The Thornbury Quilt

We’ve brought the story of the discovery of the Thornbury Quilt downstairs to our front room.

Created to raise funds for the building of a new vicarage in Thornbury, the quilt lay, for many years, forgotten and discarded.

You can find out about the amazing accidental discovery of this beautiful, historically fascinating piece of work, made in 1900, and showcasing many of the local traders who operated in our market town at that time.

By sponsoring a square, the local shirtmaker or bicycle shop owner or commercial photographer could have their names embroidered on the quilt, along with a stitched emblem of their trade.

It’s a mine of wonderful information and local schoolchildren often research the people and businesses depicted in the different squares, using early 20th century censuses and town directories.  Now, that’s a fun way to learn history!

Thornbury’s Roman Coin Hoard

In 2004, a local Thornbury man was digging a garden pond and came upon a Roman coin hoard.

He reported the find and the 11,460 copper alloy Roman coins were in due course declared ‘treasure’.

Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery bought the hoard and they hold the majority of it but a selection of the coins is on loan to Thornbury & District Museum.

Come and discover the story of the hoard.

Who knows?  You might find something when you’re digging your own garden!

Thornbury Castle and the ill-fated 3rd Duke of Buckingham

Downstairs, in our Roman Coins room, as well as learning about the coin hoard discovered when a Thornbury man was digging a garden pond, you can also read about the builder and (short-lived) owner of Thornbury Castle.

Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, had grand ideas about his place in Tudor society.  He set about building a castle where there had once been merely a manor house.

He drew ideas from some of the grandest buildings in Tudor England – and was innovative too.  Thornbury had ornate twisted chimneys before Hampton Court did.

But his ambition cost him dearly.  Before the castle was finished, Buckingham was executed by order of Henry VIII in 1521.  Last year saw the 500th anniversary of his death.

Museum researchers have uncovered a great deal about Buckingham and his castle.  Come and find out for yourself why Henry VIII distrusted such a powerful potential rival.

Thornbury Railway

Thornbury Railway came into being 150 years ago this year.

It’s pretty hard to imagine Thornbury with a railway, with trains regularly carrying passengers and freight to a station at the top of the High Street!

But maybe you CAN imagine it, and even remember it?   If so, come and tell us all about your memories of the days when a locomotive was a common local sight.

Thornbury Treasures

We’ve put on display some of the objects that reflect Thornbury’s varied past.  Come and explore!

The display is downstairs, in the same room as the Roman Coins.

Thornbury Picture House (1919 – 1959)

In our downstairs front room, we are remembering Thornbury Picture House, which opened its doors over 100 years ago.

Discover who was behind the new initiative.   Enjoy the names of films and film stars gone by…  Listen to recordings of people who worked at the Picture House.

If you were a regular visitor to the Picture House, come and see the exhibition and, if you have memories of your own, let us know.

Thornbury in 1980

EXHIBITION WILL BE AVAILABLE AGAIN  WHEN THE MUSEUM RE-OPENS

In our downstairs front room, we are exhibiting a remarkable display of photographs of People and Places in Thornbury in the year 1980, a project connected with the late Nick Large.

To set it in context, we have reminders of various shops and businesses that operated in the town in 1980 and we’re showing some 1980 people and events from the wider world too.

If you were there, come and be reminded!  If you weren’t, come and discover for the first time…

We’ve identified several of the people in these 1980 photographs and visitors have been helping us to identify others.   There are still some unknowns though.  If you were in Thornbury in 1980, see if you can help us with any suggestions.

The black and white photo on our Home page is of Mr King, who owned a bicycle repair shop in the High Street in 1980.  Mr King also organised occasional Ballroom Dancing evenings in the Armstrong Hall.  The exhibition shows photos of that too!

The photograph shown here is of Dave Thomas conducting a rehearsal of the Thornbury Band in 1980.  Were you ever a member of the Band?  Did you attend their concerts?

If you played a musical instrument, took part in sport, had your hair cut, saw the road being swept, played in a chess club, were in the WI, watched the Berkeley Hunt, had fun with model railways or went to the cattle auction, there’s a chance you may find a photo of yourself or your friends – so, come and help us identify people!

Thornbury Camera Club hits 50

Thornbury Camera Club is celebrating its 50th birthday this year and, to mark the occasion, has teamed up with the museum to stage an exhibition highlighting photographic developments of the last 50 years and beyond.

The exhibition is in two parts:

First of all, “Thornbury Camera Club – The first 50 years” displays equipment lent by members and friends of Thornbury Camera Club and these items will bring back many memories – and provoke a few questions. For example, do you know what a “Vest Pocket” camera is and why it was advertised as “The Soldier’s Camera”?

The Museum’s own contribution to the account of local photography tells the stories of Thornbury’s professional photographers, from the Victorian “flash, bang, wallop” era to WW2. As the song goes: “There’s always been a photographer to record the ‘appy scene!” Discover what these professional photographers thought was worth photographing in their own day.  The photograph above was taken in 1910 – it looks like a Grand Day Out!

From glass plate negatives to digital images, photography has come a long way. Take the opportunity to find out more and visit this new exhibition.

Our volunteer-run museum is open from 1 pm to 4 pm, Tuesday to Friday and from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturdays. Admission to the new exhibition and the whole museum is free and there are activities available for young children (e.g. find the knitted mice and choose one to take home!)

Artists at the Museum

Hurray!  – the Severn Vale Art Trail is back – and we’re delighted to be hosting three artists and some of their fantastic work.

Colin Wise’s paintings are in a variety of media and his subjects range from landscapes to portraits.  Decide which is your favourite.

Rosemary Millar’s gorgeous silver and gold jewellery incorporates semi-precious stones and pearls which Rosemary sources from all over the world – but the beautiful pendants, bracelets and earrings are created right here in Thornbury.  It’s worth coming in just to see how beautifully her work is displayed!

Annalisa Thompson creates intricate and beautiful images in threadwork.  Come and get some inspiration!

Whenever you come, there’ll always be at least one artist on hand for you to chat to as you look around.  They love talking about what they do, so don’t be shy.  Ask them how they go about their work, what materials they use – and what really inspires them.  Maybe when you discover how they took their first steps in art, you’ll be inspired to try something new too!

Note – for this event, we’re opening the museum every day of the week from 10am to 4pm.  You can check out the rest of the museum while you’re here – for FREE!  We look forward to seeing you.