Museum of Cambridge - Castle Street, Cambridge, UK
N 52° 12.647 E 000° 06.892
31U E 302886 N 5788405
The Museum of Cambridge, previously the County Folk museum, is housed in the former White Horse Inn public house at the junction of Castle Street and Northampton Street in Cambridge.
Waymark Code: WMQPY9
Location: Eastern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/15/2016
Views: 1
Wikipedia has an article about the Museum of Cambridge that tells us:
The Museum of Cambridge, formerly known as the Cambridge & County Folk Museum, is a museum located in Castle Street in central Cambridge, England. It is housed in eight rooms in the former White Horse Inn, a public house that closed in 1934. The museum presents the lives of the people of Cambridge and its surrounding area, the county of Cambridgeshire from 1700 onwards. The collection includes objects covering applied art, coins, costumes, decorative art, fine art, hobbies, law and order, medals, medicine, music, social history, textiles and toys.
The museum is supported by Cambridge City Council, the National Lottery, through the Heritage Lottery Fund, and two local organisations:
- the Cambridge 800 Committee, a registered charity founded in 2006, whose aims are "to help ensure the future of the Cambridge and County Folk Museum so that it can be enjoyed by future generations, especially children".
- the Friends of the Folk Museum, whose separate short term fund-raising provides specific items for the museum.
The museum was shortlisted for the 2006 Gulbenkian Prize.
The museum building is Grade II listed with the entry at the Historic England website further telling us:
Formerly the White Horse Inn. The street range is C16, West addition in the C17 and further West wing circa 1700. 2 storeys with attics; timber-framed and plastered; tiled roof; ground floor underbuilt with modern brick; front wall carried up in 3 gabled dormers; taller back range. The front has all modern casement windows and has been modernized generally. Various C18 internal features including 2 staircases. Very large and fine original chimney stack.
The Visit Cambridge website also advises:
Discover the vibrant history of Cambridge life in this friendly museum. Set in a 17th Century building you can explore the nine themed rooms about the lives of Cambridgshire people. See the kitchen, bar, folklore and childhood rooms, which show how people have lived, worked and played since the 1660s.
The Museum of Cambridge was set up in 1936 with the aim 'to interest the ordinary citizen in aspect of local social life which were fast disappearing in Cambridgeshire'. An ethos which is still held today. The museum is housed in a 17th century timber framed building, which was the White Horse Inn for 300 years.
The wonderful and varied collections are displayed in 9 room settings such as the bar, the kitchen, the Fen and Folklore room and playroom. Each room is filled with intriguing objects, some dating back to 1600's, as well as familiar household items.
These displays come to life with our temporary exhibitions and our events programme, which encourage visitors to explore life in the past.
Housed in the former White Horse Inn, this warm hearted, interactive museum displays this vibrant history of Cambridgeshire people. Fun events and special exhibitions throughout the year.