Explore collections

Collections include local and social history, the history of the castle, and a selection of local art.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article “Haverfordwest Town Museum”, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Source: Wikipedia

Date: 2025

Licence: CC-BY-SA

The Collections have evolved from 1974 until the present day almost exclusively by donation. A few very low-cost items have been acquired during the last few years.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2025

Licence: CC BY-NC

The largest part of our collection is that of photographs from the mid-1800s to the present day. Most of these being of Haverhill with some from surrounding villages.

Other collections are paperwork from institutions and individuals featuring in the history of the town & surroundings, printed paperwork used during the history of the town and a few artefacts from various periods of the town’s history with results of historical research on the subject of the towns history.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2025

Licence: CC BY-NC

There are separate collections on display pertaining to five localities in the borough:

• Havering-atte-Bower
• Hornchurch
• Romford
• Rainham
• Upminster

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article “Havering Museum”, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Source: Wikipedia

Date: 2025

Licence: CC-BY-SA

Most of the collections we have at Haworth Art Gallery are made up of gifts and bequests by local people the most notable ones are the Haworth Bequest of Haworth Art Gallery and a collection of mainly Victorian paintings and ceramics, 1921, the Nuttall Bequest of mainly Victorian oil and watercolour paintings, 1924-5, and the Hitchon gift of mainly Victorian oil and watercolour paintings, 1946. Significant works have been added over the years including works by Accrington born artists Gerard de Rose, Leslie Duxbury and John Virtue.

During World War Two 42 Tiffany vases were transferred to Haworth Art Gallery for safekeeping. In 1951 Oakhill Museum in Accrington closed and the vases transferred to Haworth Art Gallery’s collection. At the same time a collection of social history items were transferred from Oakhill Museum to Haworth Art Gallery. During the early 1970s two crates of Tiffany glass were discovered in Accrington Town Hall’s basement. They were then transferred up to Haworth Art Gallery and the original collection became whole once more. The collection has been added to since the 1970s and acquisitions include a library lamp, three flower form vases, a salt cellar, two ink well inserts, a bronze bust of Joseph Briggs stamped Tiffany Studios and an oil painting of Joseph Briggs by O’ Segall.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2022

Licence: CC BY-NC

1 Decorative Art Collections

1.1 The Joseph Briggs collection of Tiffany glass

The Tiffany glass collection was gifted to Accrington Corporation, now Hyndburn Borough Council, for the people of Accrington between 1932 and 1933 by Accrington born Joseph Briggs. The collection was housed at first in Accrington’s Museum at Oakhill Park. Around 43 of the vases were transferred to Haworth Art Gallery during World War Two for safe keeping and the rest of the collection was transferred to Accrington Town Hall’s basement when Accrington Museum closed in 1951. In the 1970s the rest of the collection was rediscovered in Accrington’s Town Hall and the collection came together to form one of the core collections at Haworth Art Gallery.

Briggs trained as an engraver gaining a first class pass in Art from the local Mechanics Institute then went to New York in 1891. He began working for Louis Comfort Tiffany in 1893 as an errand boy. By 1919 Briggs was the Managing Director of Tiffany Studios and in 1937 the company Tiffany Studios closed upon Briggs’ death. It is the largest such collection in public hands in Europe. Tiffany glass was made between 1893 and 1932 in the New York studios of Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848 – 1933) whose companies traded under a number of names. This collection is of special significance in the history of world glass, in the history of the American Arts and Crafts movement and as a summing-up of the spectacular achievements in the Art Glass of Tiffany Studios.

Tiffany glass was copyrighted as Favrile glass in 1894 after Louis Comfort Tiffany started making his own glass in 1893. The collection contains 149 objects of which 140 represent the original collection and the remainder are gifts, bequests or purchases. 69 objects are handmade, blown pieces of art glass also known as hollow ware or vases, the majority of which is marked as Favrile glass and signed with model numbers. This part of the collection represents every type of hollow ware ever made by the Tiffany glass companies and includes aquamarine, lava, paperweight, carved, peacock, Cypriote, flower form, agate, Byzantine and brown ware vases. Some of the pieces are monumental in size.

One of the most relevant parts of the collection is the mosaic section where Briggs specialised in making monumental mosaics. There is a mosaic panel attributed to Joseph Briggs, six mosaic samplers, eight designs for mosaics extant in the USA, one lamp and one hand made blown piece of glass which was decorated and flattened to be used in a monumental mosaic such as the Dream Garden at The Curtis Building, Philadelphia, USA, which Briggs supervised.

