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Wikidata identifier:: Q6669902
Instance of:: transport museum; independent museum
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum
Accreditation number:: 1633
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q6669902/
Collection level records:: Not yet. If you represent this organisation and can provide collection-level information, please contact us.

Wikidata identifier:: Q6670203
Instance of:: transport museum; independent museum
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum
Accreditation number:: 1459
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q6670203/

Collection-level records:

Collection overview (Cornucopia)

Historical Collection

The collections relate to the history of London’s waterways especially the Regent’s Canal and embrace canal equipment, canal art, cargo handling and weighing equipment, the care and management of canal horses and equipment relating to the ice trade which is associated with the Museum premises. Most items are from the 18th to 21st centuries and predominantly from London.

Subjects

Boats; Waterways; People; Archives

Source: Cornucopia

Date: Not known, but before 2015

Licence: CC BY-NC

Wikidata identifier:: Q917820
Responsible for:: Museum of London Docklands
Also known as:: Museum of London
Instance of:: local museum
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum; Designated collection
Accreditation number:: 102
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q917820/

Collection-level records:

Collection history (Collection development policy)

The Museum of London’s collection, called The London Collection, has a history going back nearly 200 years. It is the world’s largest collection relating to a single urban centre, it covers over 450,000 years of the history of this place, and it is the most important source for the material evidence of London’s past. It was originally formed of collections from two earlier museums: the Guildhall Museum and the London Museum.

The Corporation of London established the Guildhall Museum in 1826. Its collection of antiquities was built up during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries with items coming from construction sites in the City of London. The Museum confined its collecting to items found largely within ‘the Square Mile’, an area delineated by the medieval walled city, and from the Thames. It acquired other material relating to the civic and ceremonial history of the City of London as well as architectural fixtures and fittings.

The London Museum, founded in 1911, had a much broader and ambitious collecting brief. With a specific populist agenda to tell the story of the history of London from earliest times through to the present, it collected from across London, not just from the City. The Museum was the brainchild of two politicians: Lewis, first Viscount Harcourt and Reginald Brett, second Viscount Esher. For much of its existence, the Museum was funded by central government. Guy Laking (later Sir Guy), the Museum’s first Keeper and Secretary to the Trustees, played an important role in building the collections. Under his, and then Mortimer Wheeler’s keepership, a collection of national and international standing was created covering antiquities, fine and decorative arts, dress and textiles, vehicles, rare books, maps, manuscripts and printed ephemera. J.G. Joicey was perhaps the Museum’s most generous benefactor. He loaned, and later gifted, his large collection of porcelain, clocks and watches, jewellery, embroidery and costume, as well as on his death in 1919 leaving the Museum the residue of his considerable estate to support acquisitions.

After the Second World War, both the Guildhall Museum and the London Museum found themselves in temporary homes. The destruction of large parts of the City in the Blitz provided an opportunity for large scale archaeological excavations. During the 1950s, discussions took place positing the amalgamation of the two museums to form a single entity. In 1965, the Museum of London was established by an Act of Parliament and in 1976 the new museum opened to the public at London Wall. The suite of galleries presented a three dimensional biography of the capital, drawing on many items from the newly combined collections as well as more recent acquisitions.

The greatest areas of growth in The London Collection over the last forty years have been in archaeology and material relating to London’s modern history. In 1976, the Museum had two field units, one for the City of London and one for Greater London, with complete archives of archaeological records and finds being acquired on a site-by-site basis. In 1991, the two units were restructured into one service and in 2002 an Archaeological Archive and Research Centre opened in Hackney where the finds and records from individual excavations are deposited and stored. In 2003, the Centre for Human Bioarchaeology was created, to care for and research the human skeletal remains. In 2011, Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) was split from the Museum to form an independent limited charitable company, although finds continue to be deposited at the Museum of London’s Archaeological Archive. Other finds made by ‘mudlarks’ on the Thames foreshore are regularly added to the collection.

The Museum was a pioneer in collecting contemporary material from all walks of London life. Items were acquired from domestic environments as well as the work and leisure spaces of the capital. The closure of London’s upriver docks and wharves in the 1970s and 1980s spurred a new collecting initiative, particularly tools and equipment used in the port, in order to preserve a vanishing part of London’s heritage. In 2003, a museum to display this material, the Museum of London Docklands, opened in a converted Georgian dock warehouse opposite Canary Wharf. The Museum’s engagement with contemporary London continues with Curating London (2018-2022), funded by Arts Council England, which aims to be both a contemporary collecting initiative and an innovative community engagement project, transforming the Museum’s relationship with Londoners. Over the period of the project, 12 locally-based studies and four pan-London thematic projects will encourage new ways of working and embedding our collecting within local partnerships and networks.

Oral history was a new area of collecting for the Museum in the late 1980s. Many interviews were made over the next two decades, creating a wide ranging and important collection, which is especially strong in material relating to immigration into the city in the post-war period, and in material relating to the lives of those associated with the river and the working history of the docks. It includes interviews by famous history workshop historians such as Raphael Samuel and Jerry White, as well as the audio interviews recorded by London Weekend Television for the series The Making of Modern London. In 2014, the Museum completed the digitisation of its entire oral history collection which, to date, amounts to over 5000 hours of recording.

The photographic collection expanded rapidly after the opening of the Museum of London. A small collection had been built up by the London Museum, but it was only with the appointment of a dedicated curator of historic photographs that the collection began to develop in focused way. Paintings, prints and drawings acquisitions also increased after 1976 with help from funding agencies and charities. Major acquisitions included George Elgar Hicks’ ‘The General Post Office, One Minute to Six’ of 1860 (1990), the ‘Rhinebeck Panorama’ of London, 1806 (1998) and two works by Henry Nelson O’Neil, ‘Eastward Ho! August 1857′ and ‘Home Again, 1858′ (2004). More recently, the HLF-funded acquisition project ‘Beyond Documentary’ (2015-2018) explored the ways in which contemporary photographic practitioners, many of them women, have exploited the apparently neutral medium of photography to explore social issues and the urban environment.

