Collection: Bilsthorpe Heritage Museum

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  The acquirement of our collection began with the closure of Bilsthorpe Colliery in 1997 when 2 miners asked the colliery management if they could remove items from a skip. Permission was granted – the 2 men kept their collected items in the garage. This evolved into Bilsthorpe Memorability Society as several ex-miners became interested. Local residents began giving the society items which they had in their lofts and sheds, the garages became too small for the growing collection. The Society asked the Parish Council if they could use one of their ‘old Squash Courts’ for storage, this was agreed so the collection was moved from the garages into a squash court. Locals still were giving or leaving artefacts and documents etc. In 2009 we received instruction through Flintham Museum how we should provide forms etc for incoming items, how to give each a file name to be able to track the item. This we did as a prelude to gaining charity status (2012). We have continued this as the wider community has given items to the museum.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2019

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  All acquisitions are given a unique number, they are photographed (artefacts) or scanned (documents or photographs). Copies are made of the latter which then go on display, the original filed/conserved, boxed and put into storage. The artefacts photograph is attached to the file card for identification and then the artefact is either on display or boxed in storage. The file card tells where the original item is and whether it has been bought, donated or on loan.

  Our priority for collecting is in the main items which relate to the mining industry, but we also collect items useful to the social history/ farming of the local communities as each compliments the other.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2019

  Licence: CC BY-NC