Museum Friends meeting Thursday 1st March – postponed
Please note that the Abingdon Museum Friends meeting due to take place on Thursday 1st March has been postponed due to the inclement weather.
For more details of the Friends please click here.
Create a Green Man Wall Plaque
Visitors are invited to take part in a fantastic workshop ‘Create a Green Man Wall Plaque’ at Abingdon Museum on 27th February this year. The workshop is a once-only event linked to the popular Myth, Mystery and Music exhibition currently displayed in the Sessions Gallery at the Museum in the town centre.
Tickets can be booked in advance on 01235 523703, or from the museum reception. No prior experience is necessary and all equipment/clay will be provided. When finished, plaques will be taken away and fired ready for collection from the museum later.
Don’t miss out, book now to try out a new creative craft this year!
The Green Man Trail in Oxfordshire & Beyond
Tuesday, 20 February 2018 – 3:00pm
A talk by Tim Healey
Tim Healey explores the story behind the mysterious leafy mask seen on our old parish churches, in 18th century garden ornaments and Victorian street architecture. A presentation utilising a wealth of vivid pictures of the Green Man subject in Oxfordshire.
Price: £5 per person
Location: Kempster Room, museum basement. This level is accessible by lift.
Tickets must be booked in advance.
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
Building works commence at the Guildhall
The Council is pleased to announce that this week major building improvements have started on the Guildhall. These are the first major improvements to the Guildhall for many years and will help to make the building fit for the modern age and improve inclusivity for all. For a full update on the Guildhall Development Project please click here.
The Abingdon Fair… a medieval tradition?
The history of Abingdon’s fair tradition from the Middle Ages and its evolution into the longest street fair in Europe.
Every year Abingdon’s streets are closed for the Michaelmas Fair for two days in October, and once again the following week for the one-day ‘Runaway Fair’ But where does the street fair originate?
This exhibition traces the roots of the fair back to the Middle Ages, when multiple fairs were held in Abingdon. It follows the history through the centuries and takes a closer look at the origin of the Michaelmas Fair as hiring fair.
The exhibition also shows the more recent development of fairground rides and other attractions such as fortune tellers and boxing booths, and looks at the lives of the people that host the fair, the show people.
Come and experience the fun of Abingdon’s fair, past and present.
Location: Sessions Gallery, Abingdon Museum
Time: 10am – 4pm Tuesday – Sunday
Admission: Free
Plan your visit: This gallery is located on the museum’s first floor up 37 steps and is not lift accessible.
Great War Propaganda
A collection of wartime conscription and propaganda posters portrays a unique and insightful view of the Great War. Exploring the detail within the text and imagery of these documents, visitors will discover a number of underlying stories and social attitudes that create a picture of life both on the front lines and at home in Britain during the conflict of 1914-1918.
Time: 10am-4pm Tuesday – Sunday / Admission: Free
Located in the Sessions Gallery of Abingdon Museum, this exhibition is on the first floor, up 37 steps from the lobby, and is not wheelchair accessible.
A smaller selection from the posters collection of Abingdon museum is also on show at St. Nicolas’ church Monday to Saturday (10 am to 4.30 pm) until 23rd December. The church is wheelchair accessible and is fully accessible to impaired mobility people.
The Squashed Collection
The colourful world of everyday items such as junk and toys is often overlooked. Artist Robert Strange – recently celebrated in Artists & Illustrators magazine – has taken a positive and creative approach to re-imagining the qualities of such items. From discarded playing cards to buttons, squashed toys and sweet wrappers, the seemingly mundane is brought to vibrant life in his series of fascinating drawings.
This exhibition combines several series of Strange’s artworks, including his new Rusty series, to illustrate the diversity and artistic possibilities in discarded waste.
Location: Sessions Gallery, Abingdon Museum
Time: 10am-4pm Tuesday – Sunday
Admission: Free
Plan your visit: This gallery is located on the museum’s first floor up 37 steps and is not lift accessible.
Aspects of Abingdon, through the eyes of artists and photographers.
Over the centuries, many artists and photographers have chosen views of Abingdon as the subject of their work. Some were local artists depicting their home, others came from further afield and took aspects of Abingdon to a wider audience. This exhibition reveals a changing and sometimes imagined townscape.
Location: Sessions Gallery, Abingdon Museum
Time: 10am-4pm Tuesday – Sunday
Admission: Free, donations gratefylly received
Plan your visit: This gallery is located on the museum’s first floor up 37 steps and is not lift accessible.
Mr Hemmings Hat and other curiosities
Celebrating 100 Years of Abingdon’s Museum Collections
2020 marks the centenary of the formation of the first museum committee. Come and find out out who began the museum and how it has developed through the years.
Why do we collect certain things and others?
What is the strangest object we have?
Location: Sessions Gallery, Abingdon Museum
Time: 10am – 4pm Tuesday – Sunday
Admission: Free
Plan your visit: This gallery is located on the museum’s first floor up 37 steps and is not lift accessible.
