The Brampton Museum is located in Brampton Park and occupies a large property originally known as 'The Firs'. The Firs was a large house that was home to the Mosley family, who ran a drapery business in Newcastle. The Borough Council acquired the house in 1956 and shortly after opened it as a museum and art gallery.
The museum Art Gallery has a changing programme of exhibitions which cover a wide variety of interests, from work by local or nationally well known artists to collection displays, craft fairs and popular family friendly interactive show over the school summer holidays.
The galleries depict the rich and diverse history of the area.
Highlights include;
The Victorian Street
Take a step back in time and discover the wares of Mellard’s the ironmongers, the treasures of the pawnbroker’s shop, the fascinating cures of the chemist’s and the gruesome collection of doctor’s surgical instruments.
The Toys Gallery
The gallery is filled with teddies, dolls and games up to 150 years old.
1930s/40s House
The house gives a glimpse into what life was like during the wartime years.
Craft Cabinets with items for sale
They have a range of contemporary, handmade and unique items for sale from designer makers, that include glass, ceramics, textile art and jewellery.
It is a family friendly museum and there is always something interesting for visitors of all ages to see and do.
Brampton Park has children’s outdoor and indoor play areas, an aviary and pond, sensory and rose gardens, a café and with free parking, free entry offering days packed with activity for the entire family to enjoy.
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"The first museum in Newcastle appears to have been established in 1876, when a public library with a reading room and museum was started in Lad Lane. In 1941 a Borough museum was founded. At first it occupied rooms in Lancaster Buildings and then, in 1956, it moved to the present building, the Firs, in Brampton Park. The house is dated 1855 and stands in extensive grounds, which include an aviary, with various species of birds, and even a few rabbits. At the entrance is a great iron cannon presented by Samuel Christy, M.P. to the Mayor and Corporation of Newcastle in 1857.
On the ground floor there are the history, industries and civic rooms, and on the first floor the Oriental, dolls and natural history rooms. The stairs and corridors are used mainly for military exhibits. The history room contains objects used in everyday life from early times, a stock of a pivot gun found on the castle site, the town-crier's staff, and some interesting old maps of Staffordshire, including one by John Speed and another by Christopher Saxton. The main exhibit in the industries room is a showcase containing Pomona ware, a Newcastle pottery of 1725-55. In the same room are examples of 19th century pipe moulds, some splendid Staffordshire toy wares, and also bracket and long-case clocks of local manufacture. The adjoining room is called the civics room and has, as its central exhibit, the town's first fire engine, built in 1740 by Richard Newsham, of London. Hanging on the walls are several Royal Charters: one is dated 8th July, 1372, confirming Henry Ill's 1235 Gild Merchant Charter granted to the Burgesses of Newcastle. There is also the first minute book, 1368-1684.
At the top of the stairs the showcases contain a collection of clocks, including an hour glass, a water clock, a Wedgwood earthenware mantle clock of 1879, and various electric movements. The Oriental room consists of the Shorter Collection, which includes a 19th century Japanese Lac cabinet, a Chinese painted alabaster screen, a large tapestry, Chinese pottery, animals, vases and other beautiful exhibits. The next area is devoted to a delightful array of colourful dolls and toys from 1840 to the present. There are 19th century teasets, children's books, costumes, a large Noah's Ark, and even doll pottery heads which were made locally during the two great wars. And, finally, there is the natural history room which has a large showcase containing stuffed birds and three aquariums."
Neville Malkin 9th June 1976"
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"The Museum is lucky to be situated in beautiful Brampton Park, the borough’s flagship park which has Green Flag status. With its beautiful, mature trees and shrubs it is a wonderful place to wander, relax and have fun. The park was originally two gardens divided between the two Victorian villas on the park – the Firs (now the museum) and Pitfield House (now the café and Giggles and Wiggles nursery). Before that, the land was part of the Brampton Field – common land grazed and cultivated by the town burgesses. The name Brampton means ‘place where broom grew’. The Brampton Field was sold by the town burgesses after the 1845 Inclosure Act and was developed as a residential area for the town’s professional classes, such as shopkeepers and business owners. The houses were built in the 1850s. Since the 1950s the land has been used as parkland for the enjoyment of the people of the borough." SOURCE: (
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