Almonry Heritage Centre

Welcome Back!

2012-01-16T03:35:00.000-08:00

A belated happy new year for 2012, and what a beautiful frosty day it is! The Almonry garden always looks at its very best in Winter when the frost picks out the old abbey stone to make it sparkle.

We've had a busy start to 2012 so far. First we signed up as a partner museum to the Worcester Hive/12 Moves project: this will see us teaming up with the Vale School in Evesham and artist Kate Brookes to create one of the pieces that will be displayed at the big Hive opening in March. This is an exciting project that takes the theme of an eccentric Victorian explorer and creates all sorts of wonders for him, including a cabinet of curiosity filled with jars of the extraordinary, the weird and imaginary! View Kate's blog here for more information.

The new Kids In Museums manifesto is launched today and, as we have for the last two years, we are very proud to sign up. You can view the manifesto here, or come see the copy we have on display!

One of our resolutions this year is to blog and tweet more regularly than we have in the past, so if there's anything you'd like to hear about or a focus on the collection, please let us know by emailing tic@almonry.ndo.co.uk.

That's Enough for This Year

2011-12-16T08:18:00.000-08:00

A very Merry Christmas to all our visitors, colleagues and partners!

We'll see you all in 2012!

2011-11-30T02:32:00.000-08:00

It is a gorgeously sunny late-Autumn day outside today and the Almonry garden is looking wonderful with the colours of the leaves and dew-spangled plants. A great contrast to this time last year, which was beautiful but chilly!

We are currently preparing our pre-application form to submit to Heritage Lottery Fund for the enormous project we're hoping to take on next year (fingers crossed for funding!). Called Taking the Almonry Forward it involves a mix of building conversation work, collection care, improvements to accessibility and interpretation of the collection, and extending the range of educational services we currently offer.

If you would like to know more, make suggestions or get involved in some way, please visit our website and contact us for details.

This week also heralds the arrival of our new volunteer and artist-in-residence, Crystal Bankes. Crystal is a former art student and will be spending time here developing an art project for the Almonry that will involve visitors of all ages, as well as running a series of workshops. We'll post more details in the new year.

In the meantime, please note that the Almonry is open till the 16th December and our gift shop is stocked with pieces created by local artists and calendars featuring local scenes - ideal Christmas presents!

Of Treasons and Drawings

2011-10-18T03:26:00.000-07:00

This half term, why not take part in our Treasoner's Trail, picking up the clues about the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, completing the quizzes and then getting stuck into...

Yes, for the first time, we're taking part in the Big Draw! A free event at the Almonry (standard admission charges apply), you'll be able to create stunning firework pictures that we'll display in the Almonry for the whole of November. No booking needed, just turn up, grab your paper and crayons and get started!

Treasoner's Trail activity packs are priced at £1 each.

Autumn Starts

2011-09-17T03:31:00.000-07:00

A fabulous summer here at the Almonry with record numbers of people through the door, great feedback for our first ever Festival of British Archaeology exhibition and activities, and a full house for the Heritage Open days!

No time to catch our breath though as we get straight into the Autumn feeling with an exhibition of delicious herb jellies and fruit vinegars from Plantation Cottage (click here for the link to the website). Each one is prepared to traditional recipes by hand using local ingredients with no additives.

These are here at the Almonry to buy until October.

And half term is approaching! Details of activities for the seven days will be posted shortly.

A Very Victorian Summer Holiday Activity

2011-08-08T06:03:00.000-07:00

It's time to return to the Victorian era and experience a taste of life 150 years ago.

Come along and find out what it was like to be a Victorian schoolchild.

Have a go at the toys children might have played with back then.

Dress up in our Victorian costumes.

Find out what Parlour Games were and play one.

Join in the fun from now until 20th August.

Why not treat youself to a

Animal Mask Pack

which includes an Almonry Trail around the museum, a Garden Spotters Trail and wordsearch and your choice of animal mask to make here at the Almonry. Just ask at the counter.

Enjoy our new shop exhibition of beautiful felt crafts until the end of August:

Heartfull Crafts

An Experience!

2011-07-15T05:37:00.000-07:00

Well, this really has been an insightful week into life working at a museum! I've learnt so much throughout the week with there being so much going on and never a spare second! With children's summer activities to prepare for, glass to polish, cataloguing pottery and bones, and setting up for the archaeology exhibition there hasn't been a dull moment. Well, maybe with the little, tiny exception of going through hundreds of bags of what seemed the same broken pottery, but once finished, definitely worth it.

As well as all of this, I particularly enjoyed the experience of a group tour with the Nuneaton Anglo-French group - that was interesting! Also, the town walk told me a lot about Evesham's history that I was previously unaware of after thinking of Evesham as a town of just a convenience to locals; however, I was quickly proven wrong with the constant thrive of enthusiastic tourists, some with the most strange questions and queries, that you'd never thought you'd hear!

I have learnt to use many machines during my week here at the Almonry; the photocopier, the laminator, the guillotine and of course the sellotape! As well as, enough cutting out of laminated card, bunny faces, and labels for a lifetime - all for a good cause!

