This summer I paid a visit to the Museum of Country Bygones in Marton, Warwickshire. I’d been keen to visit for a while as I’m fascinated by small museums, which are often one person’s passion project. I also post a lot about Warwickshire folklore on social media. As much of the older folklore emanated from the county’s rural communities I’m keen to learn more about how people in those communities lived.
Although the Museum of Country Bygones is small, it has over 3000 items. Many pieces come from a collection made by the museum’s founder, George Tims, who had a fascination with rural life. The collection grew after he and his wife moved to Marton in 1952, with items stored in George’s garden shed and the spare bedrooms in his house. When the local vicar heard about the ever-expanding collection, he provided George with some rooms behind the vicarage in which to store it. Still the collection grew.
In 1964 George was offered some farm outbuildings in which to house the collection and these were formally opened as a museum on Easter Monday 1964. Since 1982 the Museum of Country Bygones has been situated in a purpose-built building in Louise Ward Close on the edge of the village sports fields. George Tims died in 2005 and the Museum is now run by a Trust and local volunteers.
The Museum of Country Bygones is in a hall crammed full of items: on walls, on the floor and in display cabinets. This isn’t as chaotic as it sounds as the collection is well-organised into sections each dedicated to different aspects of village life.
As well as sections on farming, thatching, blacksmithing, and other village trades, objects to do with other occupations are also present including police truncheon and handcuffs, typewriters and an array of old pharmacy bottles. A number of displays focus on the domestic life in the village with old wash tubs, cooking implements, and sewing machines. There are also decorative items such as lace fans and corn dollies. Information cards are by many of the exhibits and museum volunteers are on hand by the entrance to answer any queries.
Being interested in folklore I liked the country sayings and weather predictions on cards dotted about the walls. I also loved the display of corn dollies and other plaited corn items, a number of which are over hundred years old. The agricultural tools and farming implements laid out on the walls are fascinating too. Some such as the 19th century eel spear and the thatching tools have a look of medieval weaponry about them.
Every so often I came across little cardboard mice placed on items. These are one a number of “spotting” trails for children to do. I had a go at spotting the mice but don’t think I got them all!
Marton Museum of Country Bygones is a fascinating place to visit. Whether farming or doing the laundry, it gives a real sense of how labour intensive everyday life was in previous centuries. Even though the museum is small, I ended up spending longer than planned looking at its variety of objects (and trying to spot little paper mice!)
Opening times: Every Sunday from 2pm to 4pm from late May until the end of September. Check the web page for the exact dates as these can vary from year to year: https://martonmuseum.co.uk/opening-times/
Admission is free but donations are welcomed.
The Museum of Country Bygones is located by the sports fields in Louisa Ward Close, Marton, CV23 9SA: https://martonmuseum.co.uk/find-us/
Because of its location and opening times, the museum is only accessible by car. There is a free car park by the museum.
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Hilary is an independent folklore researcher and blogger with interests in folklore and Caribbean history. She posts about the folklore of her home county of Warwickshire on X/Twitter as @WarksFolklore: . On her blog Nature and Supernatural Nature she looks at links between Jamaican flora and fauna and the spirit world: https://natureandsupernaturalnature.wordpress.com/