The British Civil Wars - new exhibition

A stunning new exhibition was opened last night in Pontefract Museum by Councillor Les Shaw.

The British Civil Wars exhibition contains unique and special objects from Wakefield Museums collections plus loans from other museums.  

Taking pride of place is the newly conserved Keirincx painting showing Pontefract Castle before its destruction.

The opening event, part of the Museums at Night Festival, included Civil War soldiers from the Earl of Manchester's Regiment, and a printing workshop where visitors could print their own Civil War Propaganda-inspired leaflets.  Some amazing work was produced!

As well as the new British Civil Wars exhibition, don't miss the other new displays. 

Pontefract's own domestic goddess, Elizabeth Moxon, published a recipe book in the 18th century...

...and of course, Pontefract liquorice!

The British Civil Wars is on display in Pontefract Museum until 16th January 2016.

Happy New Year

Wakefield Museums wish you a Happy New Year

Happy New Year card from the museums' collections 1950-1970

We hope that 2014 will be a happy and healthy year for you.  As for Wakefield Museums, we are going to be very busy.  Here is a taster of what we'll be up to. We hope you can join us....

At Castleford Forum Museum we will be welcoming lots of visitors to this fantastic new venue and exploring ways of working with the local community to develop our displays and tell the stories of the area.

2014 marks 100 years since the start of the First World War.  We have a programme of events and activities planned to commemorate this including:

- Tweeting entries from a 1918 diary in the collections (follow on Twitter @WW1_Diary)

World War 1 Diary entry blog.

- The Great War Inspires exhibition at Pontefract Museum from 25 January

The Great War Inspires blog

- A Great War trail at Wakefield Museum from July 2014

Special exhibitions & displays next year will include costume, bikes & boats.  Events will be hosted for families throughout the school holidays; as part of the Wakefield Art Walk & to support national campaigns such as Museums at Night.

Our You Are What You Ate Travelling pod will continue to tour around the district's libraries. 

Whatever we do next year we'll keep you informed on this blog.  Thank you for reading throughout 2013 and hope you continue to enjoy our offer next year.

Fun for Museums at Night!

Last Friday saw 2 very different events at Wakefield Museum for Museums at Night. Museums at Night is an annual campaign during which museums around the country open their doors for out-of-hours events.


Our events included 'Museums at Knight' - a family event.

A knight in shining armour told tales of daring adventure!

Wakefield Museum and children’s library (at Wakefield One) were visited by a medieval knight who enthralled younger and older visitors alike with his interactive tale of dragon slaying and princess rescuing adventures.  Children aged 3 - 12 were invited to join the knight to help tell tales of his medieval quests.

Down in the museum itself visitors took part in a dragon themed trail and crafts.  With paper dragons and dragon mask making the museum was sure to require our knight's help...

Visitors were encouraged to come dressed for the event!

Comments from visitors included:
 ‘very well organised the boys loved it, thank you’

‘He was fab, please use him again’

‘Good for parents too!’

Thanks to our Medieval Knight for his story telling and interactive adventure.

  

On the same evening, we also had a very different event, but just as fun!  To come to an adult talk on historical vegetables called 'Flatulence and Phlegm', you would perhaps expect something a little different...

Dr Annie Gray, food historian, is a wonderfully entertaining speaker, who had her audience enthralled, inspired and giggling in equal measure!

Dr Annie Gray with the foods made to historic recipes

Annie explained that the range of vegetables available in the past was greater than it is today. Plants which are difficult to cultivate, or take a lot of space, now have very limited availability - such as the huge, beautiful cardoon which needs to be blanched to prevent it from tasting of cat wee!

We learned the virtues of samphire (and its correct pronunciation), that tea made with cleavers was supposed to keep you slim (but tastes 'green'), and that carrot puddings made from hollowed-out carrots filled with a pudding mixture aren't worth the effort (and look like severed fingers!).

Everyone gets stuck into the food samples after the talk!

Annie also explained that artificially colouring foods isn't a recent phenomenon - spring butter, produced before the cows go into pasture, is rather white, and so was coloured with carrot or saffron to make it yellow.

A final, random snippet - apparently hares have ear wax!  (Just to show that a talk on historic vegetables isn't just about rabbit food!)

Thanks again Annie - a very enjoyable evening!

Wakefield gets ready for Museums at Night!

To celebrate Museums at Night, Wakefield Museum is planning two events on Friday 17th May

For families:

Come and meet St George!

Museum at Knight!
Come and hear our Knight tell the tale of George and the Dragon as you have never heard it before!

Interactive storytelling and workshops for children aged 3– 12 years old.

Fancy Dress encouraged, so come on all you budding princesses, knights (and dragons!)

The Knight will be running the session twice: 6 - 6:30pm and 7 - 7:30pm - starting in the Children’s Library and followed by a museum trail and craft activity.

Booking is essential on 01924 302700 or e-mail 

For adults:

Flatulence and Phlegm: cooking with herbs and salad in seventeenth century England

A fun food talk (with tastings) with the wonderfully entertaining Annie Gray!

Annie Gray will deliver a fun and informative talk (with food tastings) at Wakefield Museum, where you will find out more about cooking in seventeenth century England. During our last chat with Annie, there was a suggestion of Tarragon Cream being on the menu, so don't come expecting just a boring lettuce leaf to try!

This event is free and open to anyone over 18 (starting at 6pm prompt). Booking is essential. Call  (0113) 343 1910 or email to book.

A Seventeenth Century Salad

A Meat Melon!

Annie Gray is an independent historian who works as a researcher, as a costumed interpreter and a consultant to historic sites looking to maximise the potential of their kitchens and dining areas.  
She pops up on TV regularly - recently seen cooking with the Hairy Bikers!

See the events tab at the top of this page for more!