A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM

Burwell Museum Trust was formed in Burwell, Cambridgeshire, England in 1982 (registered as charity No.290431 in 1984), by a small group of like minded people with an interest in local history, to set up a museum providing the public a glimpse of what life was like in a village on the edge of the Cambridgeshire Fens in the past.

Some members of the group already had a collection of potential exhibits but no permanent place to display them.

In the late 80's a suitable building was found a 200-year-old timber framed barn, derelict but structurally sound, in another village.

The barn was dismantled and transported to Burwell, restored and re-erected on a site owned by the Parish Council next to Stevens Mill (a fully restored windmill now owned by the Museum Trust).

At 2pm on Easter Sunday 1992 we opened to the general public for the first time.

Over the 2 afternoons of that Easter weekend (Sunday & Monday, 2-5pm each day) there was a total of over 300 visitors.

Since then the Museum site has grown and more buildings added.

These buildings have either come from elsewhere in the local area and re-erected on the Museum site or have been built from scratch in the local style using reclaimed local building materials.

Even with these extra buildings we still don't have enough space to display everything we have!

Initially we were only planning to open on Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday afternoons from Easter to the end of September. Now we open on Thursday afternoons aswell, and close for the winter at the end of October.

The Museum is very popular with children. Many of them return several times with their families, after first visiting with a school group.

THE DISPLAYS

In the MAIN BARN (our first building) the displays include: Old maps of Burwell, a building site with local building materials, old plumbing and carpentry tools, reconstructions of an old wash/laundry room and an old kitchen. Also reconstructions of an old living room and a child’s bedroom.

The main display in the Barn is “The Farming Year” showing old farm tools and machines in a sort of ‘time-line’ from Spring to Winter.

Other displays in the Barn include Dinky toys and many old photos.

The Barn also contains the Museum shop selling souvenirs, books, videos and light refreshments.

The NISSEN HUT (originally from North Street, Burwell) contains items from both World Wars and includes a serviceman’s bed & locker area, and many uniforms. Also there is genuine World War 2 songs and radio broadcasts playing from an old radio in the corner.

Adjoining the Nissen Hut is the GARAGE (part of the Nissen Hut) containing a vintage car (currently a 1907 “Holsman”), kindly loaned by Mr.Mike Mitcham, and many motoring bygones.

In the BLACKSMITHS SHOP (Originally from the now closed Haddenham Museum) there is a fully working forge and many tools. Also there is a fully working hand operated Wheelwright’s lathe and tools.

The AUDIO-VISUAL ROOM, known as the A-V Room, (built from scratch along with the Waggon Sheds and the Granary using mainly reclaimed local building materials) is where visitors can watch various videos on rural life in East Anglia over the last 100 years. The A-V room also contains local archaeology, photos showing the construction of the Museum buildings and also the Burwell Photographic Archive – hundreds of photographs of Burwell people, activities, events and buildings from 1900 to 1999.

The WAGON SHEDS house old carts and farm machinery.

The GRANARY display area has an Anglo-Saxon skeleton (which was found just outside Burwell), a Victorian school room (with the sound of children reciting ‘times-tables’ and singing playground rhymes), a village shop, the reconstructed cab of an old “Burwell & District” bus, and a working 1950s/60s automatic mechanical telephone exchange.

The RESOURCES BUILDING (name may change in the future) is still under construction, but when finished will hopefully include display space, a re-located video room, an office/meeting room for the trustees and environment controlled storage for delicate items.

We also have a SHEPHERDS HUT (from Pembroke Farm, Burwell) and an Edwardian revolving SUMMERHOUSE (from Mill Lane, Burwell)aswell as various other farming implements in the grounds of the Museum.

STEVENS MILL, standing outside the entrance to the Museum site, is a fully restored and working windmill, built in the early 1800s, which is owned by the Museum. It is the only Museum building that is standing on its original site. Admission is free for Museum visitors who may climb the ladders to each floor when accompanied by a Museum Trustee.

We will have the Mill running occasionally – depending on the wind. Check the “Special Events” and “News” pages of this website regularly for possible running days. Access to the Mill interior may be restricted for safety reasons, when it is running.

The mill is a Grade 2* listed building.

The Soham Community History Museum Project began life in June 1998 at a public meeting concerning the regeneration of Soham. As part of the fenland regeneration project, Soham is a key location for visual improvement.

The dilapidated appearance of the ‘Old’ Grammar School building in Churchgate Street, was discussed, and its’ suitability as a site for a community based museum was put forward as a solution to both restore and preserve the building.

It was felt that a community based museum at this particular location would draw people into the area of Churchgate Street and support economic growth in a currently neglected commercial area. Creating a tourist attraction in close proximity to the main shopping area would also benefit trade in Soham - the idea being well received by retail businesses who are, on the whole, struggling to survive. A well researched scheme could serve the community in many positive ways and the museum could be marketed as a centre of communication and education within the community as well as a major tourist attraction within the area.