The dress and textile collection has grown in a similar way to other modern collections with many items added made by London ready-to-wear manufacturers and couture houses and designers. Contemporary collecting is actively pursued with recent projects undertaken including Muslim fashion (2014) and Punks (2016). An active collecting project was successfully completed around the London Olympics in 2012 which included costumes from the opening ceremony as well as the Olympic Cauldron designed by Thomas Heatherwick for which a special permanent gallery was created within the Museum.

The Museum began to acquire born-digital material in 2012 when it collected c.6000 unique Tweets using the hashtag #citizencurators during the two weeks of the Olympic Games. This was an experimental collecting project which investigated the issues surrounding the collecting of social media. In 2015-16, a collecting project focused on video gaming and the video game industry in London.

London as a centre of making and manufacture has long been a strength of the Museum’s collections, and this has recently led to a new focus on ‘maker culture’ in the city. The contemporary making collection is being developed with an aim to acquire objects which reflect the relationships between craft and design practice, and the cultural and economic life of modern London. Makers shape, and are shaped by, the global city, and the Museum aims to acquire objects which respond to its historical collections, and which are produced in circumstances (and by people) representing the diversity and complexity of London today.

Access to the London Collection has increased through the creation of the collections online resource on the Museum’s web site. Currently, over 90,000 objects can be accessed online.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: Not known

Licence: CC BY-NC
Collection overview (Collection development policy)

The term used to describe the collections of the Museum of London in their widest sense is ‘The London Collection’. This incorporates the Core Collections, the Support Collections and the Museum Business Archive. It is a collection of unrivalled breadth, covering the entire history of the history of the nation’s capital, and around a half a million years of human activity on the site. Its significance is recognised by its designated status as being of national and international importance. The London Collection reflects our standing as the world’s largest collection relating to a single urban centre and we currently hold almost 7 million items. Viewed as a whole, the London Collection provides a multi-faceted, three-dimensional, multi-media biography of the metropolis and the people who lived in this place for over 450,000 years. The Core Collection is described below.

Core Collections

Archaeological Archive: c. 6 million items

The Museum’s archaeological collections, mostly held within the Archaeological Archive in Hackney, are not only by far the largest and most comprehensive body of urban archaeology in Britain, but also one of the most important repositories for urban studies in the world. The Archive holds contextually excavated archaeological material from sites across Greater London. It covers all periods of London’s urban history, as well as the prehistory of the region from the earliest evidence of human occupation half a million years ago. Among these extensive holdings are: the sole source of information on all aspects of the Roman built environment and context for non-excavated Roman collections in London and elsewhere; material excavated in and around Covent Garden and Aldwych, which constitutes the evidence for the existence of the Middle Saxon settlement of Lundenwic; unparalleled evidence of medieval domestic life and the structure of the medieval city; post-medieval material reflecting London’s role as the nation’s pre-eminent market, complemented by artefactual evidence reflecting London’s global trading networks.

Human remains: over 20,000 individuals

The human skeletal remains curated by the Centre for Human Bioarchaeology are a unique and internationally significant collection. London is the only capital in the world to be able to tell its history through the physical evidence of the people who inhabited it. Every skeleton has a unique ‘bone biography’ capturing different sets of life data as a person grows, lives and dies. This information is often the sole means of determining a person’s social and living conditions, their diet and nutrition, ancestry and status. The skeletal remains provide extraordinary data about individuals and population groups; and tangible evidence for the demographic structure of the capital and its region over half a million years.

Historic Collections: over 124,000 items

The collections of items covering the Lower Paleolithic period to the seventeenth century provide a complement to the archaeological collections. Flint and stone implements constitute the largest part of the prehistoric materials. The Museum holds material of international importance from sites such as Swanscombe, Yiewsley and Stoke Newington. The most important holdings within the prehistoric collection are the 900 pieces of Bronze Age and Iron Age metalwork, mostly recovered from the Thames. The Thomas Layton collection (on long term loan since the 1960s) includes a fine series of late Hallstatt/early La Tène daggers and two famous items of later Iron Age metalwork: a chariot fitting or ‘horn cap’ decorated in the Celtic art style, and a bronze-bound oak tankard.

The Museum has by far the largest collection of Romano-British marble statuary in Britain. Of this, the London Mithraeum group, including representations of Mithras, Minerva, Serapis, and Mercury, is the finest example of Roman sculpture in the country. The samian ware holdings comprise the preeminent collection in Britain, while the leather holdings form an important resource for the study of Roman techniques, particularly shoe manufacture. The most famous leather items are the ‘bikini’ briefs which are the most complete examples known. Further holdings of glass, metal and the wide-ranging selection of domestic, industrial and religious artefacts combine to make this perhaps the best collection of Roman materials in Britain.

The Saxon period is represented by important groups of items from the pagan Saxon cemeteries at Mitcham, Croydon, Hanwell and Ewell, along with Late Saxon and early Norman material from the City, including pottery, domestic items and jewellery. The single most important object of Late Saxon date in the collections, generally acknowledged as the finest Viking antiquity in the country, is the carved tomb-slab with runic inscription found near St Paul’s in 1852.

The medieval period is one of the most celebrated elements of our overall holdings because of its breadth, depth and quality. It is strongest in ordinary domestic objects, particularly dress accessories, knives, tools and arms and armour. Pilgrim and secular badges and souvenirs constitute the most important group of their kind in Britain and one of the finest in Europe. The ceramics holdings are generally recognized as the best collection of medieval pottery in England, if not Europe.

