Monday, October 29, 2012

We Are Open!

Wakefield's new museum opened its doors today, and has been well-received!

The Museum and Library are now open:

Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays
9.30am - 6.00pm

Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays
9.30am - 8.00pm
Adrian is here to welcome you!

Squeals of delight were heard as our first young visitor discovered the crocodile under the floor, and the response wasn't that different from most of the grown-ups!

There's a lot going on, so be sure to look at our programme of activities, and make sure you keep coming back as new features are continually added to the museum.

As always, we would love to hear what you think!






Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Come and see!

We are very excited to open bookings for our events and activities programme for Wakefield Museum and Library!  We're planning a huge range of activities and events to introduce you to what we have on offer - have a look at the programme and come and join the fun!

Activities include:

Meet the Expert - every Thursday

Object highlight- lunchtime talks - starting with Parliament Week

Family workshops for October half term, including the Big Draw, handling real animals and lots of fun crafts.

Children's illustrator, Lynne Chapman will be joining us for the Big Draw
     
Crafty Crocs - new monthly creative fun sessions for 2-5 year olds
Crafty Crocs! for ages 2-5
     
Medieval Menus - drop-in session to find out about medieval food

Find out about medieval eating with the You Are What You Ate project



Victorian Christmas -  storytelling, crafts and the very wonderful Palace of Curiosities sideshow!
The Palace of Curiosities Victorian Sideshow


Into the mind of a Doctor Who writer!
Doctor Who writer, Robert Shearman

For all  of these events - and loads more, follow this link to the full events programme, and get yourself booked on!



Follow the link above to see the full programme!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Wedding Dress on display... ...coming very soon now!

We will be showing off a whole range of wedding dresses at Wakefield Museum. Here volunteer costume curator Nicola Townend and Sobia Pervaiz, who has kindly agreed to lend us her dress, prepare it for display. See the results very soon in the Love display.  It's not long now...


Wedding dress being prepared for display

Monday, October 15, 2012

Special Offer for Young Archaeologists!

We are really pleased to announce that Wakefield's new museum will be included in the Young Archaeologists' Club annual pass.  Museums and attractions across the UK have been invited to participate, and so we are now developing an interactive museum trail - exclusive for YACs! 

The trail will look at the history of Wakefield from its archaeological and object evidence - from Palaeolithic hand axes to a gold posy ring excavated at Sandal Castle - all are clues to Wakefield's past!

Young Archaeologist Club members can show their membership card when they visit the museum, to be given this exclusive trail which will use our new multimedia handheld devices.

The 2012 pass.   We're proud to be part  of the YAC pass 2013!

If you are interested in finding out more about Young Archaeologists' clubs, have a look at their website. 

The most local branch is based at Pontefract castle, meeting once a month on the second Saturday.   Sessions are all on an archaeological theme, including craft skills, practical archaeological skills, and plenty of fun! There are usually several opportunities each year to take part in real archaeology, either within the club itself or via connected organisations.  

For more information email or call 01924 223373

Friday, October 12, 2012

We've found love!


We’ve had a fantastic response to our request for love stories and the displays are going to be all the better for it. The Love section of the new museum will include couples who had a traditional Muslim wedding, ones who have  been married for over 70 years, three generations who chose the 29th March to get married and a glimpse of the modern Westgate hen night.
John and Nora Mountain - married 71 years and still together


John and Nora last week
This will all sit alongside our amazing wedding and courtship collections. 

Friday, October 5, 2012

It's getting close!

This week all of the text panels were proof-read, re-proof-read, and then checked again to have them signed off ready for production!

The proof-reading is over!
We have been very lucky to have had the input of local experts such as Kate Taylor and John Goodchild to keep us on our toes.  


We've also had help from a whole host of individuals whose family stories have contributed to the story of Wakefield.  Ben Asquith of Brandy Carr Nurseries shared memories and checked our facts on his grandfather - Saville Helm Ramsden, an entrepreneurial rhubarb grower. 
Well, it wouldn't be Wakefield without rhubarb!