Soham resides in the shadow of Ely Cathedral and has been overlooked for centuries. Research and documentary evidence show that Soham has a unique and undeniably intriguing history all of it’s own dating back to the Bronze Age. Many ancient features, including four commons and a medieval field system are still in existence. In this, a museum would have a tool with which to attract visitors specifically to Soham.

Meetings and discussions with representatives of the various organisations which would be involved in developing the museum project in Soham continued throughout Autumn and Winter 1998. This resulted in the setting up of a formal committee in January 1999 in order to progress the project as rapidly as possible in order to provide support for the town regeneration scheme for which the museum is now recognised as the ‘leader’ project.

The museum committee consists of a small working group, plus representatives of the tourism office, the town council, and the schools.

Current Projects

Soham Museum Project officially launched their latest book 'Soham at War' on Monday 3rd June 2002 at Soham Carnival & Heavy Horse Show 2002, which this year celebrated the Queens Golden Jubilee. There are a limited amount of 1000 available.

'Soham at War' covers both World Wars including rare unseen photographs and over 100 pages of information gathered from the memories of local residents who lived in the town at the time and also from the experiences of ex-servicemen and women, from Soham, who were away from home fighting for their country.

The Soham Book 2000 - The most researched and accurate account of the History of Soham ever printed.

It starts from Soham's humble beginning during the Stone Age, right up until The Soham Rail Disaster in 1944

The County Council collects, preserves and makes available to the public historical records of the county and County Council, including Parish, business and personal records, maps and estate papers; also copies of some records deposited elsewhere, including census 1841-91, and (at Cambridge) indices of births, marriages and deaths 1837-1912. The Cambridge Office covers records from the east of the County (Fenland, East Cambridgeshire, South Cambridgeshire and Cambridge City areas).

There is no charge for using the record offices other than for photocopying, ordering photographic prints and printouts of microfilmed records and computerised database entries.

Appointments are not always necessary but are strongly advised, especially for those wishing to consult maps or records held on microfilm.

Both of the offices are members of the County Archive Research Network (CARN) and all users of the search room are required to have a valid CARN readers ticket. This can be issued free of charge as long as you provide official proof of name & address - such as a driver's licence or pension book.

Disabled access is available at both record offices – please telephone in advance to arrange this. A Research Service (for which there is a charge) is available for anyone who is unable to visit in person.

The Suffolk Record Office has two primary objectives. Firstly it aims to identify the raw materials of the history of the county, bring them into one of the three branches and preserve them in optimum storage conditions. Secondly it aims to catalogue and index this raw material so that the general public can use it for research purposes. Suffolk is the most heavily-used local authority archive service in the UK, with nearly 40,000 visitors a year.

Booking

A booking system for microfilm and microfiche readers operates at all three branches. Machines can be booked for a morning or an afternoon session or all day. Customers are strongly advised to consult the relevant branch several days before an intended visit to see what format the material they wish to use is in and book an appropriate machine in order to avoid disappointment. We have at least one machine of each type in each branch that cannot be booked, but there is no guarantee that customers who have not booked will be able to use these machines unless they arrive early.

Readers' Tickets

The Suffolk Record Office is part of the County Archives Research Network (CARN) and a CARN reader's ticket is necessary to gain access to archive material and books not on open access.

Obtaining copies of documents

Copies of documents can be supplied in a wide range of formats - photocopies, print-out from microform, black and white and colour photographs and slides, microfilm and fiche.

For visitors to the Record Office, there are self-service microfilm and microfiche readers at all three branches.

To save time, researchers can take their own photographs of documents in the Record Office, by prior arrangement.

Contact any branch for the current scale of charges.

Most books and documents can be copied unless they are too fragile to be handled, or are restricted for legal or copyright reasons.

In addition there are collections which have a wider than merely local significance.

Major collections at Bury St Edmunds
Estate and family papers of the Dukes of Grafton (the 3rd Duke was Prime Minister, 1768-70); papers of Hervey family, Marquisses of Bristol, in Lincolnshire, Essex and Sussex, 14th-20th centuries; records of Robert Boby, engineers, 1866-1909; archives of the Suffolk Regiment, including photographs, 1677-1959; records of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, 1914 to date.

Major collections at Ipswich
Sir Thomas Phillipps Collection of medieval manuscripts and Suffolk antiquaries' notes; Cornwallis papers, including letter-book of 1st Marquis Cornwallis, Governor-General of Bengal; diaries and political papers of Gathorne Hardy, 1st Earl of Cranbrook; correspondence of William Lowther MP and James William Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater; military, naval and political papers of 1st-7th Earls of Albemarle, Admiral Viscount Keppel, General Sir William Keppel and Baron Egerton; naval papers of Admiral Sir James Saumarez and Sir Philip Bowes Vere Broke; papers of George Pretyman (Tomline), Bishop of Lincoln and Winchester, including material re William Pitt the Younger; papers of Mary C. Greenup (wife of Gen J.T. English) re South America; diaries of Canon J.H. Turner re the Canadian Arctic; papers of William Leathes, ambassador, and of Carteret Leathers and Hill Mussenden, MPs.

