Collection: Chard Museum

Collection-level records:

• Collection overview (Cornucopia)

  Social History Collection

  The museum holds material relating to the civic history of Chard including the borough charter of 1684; information about the lace riots of 1842; civic regalia; artefacts relating to the Pouletts of Hinton St George (lords of the manor); and artefacts from both World Wars; photographs; local 19th century posters (many political); and banners. There are artefacts from local shops (fascia boards, photographs, counter items, coins and tokens); shoemakers tools; a cider press, a horse-powered apple crusher and barrels; milk roundman’s measures, butterpats, cream lead and yokes; a blacksmith’s double forge bellows reconstructed with a full set of tools; a carpenter’s workshop with tools; wheelwright’s tools; kitchen utensils; laundry equipment including a box mangle, hand mangles and early washing machines; sewing machines, some costume; artefacts from schools, toys, and a dolls house; pulpit, harmonium and other artefacts from South Chard Baptist Chapel; two biers, two funeral monuments and other items relating to the cemetery; cameras, typewriters and phonographs.

  Subjects

  Social History

  Science and Industry Collection

  The collection holds a range of material relating to a wide variety of different industries and crafts. For John Stringfellow, the inventor of the aeroplane, there are his lathe and tools, personal memorabilia, models of three planes and an engine, and photographs of his life and work. For James Gillingham, local maker of artificial limbs, there are a number of limbs, photographs and other artefacts. There is Hill’s plumbing collection as well as printing presses and examples of each local paper; Donyatt pottery; and George Webb clay pipes.

  Subjects

  Science and Industry

  Agriculture Collection

  The collection includes agricultural hand tools; farm machinery from Dening, Hockey and Smith with photographs; and other artefacts relating to Phoenix Engineering.

  Subjects

  Agriculture

  Personalia Collection

  Material relating to John Stringfellow, inventor of the aeroplane; James Gillingham, developer of artificial limbs; Margaret Bondfield, the first woman cabinet minister in Britain; Dr Fawcus and Frederick Vickery VC.

  Subjects

  Personalia

  Transport Collection

  Included in the collection are a 1946 car and full set of garage items of similar date; road and railway signs; seven wagons; a municipal hand cart; a donkey cart; and several sets of horse harness.

  Subjects

  Transport

  Source: Cornucopia

  Date: Not known, but before 2015

  Licence: CC BY-NC