Three pence is set to be the magic number when Keswick Museum celebrates the 125th anniversary of its opening at the town’s Fitz Park.
On April 11, entrance to the museum will be at the 1898 rate – just thruppence for everybody!
The museum was founded in 1873 by the Keswick Literary and Scientific Society following the closure of Crosthwaite’s museum in the town three years earlier. At the end of 1874 it moved into the Moot Hall, remaining there for 23 years until its new home in Fitz Park was built.
The building is thought to be the earliest purpose-built museum in Cumbria and it opened on Easter Monday, April 11, 1898.
The management of the museum rests in the hands of Keswick Museum and Art Gallery Management Ltd, which started life as a community group in 2007. Following a major renovation supported by a Heritage Lottery grant of £1.84m, the museum reopened in 2014, gaining charitable status in the same year.
It now employs a small professional team supported by dozens of volunteers and a committed group of trustees who bring experience and expertise from a variety of different fields.
Keswick Museum cares for around 20,000 objects in its collection, which reflects aspects of life in the area, including – social and industrial history, geology and natural history and the work of local artists, writers and craftspeople.
As well as permanent displays, the museum has a rolling programme of exhibitions which – in this, its 2023 Natural Science Year, will include: Flood – exploring the past and present of flooding in and around Keswick and explorations and experiments – telling the story of early scientific pioneers in Cumbria.
Jane Affleck, Keswick Museum manager, said: “The museum team delivers dozens of activities for visitors, including weekly storytelling, craft workshops for children, family activities and free monthly talks by various guest speakers.”
In 2022, it launched Tuesday’s Tonic, a highly successful bi-monthly session for local people suffering from dementia.
The museum’s flagship 125th Anniversary Family event on Saturday 27th May will be a celebration of its collection and its connection to Fitz Park – a free public event taking place in the park and throughout the museum itself. Entry to the museum will be free all day.
“As well as art and craft workshops, a Stone Age cookery demonstration, storytelling and live music, Black Knight Historical will provide living history interpretation performances across six distinct times related to the museum’s collection and the local area: Neolithic woman, Roman soldier, Viking warrior, Tudor surgeon, Victorian soldier and a First World War lady,” added Jane.