The early modern collections reflect the huge changes in London life and society during this time. Amongst the preeminent and significant holdings are edged weapons, scientific and mathematical instruments, London-made musical instruments, cloth and dyers’ seals, trade tokens, and glass and ceramics (including Rhenish stoneware and Delftware). The world-famous Cheapside Hoard is an internationally celebrated collection (almost 500 pieces). It a key source for our knowledge of Elizabethan and early Stuart jewellery and the largest hoard of its kind anywhere in the world.

Modern collections: over c.100,000 items

The period after the Great Fire is reflected in collections that document the experience of living in the metropolis for Londoners of all sections of society and cover an overwhelming range of themes: toys and games; life events; domestic material; furniture, fixtures and fittings; items relating to metropolitan infrastructure such as government, public utilities, welfare, housing, and education; material derived from service industries including retail, leisure, finance, and telecommunications. Significant events in the capital are represented, such as the Great Exhibition, the Blitz, the Festival of Britain, and the three London Olympic games. Of particular significance is the collection of Suffragette material including minute books, photographs and postcards, badges and scarves, and relics from hunger strikes. More recent political protest material includes items from Brian Haw’s peace camp set up in Parliament Square in 2001.

The Museum holds workshop tools and machinery for seventy-five different crafts, manufacturing and processing trades; extensive groups of objects relating to London’s principal markets, notably Billingsgate, Spitalfields and Covent Garden; and unrivalled collections of material relating to London’s docks including river craft and cargo handling equipment ranging from dockers’ hooks to hydraulic jiggers. The ceramic collections of the 18^th to early 20^th century are outstanding, with nationally important material from London porcelain factories and art pottery made by Doulton, William de Morgan and the Martin brothers. The contemporary making collection seeks to build on these foundations, particularly in the areas of ceramics, furniture, metalwork and jewellery.

Dress and Textiles: c. 23,000 items

The Museum holds over 23,000 dress and textile items from the medieval period to the present day, which together with the earlier archaeological holdings of dress allow the fashions and tastes of the capital to be reconstructed throughout its history. The focus is on clothes and textiles made, promoted, bought and worn in London to represent the capital’s role in the design, production and consumption of garments and reflect the life of all of London’s communities. The collection ranges from garments sewn at home, made by dressmakers and tailors to those created by London-based couture houses and designers such as Lucile, Hardy Amies, Norman Hartnell, Victor Stiebel, Mary Quant, Katharine Hamnett, Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. Clothing purchased in department stores, high street chains, boutiques, suburban outfitters and markets represent London’s varied retail outlets. As often as possible, clothing is acquired along with the oral testimony and evidence of those who owned and wore it. For example, in 2016, the Museum acquired a collection of clothing and accessories formerly owned by the architectural and planning consultant Francis Golding, in effect a ‘sartorial biography’, which was complemented by the acquisition of copies of some of his papers, letters and photographs.

Art and Photography: c. 170,000 items

The art collections comprise a visual encyclopaedia and record of London from the 16^th century to the present day. They include major works of art by leading artists alongside items of historic rather than artistic significance. Both reflect the importance of London both as a centre for art and a subject for artists and providing a reflection of London’s diverse physical and social fabric. The paintings, prints and drawings collection (c 20,000 items) is one of the largest in the United Kingdom and includes works by artists such as Canaletto, Paul Sandby, Henry Nelson O’Neil, Walter Sickert, David Bomberg and Henry Moore. The emphasis of the photographic collection (over 150,000 items) is primarily on topography and social documentary, and includes photographers such as Henry Fox Talbot, Roger Fenton, Christina Broom, Bill Brandt, Henry Grant, and Rut Blees Luxemburg.

Printed ephemera, rare books, maps and manuscripts: over 100,000 items

The Museum’s collection of printed and manuscript ephemera comprises around 75,000 items. It is arranged thematically, covering all aspects of London’s cultural, social and working history ranging from leisure and shopping through to political campaigning and crime. In effect, it is an archive of the city’s history as reflected in its documents and pamphlets. The collection includes both historic and contemporary material, ranging from miscellaneous accounts and deeds of the 15^th century to London’s current obsessions and pre-occupations from nail parlours to drug abuse. The Museum possesses two of the original plates for the Copperplate Map of c.1559, and the master version of the Booth Map of Poverty (1888-89), perhaps the most famous map of the entire 19th century. The Tangye Collection of Cromwelliana includes many rare books and manuscripts such as holograph letters of Charles I and Oliver Cromwell, and the only known copy of the Journal of Cromwell’s House of Lords from its inauguration to its last sitting (1657-59). Also of considerable significance are the King collections of toy theatre, tinsel prints and valentine’s cards, and the Kiralfy collection of material relating to the history of the White City exhibitions.

Digital collections: c. 5000 hours of interviews

The Museum has been collecting the life histories and memories of Londoners since the 1980s. The collection includes important groups of recordings including the Port and River Sound Archive and the London History Workshop collection. Interviews focus on interviewees’ working lives, labour relations, family life and childhood, community and social life, and the two world wars. Other recordings were made for The Peopling of London exhibition (1993-94) and London’s Voices project (2005-06) which resulted in 200 life story interviews with Londoners from many different communities and backgrounds.

Recent collecting has included projects around the London 2012 Olympics, Punks and London Tattooists. In 2012, the Museum’s first Digital Collecting Framework was produced, reflecting our ambition to capture London’s ‘born-digital’ culture. To date this has ranged from Londoners’ social media reactions to events to a collecting project examining London in video games.

