Collection: Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery

Collection-level records:

• Collection overview (Cornucopia)

  Fine Art

  The Museum has relatively good collections of mainly British oil and watercolour paintings and drawings, dating from the 17th century to the present day, including watercolours of Peterborough Cathedral by J M W Turner and David Cox, an oil-‘Rest on the Flight into Egypt’ by Van Huysum (1682-1741) and ‘View of Port St Denis’ by Walter Sickert, 1932. The majority of the works were obtained for their local connections, either in portraits, landscape or townscape. Non-local works mostly result from private bequests, the most important of which are the Martin bequest of mainly late 19thc and early 20thc oils and watercolours and the Hindley-Smith bequest of late 19thc and early 20thc works. The collection is strong in British post-war pictures and sculptures.

  Decorative Art

  The museum has collections of ceramics, including Staffordshire pottery and glass and English drinking vessels. Since 1983, the museum has been developing a collection of contemporary craft work purchased and commissioned from selected regional craftspeople; The prison at Norman Cross near Peterborough was constructed for the custody of French and Dutch prisoners taken captive during the Napoleonic Wars between 1797 and 1815. Most of the prison-of-war work consists of objects of carved bone and ivory, including model ships (many of the prisoners were sailors), guillotines, needle-work boxes and playing cards; and articles of straw marquetry. It is the largest collection of such items in the world. In 2002 Peterborough Museum launched the Norman Cross Conservation Project to care for the items in most need of conservation. The project is funded by grants awarded by the Pilgrim Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, the Museum Society and the Friends of Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery.

  Archaeology

  The Archaeology collection consists principally of artefacts retrieved from the Peterborough area, either as chance finds or as the product of systematic excavation. The material resulting from the excavations form archaeological archives which consist of registered finds, bulk finds, plans, maps, notes, photographs, x-rays and computer data. The Museum also houses the Peterborough Sites and Monuments record. The collections range from the early Palaeolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages, Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Medieval to the end of the 16th century. Early collections include the antiquarian artefacts of E T Artis (early 19thc Roman discoveries) and George Wyman Abbot (early 20thc discoveries of Palaeolithic flints and prehistoric Fengate). The excavation archives mainly result from work commissioned by English Heritage in advance of Peterborough New Town developments in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Many significant finds include ceramic assemblages giving their name to Neolithic and Roman pottery (Fengate and Nene Valley). The largest sub-groups in the collections are the archives from the Romano-British excavations at Ashton and Orton Hall Farm.

  Local and Social History

  Other aspects of community life include material relating to local events and activities, schooling and civic life. The domestic and family category includes material relating to heating, lighting, sanitation, furnishings and fittings, family medical matters, cleaning, cooking implements, food and drink, toys, hobbies and sports, ornaments, laundry equipment, shopping, DIY, and private transport. The personal life category material such as writing equipment, toilet items, watches, spectacles and walking sticks. The working life category includes materials relating to local crafts, trades, industries and commercial activity in the local area; The collections consists of occupational and military uniforms, men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, mainly late 19th century and early 20th century in date, together with hats, shoes and other accessories; The museum has a collection of original and copy images illustrating everyday life, events, buildings and personalities; The museum has a collection of coins and tokens, mainly British and from the local area.

  Military

  The collection of local militaria consists of uniforms, medals and decorations; sidearms and firearms, personal and general equipment, documents, commemorative material and photographs.

  Natural Science

  The collections consist of exotic marine molluscs; British moths and butterflies, local dried plants and fungi; world-wide birds eggs and mainly local mounted birds and mammals. The museum also houses the Peterborough Biological Centre.; The collection consists of fossils of reptiles and fish from the local Oxford clays, local Ice Age mammals, British rocks, minerals and invertebrate fossils.

  Agriculture Collection

  The museum holds examples of Harrison McGregor Albion agricultural machinery (a local manufacturer).

  Source: Cornucopia

  Date: Not known, but before 2015

  Licence: CC BY-NC