There are 48 pieces of pressed glass tiles, jewels and inkwell inserts.

Biographical materials include one bronze bust of Joseph Briggs stamped Tiffany Studios and one portrait of Joseph Briggs by little known American artist O’ Segall painted in 1924.

The remainder of the collection comprises of two pieces of tableware, three pieces of desk ware and five ceramics, one of which is signed by Joseph Briggs.

The collection includes almost every type of art glass made across the production history of Tiffany Studios. It is therefore a unique study tool for art and design historians, academics and glassmakers alike in Accrington, England. Several items in the collection can be said to be of world-class importance in the history of glassmaking.

1.2 Art Glass contemporary to Tiffany glass

There is one piece of Loetz glass which was originally thought to be a piece of Tiffany glass but was ascribed to Loetz latterly. Louis Comfort Tiffany took inspiration from Loetz in his work which can be seen in the Tiffany collection through the carved glass section.

1.3 Modern and Contemporary Studio Glass and Ceramics

Modern and Contemporary Studio Glass and Ceramics is a small supporting collection of contemporary studio glass and ceramics which was started in the 1980s. Consisting of 42 examples, it includes some key figures in the studio movement such as Bernard Leach and Sam Herman.

1.4 British, East Asian and European Ceramics

The nucleus of this group is from the Haworth Bequest of 1921 and includes a group of ten late 19th century continental and oriental examples. Haworth Art Gallery also has larger groups of lustre ware, commemorative pottery and china, the whole collection amounting to approximately 300 items.

1.5 Sculpture, Metalwork and Furniture

This group includes the original light-fittings at Haworth Art Gallery and other items which could also be classified as part of the Local Collection. There are also a group of 39 Electrotypes, commemorative keys and trowels and two examples of furniture in the style of Thomas Chippendale.

2 Fine Art Collections

2.1 Oil Paintings

Some of the paintings in this group of 112, were originally part of the Haworth Bequest and they are similar in style and feeling to the watercolours collection, also dating mainly from the 19th and early 20th centuries the earliest painting dates back to the Eighteenth Century. A total of 22 originate from the Haworth bequest and 14 come from the Hitchon gift. Genre subjects are strongly represented in the group but there are also some fine landscapes and ‘gems’ like ‘Storm off the French Coast’ by Joseph Vernet, 1754 and ‘Faith’ by Frederic Lord Leighton. There are examples of local artists work by Gerard de Rose, RBA, 1918 to 1987 and John Virtue, 1947 to present both of whom are important in contemporary art.

2.2 Works on Paper

This group, numbering 627 examples, consists mainly of acquisitions from the Haworth and Nuttall Bequests in 1921 and 1925 respectively and from the Hitchon Gift of 1946. There are fine examples from the early period of English watercolour drawing but the bulk are mid to late 19th century, with artists such as John Varley, Peter De Wint and David Cox represented. There is a predominance of animals and children as subject matter and a collection of marine subjects.

The prints in this collection are varied and include a range of examples from 18th century etchings by Piranesi, to high quality chromolithographs of Italian Renaissance Frescos. There are also some book illustrations, notably of views taken on tours of the Lake District and a small poster collection.

Archival materials in the form of books are included in this collection.

3 Social History Collections

3.1 Local and Community Collection

The Local Collection consists of approximately 90 objects, groups of objects and photographs of local interest and 70 watercolours of local buildings made by art students in the 1920s. The provenance of much of this collection is unrecorded but it can be assumed that it was transferred either from Accrington Museum after it closed in 1950, or from Mercer House Museum after local government re-organisation in 1974. In addition, some items in the collection are recorded on a list of transfers from Accrington Library made in 1974. This collection includes material relating to the Accrington Pals, a regiment renowned for the large amount of losses on the Somme in 1916 during World War One.

4 Money and Medal Collection

The coins, medals and tokens in the care of Haworth Art Gallery number approximately 2304. The trade tokens are unusual and have a strong local connection while the medals, many in sets, and showing portraits of famous men through history, are particularly fine. Some of the collection was probably housed at Oak Hill Park Museum until 1951, and probably belonged to local antiquarian, William Ashworth.

5 Antiquities

The antiquities collection is tiny and consists mainly of Greek, Egyptian and Roman objects.

6 Haworth Art Gallery Archive Collection

Recently it has been noted that objects connected to the house have not been accessioned yet have an important place in the history of the house, its owner s and the architect. This collection contains mainly maps, plans and photographs and will be accessioned in line with the documentation plan.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2022

Licence: CC BY-NC

The Haynes Motor Museum is the product of the lifelong passion for all things motoring of one man; John Haynes OBE.

