a large house with a large garden
Lockinge House, unknown date but likely between 1860 and 1900.
Matthew Wymondsold built Lockinge House in 1750. A three-story house built of brick and stone.
Sadly it was demolished in 1947.
#WaybackWednesday
Visit our Instagram feed to see more photos www.instagram.com/valeanddownl...
We love a Pearly outfit!
Our Pearly King isn't quite as cute as your Pearly Prince though
Wonderful new exhibition now open in our Squires Gallery!
Make sure to come along to see the amazing pieces of art created by Textiles In Oxford🪡
Open daily during normal Museum opening times. Free admission but donations to the museum very welcome.
Refreshments available from the Museum Coffee Shop
If you have a few hours to spare and would like to join the museum, we have many volunteer roles that may suit you:
✨ front of house
✨ education
✨ behind the scenes
Check out more info on our website valeanddownlandmuseum.org.uk/volunteer/ or by emailing manager@valeanddownlandmuseum.org.uk
two hands with lots of lego bricks on a desk
You never know what you may be doing when #volunteering at the #museum!
Just last week, volunteer Simon was in charge of sorting through a LOT of #LEGO® in preparation for a special LEGO® session we have coming up - we'll be sharing more information about that soon so keep your eyes peeled 👀
Book online by visiting www.ticketsource.co.uk/vale-downland-museum, pop into the museum or call 0333 666 3366*
*Please be aware online and telephone bookings will incur booking fees.
🧶Have a go at Weaving: Tuesday 24th February 1pm. At this adult only more in depth workshop Angela Pawlyn will teach you to use a rigid heddle loom, learn techniques to create patterns or weave a picture. £30 per person.
🧶Family Weaving Workshop: Friday 20th February 10.30am. Families of upto four people (must include at least one adult) will create a unique weaving with guidance from weaver Angela Pawlyn. Each family will take home their weaving at the end of the session. £10 per family.
a colourful weaving
a poster for the family weaving workshop
a poster for the adult weaving workshop
Our visitors are so talented!
Visitors to our discovery gallery have been getting creative with our small loom and have created this wonderful weaving🧶
If you would like to learn to weave on a loom from a professional, we have two workshops coming up this month
Not long after this photo was taken in 1973, the house was demolished to make way for the new Haywards Close housing estate
The only property of this style in Wantage, Thermidor House was the home of the owner of Wantage Engineering Company, Mr Henry Thurston ad his French born wife. The home and well-kept gardens were done to Mrs Thurston’s taste
large white house surrounded by trees and bushes
Thermidor House 1973. 📸 by Harry Crooks
Thermidor House was on a triangular plot with Wallingford Street on one side & Garston Lane on another, before Seesen Way was constructed in the 1970s as a bypass to link Wallingford Street with Grove Street & the A338 road to #Oxford
#WaybackWednesday
Half term is fast approaching and we are gearing up for another fun-filled week!
To book tickets for these events visit: www.ticketsource.co.uk/vale-downland-museum *
or pop into the museum or call 0333 666 3366*
* online and telephone bookings will incur booking fees
I'm not sure what good the broom did in that mud but it made it look like he was doing something 😆
L-R: Jean Naish, Jean Bamford, Kathleen Philip, and Dr Thomas Ridsdell-Smith
4 people stood in a muddy field
It's almost impossible to place where this was taken in the early 1970s as the area most definitely doesn’t look like that today
Taken during the ‘archaeology’ phase before building began in 1974/75 on Littleworth Hill, Wantage
#WaybackWednesday
Over the past 50 years WGC has coached hundreds of children, with many going on to successfully compete in competitions. The club is still going strong today but is no longer based at the Leisure Centre.
The leisure centre was also where Wantage Gymnastic Club began the same year the centre opened. Coach Margaret Clement started by coaching three 1-hour sessions in the smaller activities room but demand soon grew which meant they had to move to the larger sports hall.
Wantage Leisure Centre was purpose built as a replacement for the Jubilee Baths aka The Puddle, in Mill Street. The puddle was an outside swimming pool and as you can imagine in the Great British weather, it would often be a little chilly. So, the building of an indoor pool was welcomed by many
a gentleman stood in front of a large brick building
Wantage Leisure Centre, Portway, Wantage.
We don’t have a date for this photo but as we know that the centre opened in 1976, we’d estimate it being sometime between 1976 and 1985.
The gentleman in the photo is just noted as ‘Manager’ so if you know who he is, we would love to know
#WaybackWednesday
Wantage Town Football Club – The Freds. c1960s.
Wantage Town Football Club was founded 134 years ago in 1892 and today they have an impressive number of teams, 32 teams from U7s right up to adults.
a woman playing the flute, a man playing a guitar and another woman singing
It's the 10yr anniversary of our popular music sessions for under 5s
We'd like to say a humongous THANK YOU to volunteers Sem, Hazel, Maureen, and Susan for continuing to run these sessions for our younger visitors 💖
Our next Toddler Tunes session is on Mon 12th Jan 10am
£2 per child bit.ly/4sqGHBd
As it is panto season this seems a fitting photo to share! Although we can not 100% say this performance was as a panto or at Christmas, it does feature many similarities to what you may see at a panto
This is from a performance of Cinderella in the early 1950s by the Wantage Revellers Concert Party
🎄✨ Christmas Eve Carols in Wantage ✨🎄
Get into the festive spirit with a magical evening of Christmas carols in the West End of Wantage Marketplace. Join us on Christmas Eve from 6:30–7:00pm with music by the Wantage Silver Band.
Our Christmas opening hours 🎄
Wantage Christmas Fair in the Market Place c1950.
Taken by Jack Terry.
Jack was a local geologist and a hobby photographer who took many photos of Wantage while he lived in the town. Jack Terry died in 1983.
#WaybackWednesday
DUE TO CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS, THE MARKET SQUARE CAR PARK IN WANTAGE WILL BE CLOSED ON THE FOLLOWING DATES:
WEDNESDAY 26 NOVEMBER
THURSDAY 27 NOVEMBER
SATURDAY 29 NOVEMBER
SUNDAY 30 NOVEMBER
FRIDAY 5 DECEMBER
Thank you.
Early 1950s - possibly 1951.
Maypole dancers on May Day in Grove.
#Museum30 #Moving
Black and white photo of a wooden building with two men and a horse stood outside
R.Mayo & Sons, Mill Street Wantage. Circa 1900
Shoeing and General Smiths. This building was behind the old Shears Inn on Mill Street, but according to the sign on the building, they also were in Grove Street.
#WaybackWednesday
Next week we welcome back Jude from the Letcombe Brook Project.
Jude will be telling us about the chalk stream that runs from Letcombe Regis, through Wantage & Grove, to East Hanney.
Wed 3rd Dec 1.30pm
£7.50 Book in advance online by visiting: bit.ly/4pbWtxO
