Simon Atkin

Early morning ride on my vintage sewed today. Trying to beat the temperature but it was scorchio even at 7:30.

Sorry, but that bow reminds me of the frilled dinosaur in Jurassic Park. I’m not saying you’re a dinosaur 🤣

hand holding a mobile phone

We're so excited to announce we have launched a digital guide on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.
Our guide lets you explore the Vale & Downland Museum in ways you've never been able to before

valeanddownlandmuseum.org.uk/free-digital...

#BloombergConnects #ValeAndDownlandMuseum

Less than 24hrs until the Museum Coffee Shop official opens!

We've taste tested all the new menu and can't wait for our visits to try all the new delicious options!

Come along to support your favourite 😉 museum at this year's Fundraising Summer Fete on Saturday 12th July
Games and stalls galore and don't forget the big raffle with prizes such as tickets to Blenheim Palace and many other attractions.

Sunny cycling in Dorset

poster for a raffle, listing some of the places that have donated prizes

Tickets for our BIG Summer Raffle are now on sale!
Tickets £1 each, available from the museum.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟮𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 at 2pm
We have some fabulous prizes from some amazing places

All proceeds from the raffle help us raise vital funds for the museum.

poster with a photo of a book with pages folded into a vase with paper flowers and real foliage in

A new craft workshop for adults
Learn how to create a vase out of a book and make paper flowers
Mon 7th Jul 10am-12pm
£25 pp
Space is limited so must book in advance, online via bit.ly/4dRXu9N or visit the museum.
All materials provided. This workshop is for adults only.

photo of the museum cafe counter with the words time for a change over the top

Change is coming to the Museum Café – as of the 20th June, we'll be launching the new 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗺 𝗖𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽! With a stripped-back menu of deli-style sandwiches and alternatives prepared daily to choose from, alongside our homemade cakes, delicious scones and the normal selection of hot and cold drinks

Our Fundraising Summer Fete is taking place on Saturday 12th July 10am - 12pm

collage of three photos of the same hat but from different angles. The hat has a Royal Berkshire badge on it

#SomethingNew to our archives which we haven't shared before is this Royal Berkshire Regiment hat which was donated by the son the of gentleman who wore this hat during WWII, Ronald Sealey.
#Archive30

small wooden acorn

Today's #ArchiveObject is a personal favourite of our Collections volunteer. This tiny wooden acorn is hiding inside of it a grater for nutmeg. The grater is metal and is mounted into a bone frame inside the wooden casing. This one dates from the 1800s but they were popular from the 1600s
#Archive30

Today's #Archive30 is #SoundAndVision and this video from 2017 is a feast for your ears!
Our barrel piano is notoriously difficult to play correctly and hasn't been played much since the lovely volunteer in this video, David, sadly passed away.

So, whether you want to find out about the history of our area at the museum, try some delicious homemade food at our cafe, take a walk along the Ridgeway or at White Horse Hill, or visit some of the local independent shops, you are sure to find something that makes your trip worthwhile!

poster with three lego mini figures and lego bricks

LEGO® Club is back this Easter!
A chance for LEGO® loving children to spend an hour building with our large collection of LEGO®.
£4 per child, per session.
Space is very limited so must be booked in advance online bit.ly/4hKZbG or at the museum.
Recommended for children aged 4-10 years.

poster with an image of a garden and two smaller images of two women

The Friends of the VDM April talk is sure to be an interesting one:
𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 by Katherine Bradley.
Thursday 10th April 7.30pm.
Tickets: Members £5 & Non-members £7
For more info and to book visit: www.ticketsource.co.uk/vale-downlan...

Author Melanie King will be joining the Friends of the Museum to share how the once exotic drinks of tea, coffee and chocolate became popular in Great Britain.
Thursday 20th March 7.30pm
There are just FOUR tickets available so get yours before it is too late www.ticketsource.co.uk/vale-downlan...

a selection of glass bottles, mostly clear glass but there are some blue and green ones also

19th & 20th century apothecary bottles from Cleggs the Chemist on Newbury Street, Wantage.

Most medicine bottles were made of colourless glass but sometimes blue bottles would be used for syrups and green bottles for medicines classed as 'poisons'

a stack of rocky road slices, filled with chocolate, biscuits and marshmallows

Do marshmallows and chocolate count as part of your five-a-day? Asking for a friend!

Mouthwatering Rocky Road is today's special bake in the museum cafe, available while stocks last!

black and white photograph of a brick building with a stone pediment on top

Mill Street, Wantage in the 1960s.
Sandpiper Boutique in the former Wantage Tramway Company building. Featuring the beautiful full pediment atop the building. Manufactured in 1904 but by 1971 it had become unsafe and had to be removed.
#WaybackWednesday

a wood clad building with solar panels on the roof, blue sky and sun.

The sun is shining & our new solar panels are working beautifully
Yesterday they were producing more than 50% of the electricity the museum and cafe were using, which is fantastic considering we are only in March
#SolarPanels #SolarEnergy

stack of tiffin filled with malteasers

Malteaser tiffin is this week's special bake at the museum cafe 😋 available while stocks last.
The museum cafe are open Monday - Saturday 9.30am - 3pm (last lunch orders 2pm & last refreshment orders 2.30pm)
Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options available.
They also do takeaway!

Such a great local museum. I’ve a long family involvement going back years but still enjoy visiting and volunteering here.
It’s really important we keep this museum open and free for all to enjoy for years to come. Help if you can.

black and white photo of a brick building with a long paved pathway and gardens either side

King Alfred’s Grammar School in we believe the 1890s. This building still remains as part of King Alfred’s School on Portway.

This photograph was donated to the museum by Dr Ridsdell-Smith who lived in Wantage and was a founding member of the museum.

#WaybackWednesday

Looking for something for the older children to do this half term? Then look no further than our Children's Art Workshop
During this session we'll be learning to weave onto a CD to create a planet.
Tues 18th Feb
Book online bit.ly/42LJ8E

Well deserved. I wouldn’t disagree with anything in that review.

shop front with a brown awning with the word Austins in white writing

Newbury Street, Wantage 1992.
Austins and Clegg & Son.

Austins sold furniture and other household items and had a lovely cafe upstairs.
Clegg & Son was a chemist which also had a large stationary section. Well known to many school children of the time as somewhere to get all their craft materials

Arrived at the right time - I’ve just finished The Exodus Betrayal so have started reading it straightaway. 2 chapters in and enjoying it so far.

Black and white photo of a chapel building. there are two tennis courts in the front

St Katherine’s School, Wantage. 1932
Just four years after this photograph was taken, St Katherine’s School merged with another Community of St Mary the Virgin founded school in Abingdon, St Helen’s School. Becoming St Helen and St Katherine School, which is still going strong today in Abingdon