Following an initial foray into automotive publishing while still at school, John built the hugely successful Haynes Publishing Group, based at Sparkford in Somerset. An avid collector of cars and automobilia, he acquired a nearby former sawmills as a location to store and to exhibit his collection.

Opening in 1985 with an initial collection of 35 cars, the Museum now houses over 300 cars and other vehicles and includes a garage and restoration facility, a dedicated Education Centre, archive and conference and lecture facilities.

Attracting around 130,000 visitors a year, the Museum is now a UK Independent Charitable Trust, thus securing the collection in perpetuity.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: Not known

Licence: CC BY-NC

The collection comprises over 300 cars and other vehicles, plus a substantial supporting collection of automobilia including enamel signs and roadside furniture. The vehicle collection ranges from veteran and vintage to modern supercars. The bulk of the collection is housed in a number of themed galleries, with a small reserve collection in either on or off site storage. Restoration or repair work to collection vehicles is carried out in a specialised facility on site. A substantial archive and reference library is also housed on site.

The vehicle collection overwhelmingly consists of cars with a small number of other vehicles including a 1920s Albion lorry and a number of motorcycles. Of the cars, the earliest is an 1898 Daimler Wagonette, although the collection does include a working replica of an 1886 Benz Motorwagen. The collection has a true international emphasis, with most car producing countries represented. Loans in currently include 13 Williams F1 cars.

The supporting collection includes a number of children’s pedal cars by Triang, Bing and other manufacturers and ranging in date from the 1920s to the 1990s.

Toy and model cars include commercial models and a number of scratch built models of cars in the collection at 1/16 scale commissioned by John Haynes.

Chassis and cutaway engines include a cutaway electrically powered Daimler Dart chassis produced for the 1939 Earls Court motor show, a working model of a Barsanti and Mateucci engine and a variety of other engines and gearboxes, mostly sectioned for display.

The automobilia collection includes over 200 enamel advertising signs, petrol pumps and their associated globes and other examples of roadside furniture.

The Reference Library Collection comprises approximately 4,200 books and a further 54,000 magazines and pamphlets. These cover all aspects of motoring history and include commercially published books, technical and service manuals and runs of magazines such as “The Autocar”.

The Photographic Collection numbers approximately 12.000 images. Most are prints of commercial photographs relating to car sales and launches, although there is a substantial component relating to the Museum and its collection.

Source: Collection development policy

Date:

Licence: CC BY-NC

Geographical Area

The Museum has a special responsibility to collect, safeguard and make accessible material evidence of the history of the area now encompassed by the boundaries of Harrow Council. ‘Local’ material is defined as objects, specimens, documents, photographs and works of art:

•found in, produced or manufactured in, or known to have been used in Harrow;

•connected to known Harrow people;

•of specific interest to Harrow Museum or closely associated with the area defined by the boundaries of Harrow Council.

The Museum will therefore aim to only collect objects that are inextricably linked with the area as defined above. Items made in, at some point used within, or otherwise provenanced to the Museum collecting area, may be acquired, regardless of their location at the time of acquisition. Where this involves the collection of items from another museum’s collecting area, a principle of open actions and good communication will apply.

The Council or Borough boundary does not always coincide with logical geographical boundaries, therefore in certain fields ‘local’ may have to include material from localities currently in adjacent boroughs or counties.

In an emergency, and to ensure the preservation of important material in public ownership, the COPB is exceptionally authorised to collect material from outside the stated collecting area, relating to those parts of Harrow and its environs not yet covered by any museum service. Such material is acquired on the understanding that it may be transferred to other museums at a future time.

Time Period

The Museum aims to collect local objects from any period of time, but the majority of the current Collection dates from the 19th and 20th centuries. The aim is to strengthen the Collection by obtaining items from periods that have little or no representation in the current Museum Collection-such as the Medieval period, as this is a notable gap in the Collection.

The existing collection includes the following subjects/collecting areas:

Social History

Social history material comprises the vast majority of the Harrow Museum Collection. It consists of a wide range of items in line with the Social History and Industrial Classification categories system. Harrow Museum’s Collection of social history material has been acquired principally by donation since the Museum’s founding in 1986. Collecting prior to 2007 was at times uncontrolled and on a passive basis in all subject areas. This has resulted in a patchy Collection with many gaps needing to be filled. Special attention will now be given to the expansion of this part of the Collection through the acquisition of carefully selected items.

