Collection: Tiverton Museum of Mid Devon Life

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  Tiverton Museum was founded at a public meeting in Tiverton Town Hall on 23rd November 1959 where concern was expressed at the disappearance of evidence representing local agriculture and industry, culture, community and domestic life. At a public meeting called by Vic Broomfield and Bill Authers, a committee was appointed: Chairman W.P. Authers; Vice Chairman V.J. Broomfield; President Derick H Amory. Eden R. H. Dicken became the Honorary Curator. The Museum opened on 24 June 1960 at 9 Angel Terrace. As the collection grew, the museum moved to Chilcott School in St Peter Street in 1962. In 1965 the museum gained Charity Status (No. 239531). As it was once again outgrowing its premises, the museum found that St. George’s Church would sell their church halls – the old National School which had been built in 1841. The cost of £6,000 was defrayed by Lord Amory and the purchase was complete on 17th June 1968. In 1976 the Waggon Gallery was constructed. Many of the carts were donated by the Alford Brothers (whose family had farmed at Netherexe Barton for 3 generations). In 1979 Lord Amory decided that the 1400 class loco that he had purchased in 1965 (and placed in Blundell’s Road) needed to go under cover. The engine was moved on the 5th February and the new gallery was erected around the engine which had now been given to the museum. In 1982 an original Heathcoat weaving machine was offered to the museum. The machine, made in 1853, is one of the few surviving of Heathcoat’s original design, which revolutionised the manufacture of lace and altered the pattern of industry in Tiverton. The waggon collection was conserved in 1998, and in 2000 the museum reopened after a major refurbishment project in the main museum building. The transport gallery was redisplayed in 2006 allowing level access throughout the gallery, and public access into the cab of the ‘Tivvy Bumper’ steam engine.

  Over many years the great support of the local public has resulted in the assemblage of a vast, eclectic collection. The museum is still offered items on a very regular basis, and depends upon donation to the collection as there is no purchasing budget. The Museum and these collections are administered and controlled by the Trustees of the Tiverton Museum of Mid Devon Life Charitable Incorporated Organisation’ (hereinafter called the CIO) with a full-time Director responsible to them for day-to-day management.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2022

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  The collections fall into sixteen separate identifiable areas:

  i)  Community life:

  • church: carving
  • chapel: communion set, banner, etc
  • education: inkwell carrier, certificates, plaques
  • health: doctor’s and dentist’s items
  • personalities: items related to Gooding, Capern, Wood, Hill, Harford, Best, Pollett, Cosway, Rippon, Down, Glass, Carew, Boyce, Caraboo (Wilcox), Farewell, Cameron, Sage, Blundell, Greenway, Blackmore, Gamlens of Hayne, Blagdon, etc

  ii)  Domestic life

  • kitchen: cooking utensils and equipment; ranges; pots and pans, cloam and Dutch ovens, scales, teapots, bottles, taps, trivets, knife sharpeners, stoves, kettles, cutlery, jugs, mugs, cups, gas refrigerator and cookery, etc
  • laundry: hand-operated washing machines, dollies, copper, wash-board, mangles, tongues, wooden sinks, flat irons, water wheel, goffering irons
  • living: lamps, inkstands/bottles, pottery, clay-pipes, china, footwarmers, glass, door-knockers, locks/keys, desk-top accessories, window-frames, musical instruments, record players, money boxes, fire-backs, fire tongs, paraffin and electric heaters, candle snuffers, samplers, clocks, calendars, framed pictures, pocket watches, boot jacks, radios, sewing machines, knitting machines, needle-craft/dressmaking, lace making etc
  • bedroom: bedspreads, quilts
  • cleaning: vacuum cleaners, brushes
  • childhood: toys, puzzles, dolls, dolls houses, games, pictorial composition cards, costume

  iii)  Costume:

  • the collection of female costume ranges from the early-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries. Its main strength lies generally between the 1860s and 1920s. There are: dresses, skirts, blouses, bodice jackets, shawls, coats, capes, aprons, underwear, night dresses, hats, veils, collars, stoles, scarves, gloves, shoes, sandals, ladies accessories, e.g. hair crimpers, purses, hat pins, vanity box, powder compacts, etc.
  • there is a small collection of male accessories: collars, scarves, nightshirt, shoes, clogs, umbrellas, etc.
  • occupational dress: including agricultural, fire brigade, police, etc.

  iv)  Agriculture:

  • cultivators, drags, hoes, ploughs, mills, waggons, carts, seed drills, corn hutch, horse wheel, wheelbarrows, hand tools, harrow reaper, tractor, horse harness, bits and snaffles, pulpers and cutters, dairy equipment, cider-making equipment, countrymen’s smocks, horseshoes, brewing equipment, overshot and undershot waterwheel, etc.

  v)  Industry:

  • Heathcoat lace making machines, fabrics, lace, lace making tools, apprentice piece, etc.

  vi)  Trades and Crafts:

  • items related to inn keeping, tailoring, shoemaking, dealing in agricultural implements
  • retailing: gunsmithing, tinsmithing, hardware dealing, news vending, locksmithing, photography, carpentry, saddle making, blacksmith and wheelwright shops, wool scales, tobacconist, Post Office, grocer

  vii)  Transport:

  • roads: governess trap, horse harness, saddles, bicycles, tollgate, road menders tools, items related to freight haulage, public and private transport, bus timetables
  • railway: locomotive and items relating predominately to the G.W.R. and also to the L.S.W.R., Southern, and B.R.; permanent way ancillaries, hand tools, furniture, signalling equipment
  • waterways: implements, documents, etc., related to use of canal for leisure as well as for working

  viii)  Militaria:

  • weapons, medals, uniforms and accessories, model soldier and aircraft collections, HMS Hermes model, A.R.P., Home Guard, R.O.C. items, incendiary devices, P.O.W. items

  ix)  Early History:

  • Civil War round shot and model, charity boards, stocks, staple marks, Cromwell Charter, ‘Armada’ chest, etc.

  x)  Local: borough insignia, stamps, seals, town clerk’s robe

  • Government: weights and measures, police truncheons, badges, helmets, whistles, fire brigade badges, helmet, lamp lighting, cell doors, etc.

  xi)  Natural History:

  • fossils, rock types and minerals (very small collection) – (geology)

  xii)  Archaeology:

  • prehistoric flints and tools, model of Roman fort, querns, pottery (very small collection)

  xiii)  Photographs:

  • photographs & negatives of local personalities & scenes

  xiv)  Archives:

  • deeds, documents, ephemera, postcards & printed matter

  xv)  Fine Art:

  • prints, drawings and paintings

  xvi)  Numismatics:

  • coins and trade tokens

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2022

  Licence: CC BY-NC