The Almonry is full of gems such as the town Charter signed by Prince Henry and a 15th Century old Bible that was saved from the Abbey, which I was privileged enough to look through, and was fascinated to see it contains monks notes and wood carvings making it really special to Evesham's history. One of my other jobs was to clean out the Roman and Archaeological cases which enabled me to handle some more of the old artefacts.

I was able to take time to look around the museum myself, listening to all the recordings, learning about local history and just being able to sit in the garden in the sun soaking up the tranquil atmosphere and discovering the grave of the 7 year old mongoose!

Now the week's almost over, I can say I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and learnt such a lot, so thank you for having me!
Hannah - Work Experience Student

Festivalling Archaeology Style

2011-07-12T05:04:00.000-07:00

The British Festival of Archaeology launches on the 18th July this year: running through until the end of the month, this is a nationwide event that sees activities, talks, displays, excavations and workshops taking places in locations all around the country.

This year, the Almonry is taking part with an exhibition interpreting the unique collection of Anglo-Saxon burial goods found in the village of Offenham, and now on display here.

The exhibition will look at the methods used during the excavation, the relevance of the items found inside and burial practices during that era, amongst other things.

For younger visitors, they will have the chance to get take part in the hands-on activities including a mini-dig, grave goods game and archaeological treasure trail.

All the activities are free, and entry to the exhibition is included in the admission fee.

Quality Places

2011-06-09T07:42:00.001-07:00

Our 2011/12 Visit Britain assessment took place this week, and once again we have been named as a Quality Attraction!

This is a huge pat on the back for all the staff and volunteers here who work so hard to present a professional and friendly approach to all our visitors. It's clearly working!

Half Term Already?

2011-05-27T03:01:00.001-07:00

This year seems to be flying by - only a few days ago and it was Easter! Luckily for everyone out there feeling exactly the same way, we have things to keep you and the children occupied.

Did you know that the Almoner not only gave out alms to the poor, but also created medicines and tonics for common ailments, using nothing but the herbs from his garden? This coming week, you can take part in the Medicine Trail - spot the ingredients and try to guess what they were used to cure. Some are very tricky and there's at least one rogue one that we're not keen to try!

The trail is part of the activity pack with a quiz, collage/colouring sheets (materials supplied if you want to complete them upstairs in the Victorian Schoolroom) and the new Garden Spotters trail. Each pack is priced at £1.

Remember all children under 11 have free entry to the Almonry and JAC's members can pick up a pack for free too!

Designs

2011-05-20T06:45:00.000-07:00

When designing a new leaflet do you: go with the big picture, the appeal of the crooked building?

Or do you pick the small, the tiny details that others may miss?

We went with both.Which was the images sorted, but left us wandering just exactly how much text you put in. Certain things are essential: opening times, facilities, events. A brief history of the building and quick overview of the collection, obviously. But how do you condense 600 years of history into one page of text?

Ideas, suggestions, examples and edits have been whirling around for weeks, but we're finally now done and at the printers. Luckily everyone is happy with the proofs!

New artist exhibition coming next week, and the Summer half term children's trail: can you guess what the Almoner would have used to cure earache?

April for Glass

2011-04-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

Our new series of local artist exhibitions has just started with Maureen Sullivan's beautiful stained glass here till the end of April:

Throughout the year, we also stock Matt Grimmitt's tactile slipware pottery:

and Tiggy Fiander's fragrant handmade soaps:

Both Matt and Tiggy live and create in Evesham, making them very local artists indeed!

Fright Night

2011-03-11T07:26:00.001-08:00

Since joining forces with Fright Nights, the Almonry has played host to a series of overnight ghost hunts, exploring and making the most of this building's rich history.

The next event is tomorrow evening for those brave enough to make it through till dawn!

New Shoes, Whose Shoes

2011-02-18T06:55:00.000-08:00

We were recently lucky enough to have donated to our collection a Roman sandal found in Kemerton in the 1970s.

To celebrate this new addition, the half term activities will take children from the ages of 5 and up on a shoe search throughout the Almonry: click on the image below for further information.

Children of all ages will be able to learn all about the creation of illuminated manuscripts, see some stunning examples from around the world, and have a go at colouring in their own initials to take home.

We'll be open from this Saturday (19th Feb) till the following (26 Feb) from 10am till 5pm.

Begin Again

2011-01-21T03:35:00.000-08:00

There was a fairly shocking start to the new year with burst pipes that led to a small flood in the Abbey Room: luckily we were able to catch it in time and by the end of January, all the affected cases will be dried out and returned to normal.

On the plus side, it has meant a chance to get up close to the 3D model of Evesham Abbey created to represent the town and abbey as it would have looked before it's closure in 1540.

Even seen through it's normal glass case, it's an impressive replica but with it removed, tiny details like the dovecote and the signs outside the inn have revealed themselves leading to many hours of peering into the windows and around the corners!

