- Wikidata identifier:
- Q4667824
- Instance of:
- local museum; local authority museum
- Museum/collection status:
- Accredited Museum
- Persistent shareable link for this record:
- https://museumdata.uk/museums/q4667824/
Collection-level records:
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Collection history (Collection development policy)
In February 1919 the Borough Finance Committee received letters from three Abingdon men, Mr John West, Dr Paulin Martin and Mr Thomas Townsend, offering their collections to the town as a nucleus of a museum. In February 1920 a Museum Committee was appointed. The collections were catalogued by Mr Bayzand and his assistant from the Geology Department at Oxford University. The extent of the collections was recorded as follows:
- Geology: 20 cases
- Minerals: 5 cases
- Recent shells: 5 cases
- Recent corals: 1 case
- Antiquities: 14 cases
- Zoological: 5 human skeletons found in excavating the basement of a local inn (no longer in the collection)
- Miscellaneous rocks and building stone
In 1927 the museum was established in the newly refurbished County Hall.
Source: Collection development policy
Date: 2021
Licence: CC BY-NC
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Collection overview (Collection development policy)
Archaeology Collection
Archaeological finds from the Abingdon area are of national interest with outstanding prehistoric and Saxon material. The Bronze Age Barrows at Barrow Hills on the outskirts of Abingdon and Radley was extensively excavated in the 1920s by E.T. Leeds, and these finds are part of the Ashmolean Collections. Abingdon ware is a recognised form of early pottery. Later excavations in the Vineyard area of the Town Centre found evidence of continuous settlement from 700BC to the present day.
All existing archaeology collections relate specifically to the town of Abingdon within the historic Borough boundaries, and most were collected prior to the 1980 Service Level Agreement with The Oxfordshire Museums Service. The Archaeology collections cover a broad time span from the Palaeolithic to circa 1540 when Abingdon Abbey was demolished.
The County Museums Service is now the official repository for archaeological material and archives relating to the post 1974 county boundaries for Oxfordshire. Most of these collections are acquired by Oxfordshire following assessment and excavation in advance of development. Individual finds are either donated by landowners or acquired through the Treasure process.
History Collections
The first Social History items were donated to Abingdon Borough Council in 1919. When Abingdon Museum was proposed, some years later these collections were formally donated to the Museum. The Working Life and Personal / Domestic Life collections have been built up sporadically over almost 100 years.
Apart from the Founding Collections, donations from members of the public or local companies make up the majority of the present collection. Abingdon Museum’s Collections provide an important focal point for the town’s cultural history, which illustrate the lives of ordinary people in Abingdon over the last 450 years.
Specific collections of note
Working Life
The 20th century Working Life collections relating to the MG car factory, Pavlova leather works and Morland Brewery are particularly strong.
Personal Life
These collections include numerous toys and games, and a fully equipped Victorian doll’s house.
Textiles and Costume
A limited amount of textiles and mainly Victorian costume, including baby gowns, have been collected. The costumes of most note are:
- WWI leather flying helmet and boots
- Agricultural smocks
- Hidden items found in local buildings including 18th century baby’s cap and pocket and in a separate find of a pair of shoes
- 18th century shoes and pattens
Decorative Arts and Crafts
As part of the Founding Collections, there are a number of beadwork items including Native American Indian moccasins.
Fine Art
The collection includes paintings, prints and drawings that are either by Abingdon artists or are of scenes in Abingdon. The most notable paintings are:
- Indian scenes and local Abingdon views by Oswald Couldrey (1882 – 1958) who attended Abingdon School, served in the Indian Education Service and then retired to Abingdon
- Sketches and portraits by William Waite
- Oil paintings of two local landscapes by W.T. Blandford-Fletcher
- The collection also includes a number of naive works, notably portraits of a shepherd and his wife
Image Collection
The collections include a large number of images in the form of framed and loose photographic prints, mounted photos, prints, etchings, and drawings that have been arranged by subject matter.
Whilst copies of many of the photographs are also held in the Oxfordshire County History Centre, it is our aim to make these images easily accessible.
Natural Sciences
The Founding Collections given to the Borough of Abingdon included natural science, especially a significant collection of fossils collected locally, and a limited number of non-local modern natural history specimens, minerals and shells. Most of these collections have never been accessioned as Museum Collections, and remain in the care of Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council. However, a review of the fossil collections took place from 2014 onwards, with specialist assistance from university researchers. The resulting information was used to catalogue the fossils on the museum’s ehive database.
Many of the non-local natural history specimens do not fall within the current collecting policy and the shell samples which were stuck to cardboard display boards are now very damaged. It is proposed that these specimens will not be formally accessioned but will be reviewed, with assistance from appropriate specialists, in line with the current Acquisitions and Disposal Policy.
Handling Collections
The Museum also holds some items that are acquired and maintained solely for handling and other educational purposes. These objects are not specifically collected for their Abingdon provenance and are not subject to this policy. Their management follows best practise for the documentation and care of collections as is appropriate in respect of a collection of this nature.
Source: Collection development policy
Date: 2021
Licence: CC BY-NC