Source: Collection development policy

Date:

Licence: CC BY-NC

Wikidata identifier:: Q6397882
Also known as:: Kew Bridge Steam Museum, London Museum of Water & Steam
Instance of:: museum; independent museum
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum
Accreditation number:: 32
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q6397882/
Collection level records:: Not yet. If you represent this organisation and can provide collection-level information, please contact us.

Wikidata identifier:: Q1541098
Also known as:: LT Museum, Transport Museum for London, London's Transport Museum, London Transport Museum, Covent Garden, LTM
Instance of:: transport museum; independent museum
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum; Designated collection
Accreditation number:: 38
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q1541098/

Collection-level records:

Collection overview (Cornucopia)

Transport Collection

67 vehicles which represent the development of all modes of public transport in London, including hose uses, motor buses, horse-drawn and electric trams, trolleybuses, steam and electric passenger trains and road and rail service vehicles. There are also around 400 significant vehicle components which have been collected in their own right, including motors and engines and seating fabrics commissioned from significant designers. 200 or so models illustrate vehicle types which have not survived and an archive of 65,000 engineering drawings of stations, bridges, tunnels, tracks, the tram system, vehicles, and street and station furniture. Other items include staff uniforms, ticket machinery and train control signalling equipment, architectural fragments, station furniture and signage together with items illustrating the corporate and social life of the operation such as sports trophies.

Art and Design Collection

London Transport’s renowned heritage of art and design dates from the early years of the 20th century, finding its first expression in graphics but extending to architecture and applied and decorative arts. LT provided inspiration for many artists and patronage in the area of its poster campaigns, The collection includes about 500 original art works for posters, plus another 200 or so works commissioned for various purposes ranging from the functional, such as station designs, to the decorative, including portraits of important staff, and a growing number of non-commissioned works which feature LT as a main subject.

Photographic Collection

Over 100,000 mainly black and white photographs from the London Transport archives, starting c1906 and documenting the development and operation of London’s transport, as well as the social history of the company and of London itself. They show street scenes, passengers and staff (providing especially useful records of those in unseen jobs essential to the operation or the system), construction workers and design details of the system. The photographers include well known photojournalists such as Bert Hardy and Bill Brandt and the quality of the images is high.

Ephemera Collection

An extensive collection of tickets, maps and timetables as found in other transport museums, but an exceptional collection of graphic art, including 16,000 posters from 1908 to the present and including the work of designers such as McKnight Kauffer, Rex Whistler, Man Ray and Tom Eckersley, who were given considerable freedom om developing their designs. Maps, leaflets and booklets are also of the same high quality of design.

Source: Cornucopia

Date: Not known, but before 2015

Licence: CC BY-NC

Wikidata identifier:: Q6673237
Also known as:: The Long Shop Museum
Instance of:: museum; independent museum
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum
Accreditation number:: 581
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q6673237/

Collection-level records:

Collection overview (Collection development policy)

The Museum Collections consist of approximately 6700 objects, the great majority of which are owned by the Museum and relate closely to the Garrett Works and its links with the town and area. There is an important collection of photographs and documents, and some smaller objects. The majority of items in the collections date from the mid-late nineteenth century to the mid twentieth century. There are a few earlier items, particularly in the archive, and later twentieth century life is more strongly represented in the photographic and document collections. A few items and collections are on loan, such as Richard Garrett’s top-hats – on loan from Leiston Town Council.

The collection can be summarised into the following categories:

Garrett Products from two early sickles, through man and horse-powered machines (for instance seed drills, plough, winnowing machine) to steam-powered machines (saw benches, threshing machine), steam engines and steam tractors, to the diverse later products of the firm (industrial washing machines and dry-cleaners, mechanical toys, PYE electrical goods and ‘Alba’ and ‘Invicta’ machine tools). Much of Garretts production involved large engineering items – steam engines and agricultural machinery and implements, so these are a particular feature of the Collection.

Tools and Equipment used in Garrett production – from a large C. 19th Whitworth lathe, to the tools of a variety of crafts and trades practised at the Works: the pattern-maker, carpenter, wheelwright, moulder, boiler-maker, engine-fitter, blacksmith and tinsmith, and in the foundry. This collection represents engineering and craftsmanship of all periods of the Garrett Works.

Items connected with the Garrett Family including a small collection of 19th and early 20th Century family portraits, and a variety of other items, including a few personal items associated with Elizabeth Garrett Anderson.

Photographic and paper archive An extensive collection. Photographs include Works buildings and workers from the early 20th Century to the closure of the Works and beyond. A large collection of Works’ printed matter from mid-19th Century onwards – brochures, parts lists, advertising posters etc. Some original manuscript items – cheques, bank books etc. are also held.

Framed prints and other items on paper Small collection of (mainly) framed 19th Century prints connected with Garretts and the Works, and of items such as Union and Indenture certificates.Other Works and Local History items: various items associated with the company and the town of Leiston. These are mainly smaller items, with the notable exception of the Works Shunting Engine, Sirapite – which was used by the Works but not made here. Includes a significant collection of prize medals awarded to Garretts at a great variety of agricultural and trade shows around Britain and the World.

Books and Journals: Some of these relate to Garretts and others cover related engineering themes (e.g. bound copies of ‘The Engineer’ magazine).

Non- Garrett related items: and items of unknown provenance – a small part of the collection falls outside current/recent collecting policy, including some un-accessioned items (given temporary numbers) with little or no background information.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2023

Licence: CC BY-NC

Wikidata identifier:: Q113363923
Instance of:: museum; independent museum
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum
Accreditation number:: 948
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q113363923/

Collection-level records:

Collection overview (Cornucopia)

Social History Collection

This collection comprises domestic artefacts relating to lighting; cooking; laundry; hairdressing; and shaving. There are also cobbler’s tools; a steam pump; a quarry blasting horn; a mill wheel; Lostwithiel’s first fire engine dated 1761; and artefacts relating to local law enforcement. The collection dates from the 18th century to the present day.

