Collection: Beccles and District Museum

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  Beccles and District Museum is a small volunteer run museum set up to display items relating to Beccles and the surrounding villages. The Museum was formed in 1976 and moved to its current location, Leman House, a Grade 1 Listed 16^th Century house in 1996. The Museum collection originated from objects donated by the Beccles Historical Society and the Town Council, and has been augmented by donations from the public.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: Not known

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  At present there are some 10000 objects in the collection. The collection is particularly focused on local industries and occupations, which are:

  • Print and Publishing
  • Milling
  • Agriculture
  • Education
  • Scientific endeavour
  • Retail and Market activities
  • Activities associated with the River Waveney.
  • It is made up of items in the following categories:
  • Photographs
  • Books and documents
  • Textiles
  • Memorabilia
  • Geology
  • Archaeological
  • Architectural
  • Natural History

  The Museum also collects general artefacts that represent everyday life in the locality from Roman to Modern times. Although the bulk of the collection is dated to the late 19^th Century and early 20^th Century.

  There are a number of notable local historical figures and the Museum collects information about them and their families:

  • Sir John Leman
  • Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin
  • The Rix Family
  • Catherine Suckling
  • Dr. Joseph Arnold
  • Daniel of Beccles

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date:

  Licence: CC BY-NC