Collections relating to Jamaican estates of the Long family; Bristol and Gloucestershire estates of the Gonning family; London and Lincolnshire estates of the Boucherett family; Kent estate of the Barne family; various lands of the Hanbury-Bateman families; London estate of the Kerrison family; South Carolina estate of the Middleton family; Lincolnshire estate of the Pretyman-Tomline families; Nevis (West Indies) estate of the Maynard family; Lancashire, Northamptonshire and Irish estates of the Purcell-Fitzgerald family; Hertfordshire and other estates of Lord Rendlesham.

Business archives of Richard Garrett and Sons of Leiston; British Xylonite Co of Homerton, Hale End and Brantham; Ransomes and Rapier of Ipswich; the Norsk Hydro Fertilisers Group; Paul's Malt and Associated British Maltsters.

Major collections at Lowestoft
Shipping records, c 1750-1980s; Adair of Flixton Hall family and estate records, 13th-20th centuries; records of the Round Tower Churches Society collected c1973-1996 containing photographs, church guides and notes on round tower churches in Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, other areas of Great Britain and abroad, e.g. Germany, Australia and South Africa; records of the fishing industry, 1862-1973; Mutford and Lothingland half-hundred court records, 13th century-1936; Richard Clay Ltd of Bungay, printers, records, 1816-1976.

The Cambridgeshire Collection is a major research library established in 1855 and exploited by the creation of detailed catalogues and indexes. The Collection comprises books, newspapers, maps, illustrations, handbills and tape recordings. It is housed in Cambridge Central Library.

Contained within the collection are:

• Books
• Periodicals
• Newspapers
• Indexes
• Maps
• Photographs
• Oral History

The Cambridge Antiquarian Society was founded in 1840 to provide access to local history in its widest sense for local people. They have been running interesting series of monthly lectures and two annual conferences each year.

Membership costs only £10 per year. As well as free access to the lecture series, you will also receive a free copy of the Society's journal, Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society; a free copy of The Conduit; and access to the University of Cambridge Department of Archaeology Haddon Library together with reduced rate access to the conferences.

Mike Petty lectures to groups from primary classes to old folks' homes International Summer Schools, and conferences. He was Librarian of the Cambridgeshire Collection for over 30 years & has daily and weekly columns in the Cambridge Evening News.

Over the next 30 years Mike Petty transformed it into the Cambridgeshire Collection, taking it into a separate suite in the new Central Library in Lion Yard. Over that time he became the most widely acknowledged authority on Cambridge and the fenland building up unique knowledge of resources which he continues to share through regular lectures to groups and societies. He has published several books & booklets and has a daily ‘Looking Back’ and two weekly columns – ‘Memories’ and Pickwick’s Cambridge Scrapbook 1838’ in Cambridge newspapers

Mike is President of Cambridgeshire Local History Society and serves on the Council of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society.

He has received various awards including “Librarian of the Year”, an Honorary Fellowship from Anglia Polytechnic University, an Honorary MA from Cambridge University and the MBE for his work on Cambridgeshire history.

Mike offers a free consultation service for Cambridgeshire topics, supplemented with a chargeable research service. His wide experience in assisting thousands of enquirers for more than 30 years and unrivalled knowledge of published material – books, newspapers, illustrations, maps etc – combine to provide a unique service for those researching any aspect of the area. An enquiry form is attached.

FoWM came into existence in 1995, largely through the efforts of various people, who, appalled by the condition of many of the War Memorials in the London area, started campaigning for an organisation to protect them. With the assistance of Sir Donald Thompson, a charity was set up. Countess Mountbatten kindly consented to become its patron and Mr. Winston Churchill has assumed the appointment of President.

Friends of War Memorials is unique in being the only organisation of its type solely devoted to the care of war memorials of all dates and types countrywide.

Similar initiatives have been taken elsewhere in the Commonwealth, from where FoWM is attracting considerable support and interest.

Friends of War Memorials is a registered charity dedicated to promoting awareness of the debt we owe to those who gave their lives in the cause of freedom.

Its formal objectives are:

1. To monitor the condition and state of repair of war memorials and to take steps to ensure that local authorities and other relevant organisations are alerted to such condition with a view to their undertaking any necessary restoration, repairs and routine maintenance.
   
   
2. To liaise with ecclesiastical authorities, regiments and other responsible bodies with a view to their accepting responsibility for, and undertaking repairs and renovations of, war memorials.
   
   
3. To educate, inform and publicise the spiritual, archeological and historical significance of war memorials as part of our national heritage, to encourage support groups and to inspire young people to cherish their local war memorials and the memory of those who sacrificed their lives in the cause of freedom.