Subjects

Social History

Geology Collection

There is geological information on the surrounding area and mineral specimens.

Subjects

Geology

Medals Collection

This is a small collection of military medals.

Subjects

Medals

Agriculture Collection

This collection comprises tools and agricultural equipment of 18th, 19th and 20th century date.

Subjects

Agriculture

Costume and Textile Collection

There are costume items of local significance, including the town sergeant’s clock with bullet holes, and bardic robes.

Subjects

Costume and Textile

Photographic Collection

The museum has a large collection of photographs presenting an intriguing visual social documentary on this Cornish town from the late 19th century to the present day.

Subjects

Photography

Other

Archives; Arms and Armour; Maritime; Medicine; Music; Numismatics; Oral History; Personalia; Science and Industry; Transport

Source: Cornucopia

Date: Not known, but before 2015

Licence: CC BY-NC

Wikidata identifier:: Q6684751
Part of:: Leeds Museums & Galleries
Instance of:: historic house museum; local authority museum
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum
Accreditation number:: 1347
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q6684751/
Collection level records:: Yes, see Leeds Museums & Galleries

Wikidata identifier:: Q6686150
Also known as:: Loughborough Carillon
Instance of:: military museum; war memorial
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum
Accreditation number:: 2029
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q6686150/
Object records:: Yes, see object records for this museum

Collection-level records:

Collection history (Collection development policy)

The museum was started by ex-servicemen in the 1980s. A large number of objects were collected in a short space of time, paperwork and recording was poor and the difference between ‘loan’ and ‘gift’ not properly understood by many of the donors. A number of attempts were made to catalogue the collection and finally it was computerised. A trawl was made of all existing paperwork and the information recorded on the computerised catalogue.

Part of the collection, the Yeomanry Room, had developed separately from the rest of the museum and at the end of 2012 it was decided to incorporate it into the rest of the collection. All relevant parties agreed the only condition was that any disposal of Leicestershire Yeomanry memorabilia be offered to the Leicestershire and Derbyshire Squadron of the Royal Yeomanry (the unit) first.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: Not known

Licence: CC BY-NC
Collection overview (Collection development policy)

The collection consists of three rooms containing mainly military history of the Loughborough area. A wealth of medals from all branches of the Services is on display. The collection includes memorabilia of the Leicestershire Yeomanry. The British and American Airborne have their own display together with their uniforms, badges and weapons.

The museum is housed within the Loughborough War Memorial Tower, built in 1923 as a memorial to the fallen in the First World War. Many of the memorabilia and medals relate to the names on the plaques on the Tower.

Source: Collection development policy

Date:

Licence: CC BY-NC

Wikidata identifier:: Q113369732
Instance of:: museum; independent museum
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum
Accreditation number:: 552
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q113369732/

Collection-level records:

Collection overview (Cornucopia)

Decorative and Applied Arts Collection

Local significance. The collection contains some pieces of furniture; Louth crested china and a large 19th century sheep breeders’ punchbowl.

Subjects

Ceramics; Decorative arts; Furniture

Arms and Armour Collection

The collection contains yatagan and other swords; blunderbuss, guns and pistols. Local significance.

Subjects

Weapons; Guns

Medicine Collection

Collection contains surgery equipment; chemists jars etc. Local significance.

Subjects

Surgery; Medical sciences; Drugs; Pharmacy

Numismatics Collection

Local significance. The collection contains some unspecified coins and medals.

Subjects

Numismatics; Medals; Coins

Costume and Textiles Collection

Local significance. The collection contains dresses, uniforms, smocks, samplers, boots and shoes, hats, a fireman’s helmet, a 16th century Spanish bedcover and examples of Louth-made carpets.

Subjects

Bedding and linens; Hats; Embroidery; Carpets; Textiles; Shoes; Uniforms; Dresses; Costume; Boots

Science and Industry Collection

Local significance. The collection contains artefacts relating to local industry, including malting implements; Louth-made carpets; locally-made bricks; carpenters’ tools; blacksmiths’ bellows; printing machine and equipment; Armitage fog signal.

Subjects

Carpenters; Trade (practice); Blacksmiths; Carpets; Bricks; Printing industry; Tools; Industry

Transport Collection

The Collection contains Boneshaker; Louth-made Le Brun bicycles; 1914 Raleigh bicycles; railway station foundation stone laying trowel; railway station foundation stone laying trowel; bypass open scissors; models of schooner, Donna Nook lifeboat; traction engine, stationary engine; waterwheel. Local significance.

Subjects

Railway stations; Traction engines; Roads; Bicycles; Transport

Agriculture Collection

Local significance. The collection contains a range of hand tools; sack barrow and potato scales, plus veterinary equipment.

Subjects

Agriculture; Farming

Biology Collection

Local significance. The collection contains moths, butterflies, beetles, shells, some mounted birds and animals; a few birds’ eggs.

Subjects

Natural sciences; Butterflies; Shells; Birds; Insects; Biology

Geology Collection

Local significance. The collection contains local rocks, fossils and minerals; large Whin Sill erratic, Ice Age mammal bones, model of formation of Hubbard’s Hills.

Subjects

Bones; Quaternary; Rocks; Fossils; Geology; Minerals

Fine Art Collection

Local significance. The collection contains paintings, drawings, engravings (J W Wilson, Bartholomew Howlett; Peter De Wint; C.R. Morton; Bennett Hubbard, William Brown, John & Thomas Espin); woodcarvings (Thomas Wilkinson Wallis); busts.

