Collection: Newtown Textile Museum

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  The Newtown Textile Museum Trust was established in 1966 and the Museum opened in 1967 in the two top floors of an 1830s building which had been built as a hand-loom weaving factory above 6 back-to-back cottages on the lower floors. For the first 25 years the Museum was run as a Trust by a band of volunteers and accepted objects into the collection that they felt enhanced the themes of the Museum.

  In 1990 the Museum passed into the hands of the Powys County Council who ran it in conjunction with other Museums under their care. They continued to accept donations of objects into the collection until 2014, when the Council were unable to continue to run the Museum and keep it open to the public. It was closed until a group of Newtown volunteers took it over in June 2016 and it was reopened in August 2016. Since that time the Collections policy set out below has been in place, and objects collected that fit within these guidelines.

  Some of the current collection, obtained in the pre-1990 period, would not fit within our current collection guidelines, but relate to Newtown and serve to enhance the history of the town.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: Not known

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  Newtown Textile Museum has 1708 objects in its accessioned collection which are associated with the history of the woollen and flannel history in Newtown from 1790 to the beginning of the 20th century as well as related material.

  The collection relates to the following aspects:

  1. the woollen industry
  2. other related industries
  3. transport
  4. the history of the town of Newtown during the relevant period.

  The collection currently includes nearly 160 books. Most of these will be transferred to the handling collection in due course and will be available to the public for research.

  The current Museum organisation has inherited a number of objects from the period 1967 – 1990 when the Museum was run by a Trust. These objects include furniture and looms on a recurring loan from St Fagans in Cardiff. A Loan Agreement for these objects is re-negotiated every year with that organisation.

  The Museum will not now accept items on long-term loans of more than three years except in special circumstances. Nor will the Museum accept items where there is a potential for conservation work that the Museum cannot reasonably manage.

  In addition to the main permanent collection, a handling collection has also been established to allow objects of lesser historical significance to be kept and made available to the public and used to enhance the student learning process.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date:

  Licence: CC BY-NC