Collection: Weston Museum

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  Weston Museum was founded in 1861 when William Mable, a London shoemaker and antiquarian, gave his collection to the Night School with the aim of it becoming a Museum for the Town.

  William Mable had moved from London to Weston-super-Mare in 1852 and become fascinated by the excavations taking place at Worlebury Hillfort. He was saddened by the fact that there was no repository in the Town where artefacts discovered in excavations such as these could be deposited and made accessible to the public, later writing that:

  ‘A feeling of remorse came over me and I thought here is a rapidly rising town with such an ancient encampment and no place provided to receive the articles of antiquity found in and about it, but as needs must, they were sent to a neighbouring town. This ought not to have been and I resolved to secure a Museum for the town of Weston, free to the public at all reasonable times. As soon after as convenient I collected such specimens of natural history as I thought necessary and began to talk about my project. I received little encouragement and a considerable amount of ridicule. The latter did not in the least deter me because I knew if it had been the Mayor and Corporation there would be some chance of success. However, I stuck to my scheme…’

  The founding collections were broad in their scope and included both local material relating to Weston-super-Mare and its surrounding areas as well as material from across the UK and

  from around the world. Archaeology, fine and decorative art, costume and textiles, ethnography, geology, numismatics and social history were all collected.

  In 1863, the Albert Memorial Hall was built as a new home for the Night School. The building was extended in 1868 to include a Superintendent’s house and a large room to house the Museum.

  Although William Mable always envisaged his collection passing into the care and ownership of the Town it took several years before a transfer was arranged. In 1897 the Trustees of the Museum suggested that the Urban District Council should assume responsibility for the Museum but agreement could not be reached over the terms of transfer. Eventually an agreement was reached and the Urban District Council embarked on the construction of a purpose-built Museum and Library on the Boulevard. The museum collections were moved here and the Museum opened to the public on 27 June 1901.

  After nearly 75 years of close association the Museum and Library services were separated on 1 April 1974 as part of a local government reorganisation. Governance of the Museum was transferred to Woodspring District Council and on 30 June 1957 the museum collection was moved into the newly converted Weston-super-Mare Gaslight Company Workshops and Stores building. From this date the Museum’s collecting area broadened to encompass the whole of District of Woodspring not just Weston-super-Mare and the Museum became known as ‘Woodspring Museum’.

  During this period collecting activity continued to have a broad focus. Local material from sites in Weston-super-Mare and its surrounding areas were collected. However, reference collections of material from across the UK and from around the world were also built up.

  In April 1996, Woodspring District Council and Avon County Council were abolished in a local government reorganisation. Governance of the Museum was transferred to a new unitary authority, NSC, which has the same boundaries as Woodspring District Council but now fulfils all the functions formerly carried out by the Woodspring District Council and Avon County Council. From the 1 July 1996 the Museum was renamed ‘The Time Machine’ and then subsequently ‘North Somerset Museum’.

  In 2010 NSC decided to close the Museum as part of a money saving exercise. There was widespread protest against the decision and a strongly expressed local view that closing the Museum would result in a deplorable loss to Weston-super-Mare and its heritage. In response to this new management arrangements were agreed. In 2011 WSMTC took on ownership and responsibility for the building, safeguarding it for the Town. The Museum was renamed the Weston-super-Mare Museum.

  Through this development Service Level Agreements between WSMTC, NSC and SCC were produced to ensure that the Museum’s public services continued and that the museum collection would be cared for and managed to professionally recognised standards. In November 2014 SWHT was established. Part of its remit is to fulfil the obligations of SCC as set out in the Service Level Agreements. The management arrangements are set out in more detail in Section 4 of the Collections Management Framework.

  The Museum’s public services and buildings are operated and managed by WSMTC. The collections remain in the ownership of NSC and are stored, cared for and managed by the SWHT at the Somerset Heritage Centre near Taunton, where environmentally controlled storage conditions help preserve the objects for future generations. The collections are accessible to WSMTC for display in the Museum for a minimum of 25 years through a Service Level Agreement with NSC, with assured professional curatorial assistance from the SWHT through a separate Service Level Agreement with SCC.

  From April 2015, the Museum closed to the public for a period of just over two years for a Heritage Lottery Funded redevelopment. During the closure, essential building work took place, and the displays were completely redesigned. During this period the Museum was renamed WM.