Subjects

Fine arts; Engravings; Paintings; Drawings; Woodworking

Personalia Collection

Local significance. The collection contains Items relating to: Sir George Broadley; C S Carter; Claribel; R W Goulding; Andreas Kalvos; George Marshall; Edwin Richardson; Stella Sharpley; Alfred Lord Tennyson; T W Wallis; Tom and Margaret Wintringham; Jack Yates.

Subjects

Printed ephemera; Personality; Personal history

Social History Collection

Local significance. The collection contains domestic items; local shop/trades material; items relating to local fire, police and civil defence; market stall; handcart; model of St James’ church; architects’ plans by James Fowler; gibbet cage.

Subjects

Civil defence; Domestic life; Plans; Architects; Social history; Shops

Archaeology Collection

The collection contains flint tools; local Anglo Saxon and Romano British material; engraved stone slabs; stone coffin (Cistercian), post medieval pottery. Local significance.

Subjects

Roman period; Archaeology

Photography Collection

Local significance The collection contains a large number of photographs (some framed) and negatives (glass and film) including work of local photographers; collection relating to 1920 Louth flood; transparencies; cameras; video film of local events.

Subjects

Film recordings; Photographs; Video tape recordings; Photographic negatives; Photography

Archives Collection

Local significance. The collection is extensive containing indentures and other miscellaneous documents; architects’ drawings/ handbills and posters; estate agents’ records; maps, engraving and prints; scrapbooks, printed ephemera, local newspapers. Part Goulding Collection (on loan from The Collection). Manor Court Rolls on loan to LCRO. Large number of postcards and greetings cards. Large library of books and journals.

Subjects

Newspapers; Printed ephemera; Periodicals; Libraries; Engravings; Books; Postcards; Documents; Archives; Maps; Prints

Source: Cornucopia

Date: Not known, but before 2015

Licence: CC BY-NC

Wikidata identifier:: Q16840881
Also known as:: Hamilton Low Parks Museum
Instance of:: museum; independent museum
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum; Recognised collection
Accreditation number:: 460
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q16840881/

Collection-level records:

Collection history (Collection development policy)

South Lanarkshire Museum collections comprise approximately 150,000 objects from the South Lanarkshire geographical/ Local Government administrative area. Hamilton District Council via Low Parks Museum was collecting for over 40 years. In 1996 during local government re-organisation this collection was amalgamated with other long-standing collections from Clydesdale, John Hastie Museum in Strathaven, East Kilbride District Council and parts of Glasgow (Rutherglen). In 2000 South Lanarkshire Council, through an application to the Court of Session, was granted ownership of The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) collections, over which it had assumed legal care since 1996.

On 1 October 2010 South Lanarkshire Council (hereinafter referred to as SLC in this document) transferred the museum service to the already existing South Lanarkshire Leisure Limited, who from that date was known as South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture Limited. A formal agreement dated 30 September 2010 (The Collections Agreement) was entered into to allow South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture Limited (hereinafter referred to as SLLC in this document) to manage the museum collections on behalf of SLC.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2023

Licence: CC BY-NC
Collection overview (Collection development policy)

The entire South Lanarkshire collection covers the time of prehistory to the present day. SLLC Museum Service continues to actively collect on behalf of SLC.

The collection is divided into five categories:

Industry, Transport and Technology – a large collection of industrial and agricultural tools, models, maritime history, a small aviation collection, road and rail transportation and a substantial collection of commercial and domestic technologies.

Art, Design and Textiles – significant art collections on paper and canvas; decorative arts particularly ceramics; special collection books; locally significant civic and regimental silver collections; a small collection of musical instruments; regional, national and military costume and associated accessories covering the period from the 17^th century to the present day.

Natural History – botany, geology and zoology, a significant collection of regional and national herbaria, a regional and nationally significant fossil collection, a large rock and mineral collection and a small collection of taxidermy, fish and birds’ eggs.

Our History – South Lanarkshire from pre-history to the present day – a small but significant archaeological collection, a substantial arms and armoury collection of edged weapons and firearms, a large numismatics collection and an extensive military medal collection which includes 7 Victoria Crosses. It also includes domestic and personal objects illustrating health and education, leisure, working lives, religion and local history.

Printed and Digital collections – a substantial archive representing South Lanarkshire’s geographical areas, printed, digital, written information and place specific photographic images. Also a substantial military archive and photographic collection relating to the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) and film, sound and non-place specific photographic collections.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2023

Licence: CC BY-NC

Wikidata identifier:: Q24993825
Instance of:: maritime museum; independent museum
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum
Accreditation number:: 1822
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q24993825/

Collection-level records:

Collection history (Collection development policy)

The society was formed in 1958, and began accumulating items connected with the fishing industry and the local shipping heritage from donations. In 1968 the cottage building was acquired by lease from the council and the first museum was created. This has subsequently been extended over the years as the collections have grown, from items which have been donated from members of the public.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2015

Licence: CC BY-NC
Collection overview (Collection development policy)

The collection includes ship models, fishing gear and shipwrights’ tools, a coastguard and lifeboat collection, navy memorabilia associated with local people, navigation instruments, items relating to past and present, local trades associated with the maritime industry, a representation of the workshop of Christopher Cockerell, medals, pictures and photographs associated with and representing local maritime activity and a facsimile of a drifter’s cabin. Occasional items have been collected that relate to maritime history outside the museum’s principle area of interest for comparative and educational purposes.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2015

Licence: CC BY-NC

Wikidata identifier:: Q113292368
Instance of:: museum; independent museum
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum
Accreditation number:: 136
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q113292368/

Collection-level records:

Collection history (Collection development policy)

The Lowestoft Archaeological and Local History Society Museum was formed in 1966. Field walking began two years later and the results were so productive that it was decided to open a museum to house the finds. This was opened in 1972 at the old Laundry Premises in the Prairie. Loans and gifts to the museum included cobbler’s tools, pottery, items trawled from the North Sea and a picture postcard collection from Jack Rose. The Society and Museum were registered as a Charitable Trust in 1974.

