Whitstable Museum and Gallery
Encyclopedia
Whitstable Museum and Gallery is a heritage centre
in Whitstable
, Kent
, and is notable for its displays showing the history of the local oyster
trade started by the Romans
and of historical diving
equipment. It is open on weekdays throughout the year, and on Sundays in summer. Admission is free, with access for the disabled.
there was a smuggling
museum, an oyster
museum and a railway museum, all now defunct. The present museum was established in 1985. The museum received the Nautiek Award, for services to diving
history, in 2001; the first time the award had been given to a UK establishment.
in that the tiny doorway opens up into a large hall of displays. In 1881 the Ancient Order of Foresters
bought the building, and inscribed "Foresters' Hall" over the door.
and displays on themes of the natural world, local oyster
trade, early diving
and the actor Peter Cushing
who lived locally, as well as displays on the 1953 floods
, shipwreck
s and maritime archaeology
. The collections are held under the following headings: social history
, science
and technology
, maritime
, land transport
, fine art
, decorative and applied art
, archive
s and archaeology
.
The natural world display shows life on the shore
line, including plants, fossil
s, sealife and birds. The largest exhibit was presented to the town in 1867: Whitstable's first horse-drawn fire pump
, to be manned by twenty-six volunteers and originally donated to Whitstable by Norwich Union Fire Insurance Society. The diving
display shows Standard diving dress
with Siebe Gorman
helmet
and the traditional red bonnet to protect the head against the helmet (see image below). In 2010 the Pudding Pan Pots from Whitstable Museum were chosen by the BBC
as objects illustrating the history of Kent
as part of the A History of the World in 100 Objects
project.
The museum provides object identification services, and holds specialist publications on its collections. Facilities are available by advance booking for study of objects from the collections.
equipment and watch films about diving. There was a 2009−2010 exhibition on the last oyster
yawl
, Favourite, and a Girl Guides exhibition in 2010, finishing in March. The museum takes part in the annual Whitstable Oyster Festival
by hosting interactive exhibitions. In September 2009, the museum had a World War II
frontline exhibition.
on 18 February 2010. In the event the Council voted in favour of this proposal. This means that some exhibits described in this article have been or will be removed during 2010 to created educational space.
Heritage centre
A heritage centre is a museum facility primarily dedicated to the presentation of historical and cultural information about a place and its people, including, to some degree, natural features...
in Whitstable
Whitstable
Whitstable is a seaside town in Northeast Kent, Southeast England. It is approximately north of the city of Canterbury and approximately west of the seaside town of Herne Bay. It is part of the City of Canterbury district and has a population of about 30,000.Whitstable is famous for its oysters,...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, and is notable for its displays showing the history of the local oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
trade started by the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
and of historical diving
Surface supplied diving
Surface supplied diving refers to divers using equipment supplied with breathing gas using a diver's umbilical from the surface, either from the shore or from a diving support vessel sometimes indirectly via a diving bell...
equipment. It is open on weekdays throughout the year, and on Sundays in summer. Admission is free, with access for the disabled.
History
Previously in WhitstableWhitstable
Whitstable is a seaside town in Northeast Kent, Southeast England. It is approximately north of the city of Canterbury and approximately west of the seaside town of Herne Bay. It is part of the City of Canterbury district and has a population of about 30,000.Whitstable is famous for its oysters,...
there was a smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
museum, an oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
museum and a railway museum, all now defunct. The present museum was established in 1985. The museum received the Nautiek Award, for services to diving
Surface supplied diving
Surface supplied diving refers to divers using equipment supplied with breathing gas using a diver's umbilical from the surface, either from the shore or from a diving support vessel sometimes indirectly via a diving bell...
history, in 2001; the first time the award had been given to a UK establishment.
Entrance and building
The building is like the TardisTARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
in that the tiny doorway opens up into a large hall of displays. In 1881 the Ancient Order of Foresters
Ancient Order of Foresters
The Ancient Order of Foresters is a friendly society which was formed in 1834. The society is now known as Foresters Friendly Society, and has approximately 70,000 members...
bought the building, and inscribed "Foresters' Hall" over the door.
Exhibits
The museum has collectionsCollection (museum)
A museum is distinguished by a collection of often unique objects that forms the core of its activities for exhibitions, education, research, etc. This differentiates it from an archive or library, where the contents may be more paper-based, replaceable and less exhibition oriented...
and displays on themes of the natural world, local oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
trade, early diving
Surface supplied diving
Surface supplied diving refers to divers using equipment supplied with breathing gas using a diver's umbilical from the surface, either from the shore or from a diving support vessel sometimes indirectly via a diving bell...
and the actor Peter Cushing
Peter Cushing
Peter Wilton Cushing, OBE was an English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played the handsome but sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing, amongst many other roles, often appearing opposite Christopher Lee, and occasionally...
who lived locally, as well as displays on the 1953 floods
North Sea flood of 1953
The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm, that occurred on the night of Saturday 31 January 1953 and morning of 1 February 1953. The floods struck the Netherlands, Belgium, England and Scotland.A combination of a high spring tide and a severe European windstorm caused a...
, shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
s and maritime archaeology
Maritime archaeology
Maritime archaeology is a discipline within archaeology as a whole that specifically studies human interaction with the sea, lakes and rivers through the study of associated physical remains, be they vessels, shore side facilities, port-related structures, cargoes, human remains and submerged...
. The collections are held under the following headings: social history
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, maritime
Maritime history
Maritime history is the study of human activity at sea. It covers a broad thematic element of history that often uses a global approach, although national and regional histories remain predominant...
, land transport
Transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
, fine art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
, decorative and applied art
Applied art
Applied art is the application of design and aesthetics to objects of function and everyday use. Whereas fine arts serve as intellectual stimulation to the viewer or academic sensibilities, the applied arts incorporate design and creative ideals to objects of utility, such as a cup, magazine or...
, archive
Archive
An archive is a collection of historical records, or the physical place they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime, and are kept to show the function of an organization...
s and archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
.
The natural world display shows life on the shore
Shore
A shore or shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In Physical Oceanography a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past and present, while the beach is at the edge of the shore,...
line, including plants, fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s, sealife and birds. The largest exhibit was presented to the town in 1867: Whitstable's first horse-drawn fire pump
Fire pump
A fire pump is a part of a fire sprinkler system's water supply and can be powered by electric, diesel or steam. The pump intake is either connected to the public underground water supply piping, or a static water source . The pump provides water flow at a higher pressure to the sprinkler system...
, to be manned by twenty-six volunteers and originally donated to Whitstable by Norwich Union Fire Insurance Society. The diving
Surface supplied diving
Surface supplied diving refers to divers using equipment supplied with breathing gas using a diver's umbilical from the surface, either from the shore or from a diving support vessel sometimes indirectly via a diving bell...
display shows Standard diving dress
Standard diving dress
A standard diving dress consists of a metallic diving helmet, an airline or hose from a surface supplied diving air pump, a canvas diving suit, diving knife and boots...
with Siebe Gorman
Siebe Gorman
Siebe Gorman & Company Ltd was a British company which developed diving equipment and breathing equipment and worked on commercial diving and marine salvage projects...
helmet
Diving helmet
Diving helmets are worn mainly by professional divers engaged in surface supplied diving, though many models can be adapted for use with scuba equipment....
and the traditional red bonnet to protect the head against the helmet (see image below). In 2010 the Pudding Pan Pots from Whitstable Museum were chosen by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
as objects illustrating the history of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
as part of the A History of the World in 100 Objects
A History of the World in 100 Objects
A History of the World in 100 Objects was a joint project of BBC Radio 4 and the British Museum, comprising a 100-part radio series written and presented by British Museum director Neil MacGregor...
project.
The museum provides object identification services, and holds specialist publications on its collections. Facilities are available by advance booking for study of objects from the collections.
Gallery
The collection includes ship paintings on the theme of international and local trading links; town, shore and coastal views; the work of local artists; artworks borrowed from an international network of galleries.Events
Exhibitions
There are about six exhibitions per year: some local, some which have toured nationally, and some with associated public events. In 2001 there was a special exhibition about art and water. In March 2002 there was an exhibition in which visitors could handle historic divingUnderwater diving
Underwater diving is the practice of going underwater, either with breathing apparatus or by breath-holding .Recreational diving is a popular activity...
equipment and watch films about diving. There was a 2009−2010 exhibition on the last oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
yawl
Yawl
A yawl is a two-masted sailing craft similar to a sloop or cutter but with an additional mast located well aft of the main mast, often right on the transom, specifically aft of the rudder post. A yawl (from Dutch Jol) is a two-masted sailing craft similar to a sloop or cutter but with an...
, Favourite, and a Girl Guides exhibition in 2010, finishing in March. The museum takes part in the annual Whitstable Oyster Festival
Whitstable Oyster Festival
The Whitstable Oyster Festival is an annual event held in Whitstable, Kent, England, each year to celebrate the town's links with the oyster industry .-External links:* *...
by hosting interactive exhibitions. In September 2009, the museum had a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
frontline exhibition.
Workshops
Workshops are provided for schools and colleges, and students can study with practising artists. Adult courses, and a children's "Little Oysters Story Time" are held in addition. In 2007 there was a workshop in which children could make sock animals.Educational space
This museum was expected to experience re-allocation of some of its square footage to educational space as of 2009, pending a decision by Canterbury City CouncilCity of Canterbury
The City of Canterbury is a local government district with city status in Kent, England. The main settlement in the district is Canterbury, the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury.-History:...
on 18 February 2010. In the event the Council voted in favour of this proposal. This means that some exhibits described in this article have been or will be removed during 2010 to created educational space.