Domestic and family Life

This represents the most substantial part of the Social History Collection and is primarily made up of personal items and household objects. Examples include household furniture and machines, clothing, storage, toys, and items associated with hobbies and pastimes.

Working Life

This section of the Social History Collection primarily comprises of material relating to local agriculture and industry, as well as the retail, trade and service industries.

Working Life has a strong representation in the Collection due to the large quantity of agricultural material associated with the Harrow area’s agricultural past.

The working life section of the Social History Collection also contains a high number of objects from local industries. Principle local industries include the Kodak factory, the Hamilton’s brush company, and the Whitefriars glass factory.

Community Life

The Social History Collection contains items that represent the community. This includes material from local government, religious buildings, education, health, welfare, the military, groups and societies, organisations and public entertainment.

Personal Life

Items belonging to or used or related exclusively by one individual person – normally carried or kept privately by that person. This can include personal papers, diaries or personal items. The Museum started a ‘Harrow Asian Archive’ in 2006, which aimed to collect items representing Harrow’s Asian communities. Attempts to broaden the scope of this part of the Social History Collection to reflect Harrow’s diverse communities is now integrated with the overall development of the Collection to better reflect the current community of Harrow.

Natural History and Geology

The Harrow Museum Collection contains a small number of natural history specimens. The Natural History and Geology Collection comes generally from non-local areas of Britain. Subject to nature conservation interests, including any conservation laws and by-laws, the Museum will collect as the opportunity arises, evidence of local geology for display, study, reference and educational purposes. It is expected that the primary source of such material will be controlled and properly documented field collecting by the COPB and any reputable organisations or local societies. However, the acquisition of important private or historic collections of natural sciences material from the Harrow area is of equal importance and the Museum will aim to acquire subjects of this nature if or when the opportunity arises.

Archaeology

Archaeological material derived from fieldwork, excavations and stray finds from the area now in the jurisdiction of Harrow Council is held in the Harrow Museum Collection. This Collection is almost entirely made up of pottery finds, tiles, and animal bones, and mainly covers the Roman, Medieval, post-Medieval and Victorian periods, with the strength of the Collection lying in its 13th century Medieval pottery Collection. The Collection was examined, sorted and re-packaged with the help of the Museum of London.

Most of the future archaeological acquisitions are likely to be from properly controlled archaeological excavations and surveys, carried out by trained museum staff or reputable archaeological organisations. Wherever possible a prior agreement for the eventual preservation of the finds and private or historic collections will be acquired.

Fine Arts

There is a miscellaneous Collection of works of fine art in the Harrow Museum Collection.

Notable items are the cartoons of stained-glass windows, which are a part of the Whitefriars Collection. The Museum recognises this is a collection that can grow to include art from local artists within the borough of Harrow.

Numismatics and Exonumia (Currency and Medals)

There is a small Numismatics and Exonumia Collection at the Museum, which includes six medallions, medals and coins. The majority of items date from the 20th century, with a few examples from the 19th century and one Roman coin.

Books and Written Materials

The Harrow Museum Collection contains several hundred items of written materials and books, almost all dating from the 20th century.

There are approximately 200 books in this Collection, covering a range of topics and themes. Several of the books are closely connected to the local area or Museum Collection, though others are considered less relevant. This Collection also contains a small number of minute books, ledgers and diaries, as well as other written material, including pamphlets, magazines, leaflets, periodicals, booklets, newspapers and documents.

Photographs, Postcards and Maps

A considerable amount of the Collection is made up of printed material, which generally falls under the categories of photographs, postcards, and maps.

The majority of this Collection dates from the 20th century and covers a range of sites and subjects. In total, there are over 500 postcards, 38 maps and more than 250 photographs in the Harrow Museum Collection.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: unknown

Licence: CC BY-NC

Industrial history

The collection consists of milling machinery, millwright tools, items and agricultural hand tools, creeping troughs, querns and rubbing stone and archival material relating to the mill and the Ford and Etal estates.

Source: Cornucopia

Date: Not known, but before 2015

Licence: CC BY-NC

Heckington Windmill Trusts’ (HWT) object and archival collection has formed over a number of years, 1981- current. The most significant amount of archival material has been donated by HWT Chairmen Charles Pinchbeck, who has been collecting material over the last 25 years. Items have also been gifted by HWT volunteers, the local community and others have been purchased by the Trust.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2022

Licence: CC BY-NC

Heckington Windmill Trust’s collection is utilised on the mill site to support visitors’ enjoyment and learning. Redevelopment of the buildings on site was completed in 2017 as part of a Heritage Lottery Funded Regeneration Project. Exhibition spaces have been developed which engage both the local and wider community, and schools, providing people with a fuller understanding of the milling process and its role in: social history, science and industry, sustainable food production, and agricultural heritage. The Trust uses its collection to raise awareness of both the National and International significance of this windmill, the only surviving 8-sailed windmill in Western Europe.