The museum was relocated to Broad House in 1985 and was opened by the Queen. A fine collection of Lowestoft porcelain and paintings belonging to the old Borough of Lowestoft was now able to be displayed and in recent years a large private collection of Lowestoft Porcelain was gifted to the museum. In 1990 the Museum was granted Registration status and Accreditation status in 2009. Over the years the collection has grown by occasional purchases, donations and loans. Purchases include an Anglo Saxon brooch and gold pendant and a Romano British gold ring. In 2022 the museum benefitted from grants awarded by the Beecroft Foundation and the V&A to purchase a unique pair of Lowestoft Porcelain standing pugs. Donations include a fine collection of model house boxes from the Fincham Estate. Loans include items from the Natural History Museum following the discovery of the flint flakes at Pakefield that set the early history of man back by 200,000 years, and a display of Anglo Saxon items from Carlton Colville from the Suffolk Archaeological Unit. The highlight for the Museum was a figurine from the site loaned by the British Museum in 2015 and subsquent loan (2022) of Somerleyton Hoard from the BM.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2022

Licence: CC BY-NC
Collection overview (Collection development policy)
Our collection area includes Lowestoft and the area immediately around it within 10 miles. We also collect some items in order to set our collections in a broader context but the number of items in this category is intended to remain small.

Our collection period covers the whole span of time, from prehistoric fossils to recent history.

Our themes for collecting are determined by how Lowestoft and its immediate area has developed and includes :
- Lowestoft Porcelain;
- Geology of the area;
- Archaeological finds from the area including early man discovered at Pakefield;
- Local trade and industry;
- Domestic history;
- Local history and costume;
- Fine arts;
- Paintings, porcelain and civic regalia on long-term loan from Lowestoft Town Council (formerly Waveney District Council).
Our collection of Lowestoft Porcelain is particularly noteworthy. Alongside collections in the Victoria and Albert Museum and Norwich Castle Museum, it is the most comprehensive in the country, with both moulds and examples of all types of wares and decorations. We have one large room dedicated to the Porcelain and ensure it is always well displayed.

The local archaeology displays, mainly found by amateurs, are very comprehensive and add much extra information on early life in the area.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2022

Licence: CC BY-NC

Wikidata identifier:: Q29159363
Instance of:: museum; local authority museum
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum
Accreditation number:: 910
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q29159363/

Collection-level records:

Collection history (Collection development policy)

The building now known as Lowewood Museum began as a private family home that dates back to the 1760s. It was occupied by one family for a number of years. When that last family member died, it was bought by Douglas Day Taylor in 1936 who donated it to Hoddesdon Town Council, to be used as a library and museum in memory of his wife. A library opened in 1937. In 1946 a Mr Whitley gave his collection of objects to the library, and this formed the basis of the museum.

With local government changes in 1974, Broxbourne Council came into being and became the new owners of Lowewood. They continued to run the library service and the librarian also became a curator. When the Librarian passed away in 1976, the Hoddesdon Society were concerned about the future of the museum collections, particularly as there were plans to move the library into its own premises and talk of turning Lowewood into offices.

At a meeting of the Council with the Hoddesdon Society, the society offered to sort through and catalogue the collection. Patricia Braham made a start on this and was later joined by Eve Petter. Dinah Atkinson later joined and ‘The Three Ladies of Lowewood’ began the task of going through the collection.

In 1977 the library moved out of Lowewood to its new home and the museum collection remained. It took five years for the museum collection to be officially opened to the public. It has been in operation and admission free since 1982.

In 1987, A group of committed and enthusiastic local people formed The Friends of Lowewood Museum to advocate for and support the museum. Over the years they have helped to fund a number of important purchases for the museum including acquisitions to the collections and equipment.

From 2012 to 2019 the museum was managed by Epping Forest District Council on behalf of the Borough of Broxbourne. They did much work to bring the community into the museum and taking the museum out into the community, making the collections more accessible. A team of staff and volunteers were employed to run the museum service.

Epping Forest District Council gave notice in June 2019 that they would be ending the Service Level Agreement in June 2020. Attempts to find a new model of delivering the museum service initially proved fruitless and it appeared in late 2019 that the museum might have to close indefinitely, leading to a public campaign to keep the museum open.

Further negotiations in early 2020 saw Broxbourne Borough Council and the Friends of Lowewood agree to the creation of a new Lowewood Museum Trust CIO. The Trust received charitable status in January 2021 and nine trustees have been appointed. Over 40 volunteers were recruited from Spring 2021, and they support the trustees with various responsibilities including front of house and collections work. The museum re-opened under the management of the Trust in July 2021.

The collection remains in the ownership of Broxbourne Borough Council. The Trust will be responsible for the safe storage and security of the collection. The professional judgement of the Trusts’ staff, as per the Museum Association’s professional guidelines, will be used in determining future acquisitions, disposals and loans. All disposals will be agreed with the Council.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2022

Licence: CC BY-NC
Collection overview (Collection development policy)

The museum holds material relating to the culture and history of the Borough of Broxbourne. Formed in 1974 by the merging of the former Cheshunt and Hoddesdon Urban District, the Borough of Broxbourne covers 20 square miles and includes the towns and villages of Cheshunt, Broxbourne, Goffs Oak, Hoddesdon, Turnford, Waltham Cross and Wormley.

Since the museum was formed, the collections have developed mostly through donations from local residents, including local historians, private collectors and the descendants of significant local families. The collection also includes former collections from Hoddesdon Clock Tower and Cheshunt Public Library.

