Abingdon County Hall Museum - Abingdon on Thames Town Council

Things to do, Abingdon, Museum, Events, Family activities, day out, craft, workshop, art

The Green Man – Children’s Workshop

Saturday 27th January, 10:00am-12:00pm

Join artist Barbara Payne and learn how to make a colourful collaged wall plaque inspired by the Green Man image. Afterwards, why not explore the Myth, Mystery and Music exhibition upstairs and see if you can find all of the Green Men in the pictures upstairs!

Price: £6.00

Time: 10am-12pm

Aprons and all equipment supplied.

Location: Kempster Room, museum basement

Facilities: Toilets, Baby Changing, Lift Access

Booking in advance is advised, please contact the museum on 01235 523703 or museum.bookings@abingdon.gov.uk

The Cunning Little Vixen, a special screening and talk by Geoff Dunbar

Wednesday, 1st November, 7:00pm-9:00pm

BAFTA award winning director and animator Geoff Dunbar presents a very special screening of his celebrated production for the BBC of The Cunning Little Vixen. The film is a visually stunning animated adaptation of Janacek’s opera, and follows the story of a wild vixen and her relationship with both humans and the countryside.The film was nominated for the prestigious Prix Italia and won the Golden Prague in 2004.

The evening will begin with a talk by the director Geoff Dunbar about how the film was produced, from Storyboard to Computer animation, and will reveal insights into the complex world of feature-length animation. There will be a short interval before the audience returns to see the film in its full splendour on the Amey Theatre’s large screen.

Tickets may be booked online at the link below, or from the Museum’s booking office on 01235 523703.

Tickets: £10 adults, £5 children (under 16 yrs)

Seating: unreserved seating. Doors will be open from 6.30pm

Weblink for this event

http://abingdonschool.savoysystems.co.uk/AbingdonSchool.dll/TSelectItems…

1917: The Search for Victory

Friday, 10th November, 7:00pm-9:30pm

A lecture by Gareth Howell and Rick Stevens
Special guest John Dexter

After the failure of the Somme offensive to end the war the Allies prepare to win the war in 1917. The British are ready having learnt valuable lessons from 1916 and having been reinforced with new equipment and new technology. The successes in the Battle of Arras, including Vimy Ridge give way to the sufferings of Passchendaele and a renewed hope at Cambrai. Join us for a talk by BBC historical advisor Gareth Howell and Battlefield Relic Hunter Rick Stevens for an examination of this critical year of the First World War, examining the events from a new light a hundred years on.

The talk will also include an artefacts display and a guest appearance by the distinguished Chemist John Dexter examining the life of Fritz Haber, inventor of poison gas in the First World War and a saviour of the Jewish people in the Second as we discuss morality and the people caught up in conflict.

Friday 10 November. 7-9.30pm

Tickets: £10.00 Adult / £8.00 Museum Friend / £5.00 Children (under 16)

Location:

Our Lady’s Abingdon (Main Hall)
Radley Road
Abingdon
Oxfordshire
OX14 3PS

To book: 01235 523703 / museum.bookings@abingdon.gov.uk / tickets on the door

Comic Capers – date confirmation

To tie in with the launch of the fantastic new exhibition Geoff Dunbar: A Personal History of Classical Animation, Abingdon County Hall Museum’s volunteer craft activity team will be hosting two days of activities over the October half-term break entitled Comic Capers. The two dates are 25th and 28th October.

For more details on the museum’s free volunteer run craft activity days please visit the museum page.

https://www.abingdon.gov.uk/event/arts-culture-heritage-market-place/comi…

Volunteers, opportunities, abingdon museum

Volunteers Wanted

Abingdon County Hall Museum are seeking volunteers. If you would like to work in a Grade I listed classical revival county hall, enjoy being around history and meeting new people, then we would like to hear from you. If you have any special interests and would like to get involved in some of the museum’s other areas, such as events, marketing, cafe and roof visits please do get in touch.

