A Visit to Louth Museum

Last Friday I again visited Louth market hoping to obtain some more of the really juicy pears I found last week. That was not to be. Not a single fruit or veg stall in sight. Nor had the large greengrocers shop any. In fact everywhere I tried only had one variety of pear. In the end I bought a few of those in our village Co-op store on the way home.

The visit to Louth was not wasted as I had also planned to have a look round Louth Museum. It has only taken me a little over four decades to get round to it. Must have been the longest waiting event on my Round Tuit pile.

First views of the Museum to prove it:




Interesting lumps of rock outside



Close view of the largest


Whatever could it be?
All is explained




There are several exhibits in the small courtyard by the entrance.

Just a couple of them:

 



Moving inside the museum



where I was welcomed by the two enthusiastic, knowledgeable volunteer curators who were on duty.
The museum is owned and looked after by a voluntary charity. The only income for the venture comes from gifts, donations and entrance fees.  Having paid my dues the first thing to be seen on entering the museum is the Panorama Gallery which contains a copy of a panoramic view  of Louth.

 

The original was painted by William Brown in the 1850's. At that time the steeple was covered in scaffolding while repairs were made following lightning damage. Several times he climbed to the top to make sketches. The full story can be read on the Museum web site HERE.

As you walk through the rest of this compact, very well designed museum the exhibits are in chronological order from pre history through to modern times:







A couple of ways  the maximum use of space are made.
Here some excavated  finds are shown below floor level:



In the centre of the room is a raised gallery accessible by staircase or lift. That gallery is devoted to the devastating Louth flash flood of 1920 which resulted in 23 fatalities in 20 minutes as a wall of water swept through the town destroying houses.



There are many photographs and an interactive map on the floor showing where the photographs were taken.

Several wood sculptures by Thomas Wallis are on exhibition



Not least of which is 'Trophy of Spring which was exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851



There are many exhibits of local industry. Louth, as with most towns, had its own brick makers, carpet weavers, ale breweries, etc..

A few items which caught my interest:

Poachers beware:



Printing:



Local bricks:



Louth Tokens:



Funeral Bier:

 

General views:





There is more to see than I can show here. Every available space in this small museum has been used to good advantage. You need to look up as well as down. Sometimes I had to hold the camera above my head and hope to take the photo I wanted. Well worth a visit if you ever visit Louth or holiday in the Lincolnshire Wolds. The museum also has a lovely web site HERE where much more detailed information can be found.

All the above photos can be clicked on to see them larger on my Flickr account.