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Come and see our new exhibition!
If you're a fan of Time Team or simply want to know more about reading the past from our local landscape, you'll enjoy our new exhibition:
Archaeology and Landscape in South Gloucestershire
The exhibition is an easy-to-grasp, well-illustrated introduction to the main archaeological eras and the evidence for each of them in the South Gloucestershire landscape. If you can't tell your Palaeolithic from your Neolithic and you want to find out when woolly rhino and mammoths roamed our area, this exhibition will do the trick! See the submerged forests where the River Severn now flows. Discover when the last Ice Age was and how long it lasted.
The exhibition arises from a project, led by Yate Heritage Centre and Paul Driscoll of South Gloucestershire Council, to construct a brand new travelling exhibition, describing the varied and rich archaeological heritage of our area. Thornbury & District Museum was pleased to participate in this project.
Alongside the display panels of the travelling exhibition, the Museum is displaying archaeological objects from its own collection, from different time periods, as well as archaeological objects on loan from local residents. And if you enjoy Time Team's digs and geophysical surveys, the Museum's permanent displays will show you how local archaeologists carried out trial digs and surveys between 2001 and 2004 and found evidence of a substantial Roman settlement in our area.
If you end up being inspired and want to become a community archaeologist, this exhibition tells you how you can get involved in the South Gloucestershire Archaeology and Landscape Project.
The exhibition runs from 19 January to March 2010.
BAC 100
This year, we are participating in BAC 100, the South Gloucestershire celebration of 100 years of local aviation history.
In April and May 2010, we are delighted to be hosting a display called 100 Years of Aviation: The Local Connection put together by Olveston Parish Historical Society.
And, in the Autumn, Concorde will return! Check out this website to discover more about The History of Concorde, our Autumn exhibition, which will run from October to December 2010.
Our most recent exhibition:
"To Market, To Market:
Remembering 900 years of Thornbury Market "
We celebrated Thornbury's history as a market town. First mentioned in Domesday Book in 1086, the market in Thornbury was, for centuries, a magnet for local farmers, traders and professional people, right up until 1996, when the livestock market finally closed.
The exhibition included a large number of market photographs. Some dated back to the early 1900s, when the livestock market was held in Castle Street, High Street and The Plain. Others showed the modern livestock market which was situated in Rock Street, where Turnberries Community Centre now stands.
The exhibition also featured the work of local Castle School Year 7 students who, inspired by information and help from Museum staff and working with a local artist, produced a large sculpture of a group of sheep for the entrance to Turnberries Community Centre, located on the site of the former livestock market.
A recent Guest Exhibition:
"Frog Lane 1949-2009"
A research project and display by South Gloucestershire Mines Research Group and Yate Heritage Centre
The museum thanks the members of the SGMRG for bringing this exciting exhibition to Thornbury. It ran from July to September 2009.
2009 marked the 60th anniversary of the closure of the Frog Lane Colliery in Coalpit Heath. It was the last deep pit to operate in the Bristol Coalfield and its closure marked the end of a way of life for many people. The exhibition included rare photographs not previously published, highlights from interviews with ex-miners and much more.
Image courtesy of SGMRG, used with permission. Not to be copied.
The book of the exhibition is available in the museum shop, price £12.00, and is an excellent account, with superb photographs, of the Frog Lane Colliery and coal mining in our area.
Heritage Open Days in September
A walk around the historic gardens of Thornbury Castle was led by Christine Dugdale on Sunday 13th September 2009.
The history of Thornbury Castle and Gardens is a guided walk through the grounds and garden, periodically led by volunteers from Thornbury & District Museum.
"Festivals and Outings"
Although the exhibition has ended, the pictures can still be seen in display folders in our upstairs exhibition room as part of the "Thornbury Folk" Exhibition.
WI members at the Mop Fair
The Festivals and Outings exhibition included fabulous photos, from Royal events - including the visit to Thornbury by Princess Diana and many Royal coronations - to the traditions of Floral Arches, Mop Fairs, Carnivals, Pageants, Parades, Weddings, Seaside Outings, Plays and Productions, and all sorts of celebrations.
The Thornbury Roman Coin Hoard
This exhibition featuring 220 coins from the Thornbury Roman Coin Hoard is accompanied by information and artefacts relating to the Roman Occupation locally. A hoard of 11460 nummi, small coins, from the Constantine period, was found in a garden in 2004.
The bulk of the hoard can be seen in Bristol City Museum and we are lucky to have permission to display some here in Thornbury, thanks to funding from the Renaissance in Museums programme.
Image courtesy BMAG
"Thornbury Folk"
The local history of Thornbury and its people is represented by our continuing exhibition in our upstairs gallery. It describes the people of Thornbury in the 19th and 20th centuries, their language and customs, their families, their trades and occupations and their everyday odds and ends of life.
We welcome new exhibitions and ideas, especially specialist local displays and so, if you or your group have a suggestion, please contact us.
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