Dorking Museum News

NEWS FROM DORKING MUSEUM


A Last Chance to visit Dorking Museum before it closes for an extended period for reconstruction and reorganisation.

The Museum will close at 16:00 hours on Saturday 20th December 2008. Until then the open hours will continue to be 14:00 to 17:00 on Wednesdays and Thursdays and 10:00 to 16:00 on Saturdays. Please don’t miss this last opportunity to view the marvellous collections of Dorking related memorabilia.

It is intended that the Museum will reopen in 2010 in an environmentally friendly building where artifacts and archives can be safely preserved for posterity. New displays will tell the story of Dorking through the ages. Visitors who wish to study the artifacts or consult the archives will, of course, be received with the warm and friendly welcome which has been a noted feature of the present museum. This is to the great credit of the dedicated team of volunteer stewards who staff the museum.


Dorking & District Museum
The Old Foundry
62 West Street
Dorking
Surrey RH4 1BS
01306 876591

Email: museum13@dorking13.wanadoo.co.uk

Opening hours:
Weds. & Thurs 2.00-5.00pm
Sat 10.00am-4.00pm
Groups at other times by appointment

Access: The museum entrance is at street level and the exhibits are all on the ground floor. There are ground-floor study tables in the Library & Archives building with wheelchair access via a temporary ramp.
Proprietor: Dorking and District Preservation Society

Exhibits Curator - Fred Plant
Librarian and Archivist - Mary Turner
Paintings and Textiles Curator - Barbara Turnbull
Secretary - Terry Wooden - terry.wooden@virgin.net

Dorking Museum displays a variety of historical artifacts, minerals, natural history specimens, chalk fossils, oil and water colour paintings etc. A collection of books, maps, photographs, documents and other records are available for consultation and research by visitors.

The library contains much of interest to researchers of local history, and to family historians.

Click here to visit the Library and Archives page

The Museum is staffed entirely by volunteers, and a research service cannot normally be provided. Queries, by letter only, should contain a stamped addressed envelope or international postage voucher.

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New Features at Dorking Museum .

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Exploring Surrey's Past

Commencing on Wednesday 17th September and continuing until Saturday 18th October a special display with particular rederence to Mole Valley will show you how to learn more about the history of your county.

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“Vaughan Williams & the Leith Hill Musical Festival”

To coincide with the opening of the 2008 Leith Hill Musical Festival a display of memorabilia entitled “Vaughan Williams & the Leith Hill Musical Festival” opened on 10th April and will remain until RVW's birthday anniversary on 12th October.

A Scrapbook is available for those who wish to delve more deeply in to the great man's life.

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A display with the intriguing title “Silk - Satin - Leather" includes items of dancing and everyday footwear dating from the early Victorian period as well as more modern examples.

Supplementing this display is a selection of tools and materials used by boot and shoe makers and repairers.

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A collection of Victorian Woodworking Tools not previously seen at the Museum is also now on show

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Dorking Museum granted full accreditation status

Dorking and District Museum has been officially Accredited by the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA).

The Museum Accreditation Scheme sets nationally agreed standards that apply to major national institutions as well as to the much smaller, wholly volunteer-managed organisations such as Dorking’s unique local museum established in the ‘Old Foundry’ just off West Street.

Dorking Museum’s award, one of the first to be granted in Surrey, proves that it measures up, meeting challenging guidelines on how it is managed, how it cares for its collections and the information and services it provides its visitors.

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" Samplers"

To create this feature, the Museum's Textiles Curator, Barbara Turnbull, has delved deeply in to her carefully preserved collection to produce a unique display of needlework, the earliest example of which dates from 1787.

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Dorking Local History Group

The Group - is a subsidiary of Dorking and District Preservation Society - holds monthly meetings with speakers, members' evenings, guided walks, and outings - initiates research into the history of the town and surrounding villages and works with Dorking Museum to support members in their research - publishes books and pamphlets, and an annual journal, 'Dorking History'. The Group is involved in local history events throughout the county. For more information please click on the link below.

Dorking Local History Group

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Railway Memorabilia

Working Party volunteer Edward Faulkner cleans the signal arm prior to display with other transport memorabilia.

Edward who worked with us during his gap year is now a student at Exeter University. We wish him well with his studies.

Following the installation of electronic signaling on the Dorking to Horsham line, the Museum has been fortunate in obtaining the redundant "home" semaphore signal arm from the "up" platform at Holmwood Station. The identification number plate from the signal post and related plate from the control lever in the small signal box on the "up" platform have been taken into the collection. Sadly, it has proved necessary to board up this historic building to prevent vandalism.

Recently the Bluebell Railway donated a lamp case and interior lamp of the type used with this signal. This acquisition enabled the Museum to create a feature in which all the components of the signal are shown together.

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Become a Museum Steward

If you can spare a few hours a month on regular basis to act as a steward to welcome and help visitors with their enquiries, we would be very grateful for your help. Guidance on the duties would be given and you would enjoy the company of fellow stewards. If you are interested please call at the Museum during the open hours shown above or contact the Curator by clicking on the Email link at the foot of this page.

Send an Email to the Curator

Send an Email to the Museum

 
Page updated 15th September 2008
Copyright© Dorking & District Museum 2008
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