Currently, archival material and objects within the collection are in the process of being digitised, accessioned and catalogued. This is being undertaken in accordance with the Trust’s Documentation Policy. The size of the collection is yet to be ascertained. It is believe to be over 2000 items, covering a period from 1830 to current day; the most significant items being the windmill itself, industrial and rural objects associated with the mill, photographs and family history items.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2022

Licence: CC BY-NC

Personalia Collection

As the museum focuses on the life of Helena Thompson and her family in the 18th and 19th century, collections include associated personal possessions, antiques and curios.

Subjects

Personalia

Agriculture Collection

Objects connected with the World Ploughing Organisation.

Subjects

Agriculture

Fine Art Collection

The oil paintings, watercolours and prints mainly feature local topography and people, including Helena Thompson’s family and friends.

Subjects

Fine Art

Social History Collection

The collections relating to social history number over 5,000 items in total for the three borough museums (including Keswick Museum and Maryport Maritime Museum) and cover a range of domestic and community life subjects spanning the last 300 years in the Borough. Domestic items specifically held at the Helena Thompson Museum include leisure, pastime and sporting activities including material and balls from a local game called ‘Uppies and Downies.’

Subjects

Social History

Costume and Textile Collection

The museum serves as the main repository of costume within the collection held by Allerdale Borough Council, with objects ranging from the late 18th century to around 1930. Clothing of the middle and upper classes of Workington is typically represented and many items were donated by Helena Thompson. Items include women’s clothing, dolls, babies and children’s clothes, lace and a range of accessories such as hats, parasols, fans and samplers. (See also Keswick Museum for the Flather collection of 1920s-1930s daywear and accessories).

Subjects

Costume and Textile

Archaeology Collection

Miscellaneous archaeological material of mainly Cumbrian artefacts and generally of Medieval and later periods. Most notable is the Clifton Dish and associated pottery finds of the 18th century.

Subjects

Archaeology

Photographic Collection

A significant collection of photographs e.g. local trades and industries, personalities and the local area generally.

Subjects

Photographic equipment

Biology Collection

The natural science collections held at Helena Thompson Museum include those assembled by Victorian naturalists and a collection donated by W. C. Laurie, a local collector. There are mounted bird and mammal specimens from Britain, Australia and Indonesia, in addition to over 1,000 British birds eggs. There is a collection of butterflies and moths from various collectors of 1870-1900 and botanical specimens including the M. Laurie Collection of lichens.

Subjects

Biology

Science and Industry Collection

Collections include items associated with local trades and industries, most importantly Workington Iron and Steel works, including samples, photographs and models. Commerce is covered through inclusion of items from several local shops. Other industries featured include the Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway and the Keswick Gas, Light and Coke Company.

Subjects

Science and Industry

Decorative and Applied Art Collection

The decorative art collections include silverware, glass, ceramics and furniture. The silver items include sporting trophies, particularly relating to Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling, together with other items such as civic regalia. There are various types of glassware, many with local maritime connections. A representative ceramic collection of different styles and materials also features in the collection, especially 18th-19th century porcelain. Furniture principally relates to the house and includes clocks, chairs and cabinets.

Subjects

Decorative and Applied Arts

Source: Cornucopia

Date: Not known, but before 2015

Licence: CC BY-NC

Transport Collection

The museum houses many historic helicopters including 18 which are the only surviving examples of their type; and 30 which are the only examples in a British museum. It is in international collection and includes craft from Poland, France, USA, Japan, Russia, Germany and Pakistan. There are also examples of airframes, dynamic systems, power plants and other components which represent the technological development of the aircraft. There is a growing collection of scale models of aircraft.

Subjects

Transport

Archives Collection

The museum has a substantial collection of technical manuals relating to the repair, maintenance and overhaul of different helicopter types; drawings and files relating to the Cierva Grasshopper project and other rotorcraft. Material relating to Weston Airport and the personnel involved in developing local aviation and the Bristol Aeroplane Company Helicopter Division is included in the collection because of the local nature of some aspects of rotorcraft history. There is also a collection of rotary-wing stamp First Day Covers and books, magazines, historical files, brochures, photographs, films and other archival documentation.

Subjects

Archives

Source: Cornucopia

Date: Not known, but before 2015

Licence: CC BY-NC