  WM reopened to the public on 26 August 2017.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2018

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  The NSC museum collection contains around 50,000 individual objects. The collection can be split into the following broad areas: archaeology, art, costume and textiles, geology, natural history, numismatics and social history. 3% of the collection is currently on display in WM, the remaining 97% is stored at the Somerset Heritage Centre near Taunton. This is a purpose-built storage facility, which opened in September 2010, and houses collections cared for by the SWHT, as well as design and digitisation functions, conservation facilities and the curatorial team. Less than 1% of the collection is out on loan to other accredited museums and organisations.

  As a whole, the collection is of major local and sub-regional significance. Some individual items have regional and national significance.

  Description of Items	Number of Items	% of Collection
  Gifts	21,971	44%
  Purchases	4,442	9%
  Loans In	213	0.4%
  Transfers	88	0.2%
  Unknown Source	23,407	47%
  Total	c. 50,000	100%

  Archaeology

  Archaeology represents 30% of the NSC museum collection.

  The archaeology collection comprises material representing the archaeology of North Somerset and its surrounding area from the Palaeolithic to the 21^st century. There are strong collections for the Ice Age, Iron Age and Roman periods, and there is a growing collection of industrial archaeology material, particularly from the Nailsea area. There is also a small body of non-local British material, and some foreign material.

  The archaeology collection contains significant material from the Mesolithic period onwards including the excavated finds from the Roman temples at Brean Down and Henley Wood, Yatton. Outstanding individual items include a fine Roman patera or pan made of bronze, and a romanesque carving from Weston parish church.

  Fine and Decorative Art

  Fine and decorative art represents 2% of the NSC museum collection.

  The fine and decorative art collection comprises a representative selection of works by local artists and craftspeople and representations of local people and places dating from the 1600s to the present day. There are strong collections of oil and watercolour paintings and art pottery from North Somerset.

  The fine art collection contains a significant group of oil portraits of the Smyth-Piggott family, an important set of watercolour paintings of local people known as the Weston Worthies produced by an unidentified artist in the 1850s and much local topographical art of good quality.

  The decorative art collection includes significant groups of Brislington delftware, Eltonware and Fishley Holland pottery and products made by the Royal Potteries. There is a nationally significant collection of material by the graphic artist Alfred Leete (1882-1933), most famous for his iconic image of Lord Kitchener produced during the First World War. Outstanding individual items include two portraits by Thomas Gainsborough, a pair of portraits by John Hayls and a delftware plate depicting Adam and Eve.

  Costume and Textiles

  Costume and textiles represents 2% of the NSC museum collection.

  The costume and textiles collection includes men’s, women’s and children’s clothing and accessories and textiles made or used in North Somerset. The majority of the collection dates from the 1850s to the present day, reflecting Weston-super-Mare’s development as a seaside resort.

  The costume and textiles collection includes a small but significant group of garments made locally by named makers. There is also an important collection of uniforms and occupational clothing. Outstanding individual items include an embroidered teacloth dating to the 1600s, a side-saddle riding habit dating to the 1890s made by James Salisbury of Weston-super-Mare and a fine pair of shoes dating to the 1600s.

  Geology

  Geology represents 6% of the NSC museum collection.

  The geology collections include palaeontological specimens that range from the Devonian to Quaternary, with particular emphasis on the Carboniferous, as well as minerals and some petrological specimens.

  There is a small but significant collection of samples of local minerals which includes some petrological specimens. Significant individual items include the remains of fossil ichthyosaurs.

  Natural History

  Natural history represents 6% of the NSC museum collection.

  The natural history collection includes zoological and botanical material. The zoological collection is small and consists mainly of vertebrates, in particular British mammals and birds. The majority of the botanical material dates from the mid to late 19th century.

  There is a small but significant collection of exotic mammals, including an elephant skull. There is also a significant group of herbarium specimens of tracheophytes.

  Numismatics

  Numismatics represents 5% of the NSC museum collection.

  The numismatic collection spans all periods of human activity within North Somerset. The collection includes coins, as well as groups of trade tokens and commemorative medals relating to local and national events.

  There are several significant coin hoards from Roman and later periods. Outstanding individual items include a gold aureus of Claudius

  Social History

  Social history represents 49% of the NSC museum collection.

  The social history collection is very large and is categorised under the headings of domestic, social and working life. Within these themes there are notable collections of or relating to seaside holidays and tourism, cameras, Second World War Home Front, transport, chemists, dairying equipment, local retailers, children’s artist Ivy Millicent James, toys, bicycles, picture postcards and other photographs, bakelite, radios, and local commemorabilia.

  The social history collection is significant/very significant. It includes excellent objects reflecting Weston-super-Mare’s history as a holiday resort. Other notable items include eight penny-farthing bicycles and a flatner boat.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2018

  Licence: CC BY-NC