Please click the following link to download a volunteer application form

For more information please contact abingdon.museum@abingdon.gov.uk or call 01235 523703.

Volunteers Wanted

The Mouse Hole Cafe, located in the basement of Abingdon County Hall and operated by Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council, are seeking a Saturday volunteer. The cafe offers a cosy and friendly space run by a small team of staff and volunteers, serving hot drinks, snacks and light lunches. The cafe promotes a community atmosphere, and the Mouse Hole Club (run by the museum’s superb volunteers) puts on regular adult craft activities.

Saturday volunteers would be required to help serve food and drinks, offer a friendly welcome and be willing to chat with customers.

If you would like to be a part of a small team and enjoy meeting new people, please contact the Museum on abingdon.museum@abingdon.gov.uk or call 01235 523703 for a volunteer application form.

Learn to Draw

Abingdon Museum welcomes artist Kate Hammersley who will be conducting a series of workshops over four weeks in April entitled Learn to Draw. The workshops will provide beginners and aspiring drawers a chance to learn essential techniques, such as creating compositions and developing textures – taking inspiration from the museum and its collections.

Details of the course may be found at https://www.abingdon.gov.uk/event/arts-culture-heritage/learn-draw with the first date Saturday 1st April.

Places are selling fast so please contact 01235 523703 to confirm your place.

Feeling inspired? The museum is open 10am-4pm Tuesday-Sunday every week, and you can also visit some of the museum’s collection online at https://ehive.com/collections/4128/abingdon-county-hall-museum from the comfort of your home.

The Tanning Industry in Bampton

Abingdon County Hall Museum has lent several objects from its collection to the Bampton Archive for their current exhibition “The Tanning Industry in Bampton – A not-so-small industry that we have forgotten”. The exhibition presents images and objects illustrating the tanning trade in Bampton as well as leatherworking in general.

On now until 3 March 2017 in the Vesey Room of the Bampton Library, Monday to Saturday 10.30-12.30 and 2-4, Sunday 2-4. Entrance free.

The Battle of the Somme: by Gareth Howell and Rick Stevens, 18th November

Abingdon County Hall Museum presents The Battle of the Somme, by BBC historical advisor Gareth Howell and WW1 relic hunter Rick Stevens.

An informative talk, artefacts display and memorial evening to mark the centenary of one of the most infamous battles of World War I. Exploring some of the actual weapons and equipment used in that fateful battle, Rick and Gareth discuss what really happened 100 years ago at the Somme.

Both speakers return to Abingdon by popular demand following a succession of well-received lectures on Trench Warfare, The Napoleonic Wars and The War of the Roses, and popular WW1 artefact workshops at the museum. The event will take place on Friday 18th November 2016 at Our Lady’s Abingdon, Main Hall, from 7pm-9.30pm with doors open at 6.40pm.

Copies of local historian Bob Frampton’s best-selling ‘Abingdon in World War I’ will also be available to purchase on the night.

Suitable for ages 8+

Tickets can be booked in advance (£5) from the Abingdon County Hall Museum reception, on 01235 523703, or by contacting museum.bookings@abingdon.gov.uk

MG, racing, Abingdon, museum, exhibition, cars, history, classic, motor, Brooklands, Monte Carlo, Mille Miglia

MG: Racing, Rallying, Record-Breaking – Exhibition now open

MG have been in the realms of motorsport since their inception in the 1920’s. Fighting against the biggest names in Motorsport including Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Bugatti, MG has been part of an elite racing heritage that has seen them win challenging circuits and break the toughest records.

From 30 September to 20 December, this exhibition will highlight the best of MGs participation in competitive motorsport and celebrate a remarkable racing heritage, all conceived by an Abingdon based car manufacturer. Discover the history of the record-breakers built in Abingdon. Learn about the drivers and their triumphs in races and rallies. See MGs in action on the screen and get up close to genuine racing equipment. And have a go at racing an MG yourself on our Scalextric!

For those already planning for Christmas, check out our shop for MG related gifts.