For collecting purposes, the material held may be divided into eight subject areas:

1. Natural Sciences

Lowewood Museum’s Natural History collection comprises of a small number of taxidermy specimens including items associated with the Meux family of Theobalds Park (including a tiger and leopard).

There is a small collection of minerals and fossils collected from the local area.

2. Archaeology

Lowewood’s archaeological collections provide evidence of human settlement and activity from the Palaeolithic period onwards. Site and finds of particular interest include Theobalds Palace (Cedars Park) and Cheshunt Park Farm.

The present collections represent finds made locally both actively (by excavation or other fieldwork) and passively (by casual find) ranging in date from Palaeolithic to Post Medieval. It also includes archives of archaeological projects.

3. Social and Industrial History

The museum’s social and industrial history collections reflect the changing nature of the borough.

Collections include paper collections (receipts, orders and account books and ledgers, certificates, invoices, advertising literature, maps and plans etc), archives (particularly of local families like the Warner family) costume, equipment and tools, products made and used locally and personal items belonging to local people.

4. Fine and Decorative Arts

The museum has a fine collection of James Ward (1769 –1859) paintings and drawings. He spent the last 25 years of his life in Cheshunt.

There is also a collection of other 2d artworks, both historic and contemporary –from local artists. This includes oils, watercolours and pencil drawings. Significant collections include those from local artists Ethel Warner and Charles Whitley.

There is a collection of decorative art material associate with the area, including four carved elm wood swans, various sculptures and busts, glassware and furniture.

5. Photography and film

The photography collection accounts for the largest of all the collection areas. It consists of 19th and 20th century photographs (black and white and colour) from the Hertfordshire Mercury, and those given by individuals.

The museum contains many negatives and slides (some are duplicates of the prints) and film reel of local places, events and people.

6. Paper based items

The paper-based items, both printed and handwritten, including books, documents (such as letters, receipts, calendars, posters, diaries, school exercise books) and maps and plans covering a wide variety of topics relating to life in the Borough.

There is a separate collection of reference/mass produced books which have previously been accessioned, but these are in the process of being deaccessioned and will be retained by the museum in a reference library capacity, rather than as collections items.

7. Costume

The museum has a small collection of costume from various periods, of men, women and children, including military and working costume and wedding outfits.

8. Oral History

The museum has a collection of around 80 oral history recordings, all recorded on audio cassette. These relate to people who have lived in the Borough and their experiences and memories of life, including work, education, the war and social events. These have yet to be transcribed or digitised.

Handling

The museum has a very small collection of handling items that are not accessioned. These are purely for handling purposes, for example learning, reminiscence, and events.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2022

Licence: CC BY-NC

Wikidata identifier:: Q3521692
Instance of:: art museum; theatre building; arts centre
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum
Accreditation number:: 2267
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q3521692/
Collection level records:: Not yet. If you represent this organisation and can provide collection-level information, please contact us.

Wikidata identifier:: Q113369788
Instance of:: museum; local authority museum
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum
Accreditation number:: 786
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q113369788/
Collection level records:: Not yet. If you represent this organisation and can provide collection-level information, please contact us.

Wikidata identifier:: Q12061402
Part of:: Culture Coventry Trust
Instance of:: military museum; castrum; independent museum
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum
Accreditation number:: 784
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q12061402/
Collection level records:: Yes, see Culture Coventry Trust

Wikidata identifier:: Q113370075
Also known as:: Lutterworth Museum, Lutterworth & District Museum
Instance of:: museum; independent museum
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum
Accreditation number:: 2361
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q113370075/
Collection level records:: Not yet. If you represent this organisation and can provide collection-level information, please contact us.

Wikidata identifier:: Q113501321
Also known as:: The Lux Centre
Instance of:: moving image archive; gallery; arts organisation
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum
Accreditation number:: 2447
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q113501321/
Collection level records:: Not yet. If you represent this organisation and can provide collection-level information, please contact us.

Wikidata identifier:: Q6707712
Part of:: Swindon Borough Council
Instance of:: country house; historic house museum
Museum/collection status:: Accredited museum
Accreditation number:: 989
Persistent shareable link for this record:: https://museumdata.uk/museums/q6707712/

Collection-level records:

Collection overview (Cornucopia)

Fine Art Collection

The St John family portrait collection comprises late 16th to early 19th century works by Mary Beale, John Riley, Cornelius Jensen, Isaak Whood, Michael Wright, Johnathan Richardson, Joseph Highmore and Sir Peter Lely. In addition, there is a group of St John family miniatures which includes works by John Smart and S Hayter. Further artistic works are by the acclaimed 18th century amateur artist Lady Diana (Spencer), 2nd Viscountess Bolingbroke, including examples of her decorative wall panels. Eight St John family portraits are on loan from the De Morgan Foundation.

Subjects

Fine Art

Decorative and Applied Art Collection

There is fine furniture of mid 18th to early 19th century, ceramics, silver and glassware much originating from Lydiard House. Original fittings in the house include chimney pieces by Henry Cheere; 18th century plaster busts; early 19th century flock wall paper; and an early 17th century painted window by Abraham Van Linge which includes over 100 pieces of glass painted with figures, flowers, strange mythical creatures, tiny flies and even an elephant. There are six items of 18th century furniture on loan from the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Subjects

Decorative and Applied Arts

Personalia Collection

There is St John family memorabilia including photographs, ephemera and costume relating to the family and Lydiard House.

Subjects

Personalia

Costume and Textile Collection

This collection is costume of the St John family.

Subjects

Costume and Textile

Photographic Collection

There are photographs of the St John family and the house.

Subjects

Photography

Archives Collection

There are documents and ephemera relating to the St John family.

Subjects

Archives

Source: Cornucopia

Date: Not known, but before 2015

Licence: CC BY-NC

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