museum 4 watton coin

After several years of negotiation, fund-raising and hard work, the Trustees of Museum 4 Watton have announced that the Museum will finally be opening to the public in Wayland Hall (The Town Hall), Watton on Friday, 16th March at 10.00 a.m.. Everyone will be welcome and admission will be absolutely free.

The whole group is very excited that they have reached this point so soon after being granted funding in August by The Heritage Lottery fund – thanks to all those who bought lottery tickets! There has been a great deal of work done to reach this point, with much renovation and decoration of the building by volunteers and local tradesmen.

The Museum 4 Watton has been formed to collect, conserve and display artifacts and documents relating to Watton and the surrounding villages and make them available to all for research and general interest. Documents and photographs are being digitised so that they may be viewed and studied on computers housed in the museum’s research room.

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Work is currently under way to display items from Museum 4 Watton’s growing collection of local artifacts. Chairman of the Trustees, Chris Hutchings is keen to stress that they are always seeking additional items, either as gifts, on loan or just to allow the group to photograph and return them so that they may be recorded.

The items on display range from an early Paleolithic hand axe of roughly half a million years old up to items from the last twenty years, and from seventeenth century documents to a full size replica of a Roman skeleton found in Watton. There will be a children’s corner for accompanied children with various activities for added interest.

There is also a programme of temporary displays by local organisations that have expressed a wish to show off their own history within the area.

museum 4 watton

Although the group has an enthusiastic band of volunteer helpers, they are looking for more volunteers to help man the museum. Anyone wishing to find out more about this interesting work will receive a warm welcome to the museum and should contact Jackie Greenbrook, the Volunteer Co-ordinator  by email, phone or at the museum.

Normal times of opening will be: Wednesday to Saturday, 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. and there will be a programme of talks at the museum and a Saturday children’s club – details to be announced later.

The group may be contacted on [email protected] or @MuseumForWatton. Or on 01953 797060, or by visiting the museum at Wayland Hall. Until the opening there will generally be someone there during the day.

www.museumforwatton.org.uk