| Stamford Museum | |
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Stamford Museum |
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| Location | Broad Street, Stamford |
| Collection size | Stamford ware, Bull running |
Stamford Museum was located in Stamford, Lincolnshire in Great Britain. It was housed in a Victorian building in Broad Street, Stamford and was run by the museum services of Lincolnshire County Council from 1980 to 2011.
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The building was built in 1895 as a technical school and has the words School of Art and the town crest carved above its doorway. It is built from oolitic limestone and designed by local architect, John Charles Traylen. The museum moved to these premises in 1980, having originally been located on High Street in the library.
Stamford was declared England's first Conservation Area in 1967. The town has been here since Anglo-Saxon and Viking times. Five medieval churches, a 15th century almshouse as well as many other historic buildings remain.
The museum interpreted the town's history, including Stamford Ware Pottery and the eighteenth century Daniel Lambert, renowned for his girth. Notable exhibits included a Blackstone oil engine and the only known fragment of the Stamford Eleanor Cross.
In the upper gallery were permanent displays on the archaeology and social history of the town. The lower galleries hosted a regular programme of temporary exhibitions. Also on display here was the Stamford Tapestry, which took 17 years to make and was hung in 2000 as part of the Millennium celebration.
There was a large research collection available by appointment. It includes a number of photographs and information files on local people, places and events.
In June 2010 it was announced that the Museum is to close because of Lincolnshire County Council cuts.[1] The museum closed on 30 June 2011 despite local opposition.
The County Council reports that it is developing plans for a new heritage hub in Stamford Library. This is due to open in December 2011.[2]