maintained at the museum. One vehicle (a 1960s Turntable Ladder Fire Engine) is serviced by ECFRS workshops and used for firefighter funerals and outreach. A separate policy (appendix of the Care and Conservation Policy) governs these working objects. The museum also has a set of objects specifically for loan boxes, which can be handled without risk to the main collection.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2025

Licence: CC BY-NC

Objects, photographs, documents and records relating to the history of policing in Essex since 1836. Includes service records of officers who have served in the Essex County Constabulary of the Southend Borough Police, photographs of police vehicles and officers and examples of police equipment. Service records of officers who served in the Essex County Constabulary and Southend Borough Police and other archival material relating to specific cases. Photographs and lantern slides of police vehicles and officers. Uniforms from the Essex Police, Essex County Constabulary and Southend Borough Police.

Source: Cornucopia

Date: Not known, but before 2015

Licence: CC BY-NC

Fine Art Collection

The Estorick Collection brings together important works created by Italian artists during the first half of the twentieth century and is Britain’s only gallery devoted to modern Italian art. It is best known for its core group of Futurist works. (Founded in 1909 by the poet F T Marinetti, Futurism remains Italy’s most significant contribution to 20th century European culture. Marinetti wanted to break with the oppressive weight of Italy’s cultural heritage and develop an aesthetic based on modern life and technology. He soon attracted the support of the young Milanese painters Umberto Boccioni, Carlo Carr and Luigi Russolo, who extended his ideas to the visual arts; they were joined in 1910 by the painters Gino Severini and Giacomo Balla. The acknowledged Futurist masterpieces of the collection are drawn from this pioneering period (1909-16) and include Boccioni’s Modern Idol, Carr’s Leaving the Theatre, Russolo’s Music, Severini’s The Boulevard and Balla’s The Hand of the Violinist. Amongst other major artists in the collection are Amedeo Modigliani, who is represented by a fine series of drawings and the late oil portrait of Dr Franois Brabander; Giorgio de Chirico, founder of Metaphysical Art, who exerted a profound influence on the Surrealists, is represented by two important early works, Melanconia and The Revolt of the Sage. There is a large number of paintings and drawings by Mario Sironi and Massimo Campigli. Sironi was briefly affiliated with Futurism, but in the 1920s went on to become the leading artist of the Novecento movement during the Fascist era. Campigli’s painting was strongly influenced by Etruscan art. His painterly vision and friendship with Estorick means that his works hold a special place in the collection, as do those of Zoran Music, whose atmospheric landscapes were inspired by his travels in Italy and Dalmatia. Estorick also knew Giorgio Morandi during the early 1950s and the collection contains a series of still life and landscape etchings and drawings which span the artist’s entire career. A number of sculptors are also represented in the collection, including Medardo Rosso, whose wax and plaster sculpture Impressions of the Boulevard: Woman with a Veil (1893) is the earliest work on display. On the death of Rodin in 1917 Rosso was hailed as ‘the greatest living sculptor’ by the French writer and critic Apollinaire. The collection also contains works by Emilio Greco, Giacomo Manz and Marino Marini, the latter two artists being largely credited with bringing about the rebirth of Italian sculpture in the twentieth century.

Subjects

Futurism; Twentieth century; Fine Art

Source: Cornucopia

Date: Not known, but before 2015

Licence: CC BY-NC

Science and Industry Collection

The two principal industrial exhibits are the beam engine ‘Princess’ (c.1820), and the associated Cornish boiler of about 1903, fitted as a replacement of the original Cornish boiler in 1989. The collections consist of the machinery and other material associated with bone and flint milling. Designated.

Subjects

Industry and Commerce; Science and Industry; Potteries

Social History Collection

The collections focus on material associated with bone and flint milling. Canal-side crafts and trades are also represented. These collections are part of those managed by the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, and support the central purpose of the site. Designated.

Subjects

People (society); Social History; Potteries; People

Photographic Collection

Photography material related to the theme of the museum. Designated.

Subjects

Photography

Source: Cornucopia

Date: Not known, but before 2015

Licence: CC BY-NC

The origin of the Museum collection was the personal collection of Clarence Daniel which was bequeathed to the Museum in 1989. The bequest consisted of 2,400 items.

This has been added to by bequests of a library of books by the late John Clifford in 2013, and a number of geological artefacts donated by John Beck. Additional items have been donated to the Museum by a number of current and previous village residents or their descendants and accepted in line with the Museum’s Collections Development Policy at the time.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2023

Licence: CC BY-NC

The Collection consists of the following:

• 17th Century pieces relating to the Plague outbreak of 1665/6.
• Nearly 300 artefacts, mainly 18th & 19th century, relating to the local lead mining industry.
• More than 600 minerals, rocks, and fossils, mainly of local origin.
• Local archaeological material includes 237 stone and flint tools and flakes, a large number of pottery fragments, 192 clay pipes, Roman artefacts including jewellery, and 129 coins, medals and tokens.
• More than 800 documents, mainly concerned with local history.
• More than 600 books regarding local history, 17th century history and the history of plague.
• More than 1000 photographs and postcards, mainly of local people and places past and present.
• 121 items relating to local silk and shoe industries (tools, manufactured goods etc).
• 46 engravings, drawings, and paintings, including water colours and sketches by Clarence Daniel.
• The remainder is made up of china (80 items), domestic items (58), and items of general interest which were collected by Clarence Daniel over many years.

The total number of items in the collection at 19 July 2023 is 5060.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2023

Licence: CC BY-NC