The Cawthorne museum society was founded in 1884 by the Rev. Charles Tiplady Pratt who was vicar of the parish at that time. He encouraged young people of the village to become interested in natural history and he formed groups to study collections of birds eggs, wild flowers ( both are illegal to collect now ), fossils, shells and grasses and to study astronomy and the weather. The museum was begun in an old disused cottage which was originally a primitive Methodist meeting house on the site of the present museum. It was opened on May 31st 1884 and contained collections of butterflies, birds and their eggs, rocks and fossils and various other loans and gifts of interest to naturalists and antiquarians. This venture was so successful and received such good support from all and sundry that it was decided to build a new and more commodious structure as a memorial to Queen Victoria`s golden jubilee, hence the name of the museum. It was built to the design of Sir Walter S Stanhope, by workmen of the Cannon Hall estate. The museum now contains many more exhibits than its predecessor and its contents are being continually added to by either loans or gifts. On the day we visited we only had a couple of hours to look around this marvellous and very interesting museum before it closed for the day. I have to say you would need two to three days to see everything. I and my travelling companions where amazed at the amount of interesting memorabilia on show, some I could recall my parents having, but a lot I had never seen before or new existed. A very interesting and enjoyable few hours, definably going back.
The museum.
Memorial
SOME OF THE EXHIBITS.
Made by an engineering apprentice in the 1800`s, to complete his apprenticeship. He had to make something useful out of what he could find lying around! note the cart shaft, a gate hinge, loom bobbins, a cart spring adjustable saddle.
Vienna Regulator. Rack strike, circa 1890.
Edwardian pram and doll.
Football boots.
Two headed calf ---- which lived four days, born in 1853 at Sycamore Farm, Upper Hoyland, then occupied by Joshua Calvert.
Two headed lamb ---- born 1987 at Gunthwaite Hall Farm.
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This is quite a museum! All kinds of things in there. Everything from stuffed birds to a wood burning stove. That contraption that apprentice put together is really ingenious! Guess you could call it a bicycle of some nature. Those two headed critters are amazing. You feel sorry for them, really. This museum has such a collection it is actually very hard to single things out. You done yourself proud, here. I can understand why you are definitely going back. Wow!
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