Unfortunately, to protect the model, the case has to be replaced before we can reopen the room to the public, but one new exhibit you can see now is the Roman sandal, found in Kemerton and kindly donated by Mr. Whitehead. It's now on permanent display in our Archaeology Room.

Details of the half-term activities can be found on our website: further information will also be posted here nearer the time.

2010-11-30T04:05:00.000-08:00

There is something about the snow that makes this old building look amazing:

Worth coming in for.

New Addition

2010-11-12T06:56:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our new installation, thanks to Archive Arts and the Mop Fair Project: the galloper.

Kindly donated by Edward Danter, this original and beautiful galloper is now installed in the Almonry garden with a listening post to the side.

This post contains the memories and voices of many locals recalling all the fun of the fair as well as some of its history and origins.

This is a permanent installation made possible thanks to the generosity of many organisations, including the Heritage Lottery Fund, that will provide a vital resource for those researching the history and progression of the town.

Come and see him before we close for the winter!

2010-10-13T02:58:00.000-07:00

Mystery Object #3:

lots of people suggested a dibber, cheese tester or some kind of woodworking tool.

We actually have no desctription for this item, so if anyone knows what it is, please let us know!

*Edit: huge thanks to Chris who emailed to tell us that this item is in fact a blacksmith's tool! As most blacksmiths made their own tools to fit a particular job, it's hard to say what it was intended for originally*

Mystery Objects

2010-10-12T02:34:00.000-07:00

Mystery Object #2:

hair crimpers!

2010-09-29T06:53:00.000-07:00

Huge apologies to everyone: our broadband/phone line connection was knocked out for a couple of weeks - revealing the mystery objects will continue next week!

In other news, we were awarded our Visit Britain Quality Attraction marque again this year: this award recognises the consistently high standards of customer service and the unique appeal of the building and collection, as well as the continued effort of the entire team here to keep the Almonry moving forward as a vital resource for the town.

We're very pleased to have won it for the 3rd year running!

Mystery Objects

2010-09-09T01:53:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everyone who took part in our Mystery Object activity through the summer: we had some intriguing answers!

Object Number 1:

We think this is possibly a cartridge loader: other suggestions included clamp, sausage stuffer, pill/tablet maker/nutcracker.

More mystery objects over the next few days!

A History of the World

2010-08-19T04:01:00.000-07:00

This year saw the launch of the BBC's A History of the World project in conjunction with the British Museum and other museums throughout the country. Part of this was a 13 part series on CBBC:

Jamie Rea, Executive Producer at CBBC said: "Bringing history to life was the inspiration for the CBBC series and these Relic trails give families the chance to do just that, as they discover the stories and personalities behind their local museum's collection."

The Almonry leapt at the opportunity to become part of this unique project by running it's very own free Relic Trail for children and their families to take part in that guides them around the Heritage Centre, spotlighting some of our unique artifacts, that will be running for the rest of the year.

For further details, please contact the Almonry direct using the contact details at the top of this page, or click on the picture above for the link to the BBC History of the World relic trail page.

Summer holiday fun at the Almonry.....

2010-08-07T02:10:00.000-07:00

It's your last chance to dig for archaeology at the museum this weekend, but as we fill in the trenches, let the games begin.

From Monday 9th August it's 'Let's Play' at the Heritage Centre.

Have a go at some of the tabletop games and street toys that your ancestors would have played with.
You can still make your own hat or helmet with our 'Hats and Helmets' pack available at the counter, just £1.

Almonry Digs This!

2010-07-30T07:47:00.000-07:00

Indiana Jones move over!! The children of Evesham have been conducting their own archaeological dig here at the Almonry.

What did they find? Why not come down and find out for yourself.

'Dig This' Archaeology Adventure is free and it's only on for one more week.

Why not treat yourself to a Hats and Helmets pack for just £1 and make your own headgear.

The pack includes the cbbc Relic Trail round the museum and the Birds, Bugs and Beasts Trail round the Almonry garden.

From Monday the 9th of August it's all change down here at the museum when we embark on the two weeks of 'Let's Play Games': a trip down memory lane with the toys of yesteryear!

Come and visit us at the Almonry Heritage Centre where we bring history to life.

Summer Starts ...

2010-07-23T07:43:00.000-07:00

... now! Or rather, tomorrow morning, which will see the start of our summer holiday activities.

Running throughout the 6 weeks will be our Hats & Helmets craft packs, available to purchase from the front lobby for £1, it includes the materials and instructions you need to create your own headgear. Also included are the CBBC relic trail around the Almonry and the new garden trail, specifically aimed at younger visitors.

On Monday, we'll begin the first of our themed fortnights with Dig This!, a free activity for under 16s to come and brush up their archaeology skills by digging for objects and then identifying them.

For further details, email us via tic@almonry.ndo.co.uk.

First Times

2010-07-14T04:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Almonry Heritage Centre's new blog!

On here I'll be posting dates and details of special events and exhbitions, previously unseen images of items in the collection, news and offers.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.