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SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS: 2006 From Cross-Stitch to Computers
This, the first Special Exhibition in our new downstairs gallery, was
about Cranford House School in Moulsford which celebrated its 75th
anniversar
It told the unusual story of the founding of the School in her own home
by a local resident, Miss Laurence, and the richly illustrated history
of its growth to the present day. The rest of the room was transformed
into a mid-20th century schoolroom complete with desks, blackboard and
memorabilia.
The exhibition also highlighted the significant changes in education
throughout the second half of the last century. Wallingford Underground This brand new downstairs exhibition brought together photographs, drawings, results and a map of the surprisingly large number of excavations which have taken place in Wallingford in the past forty years. It presents many previously unpublished photographs, such as some from the Castle excavations in the 1960s which reveal part of the medieval town gateway and 13th century buildings (below), and others from the graveyard of the Saxon church of St Martin now reburied under the new Waitrose site.
In addition to the
displays there was (and still is!) a comprehensive file of reports of
excavations which can be consulted – the archaeological equivalent to
the documentary
Sources for Wallingford History There was also a remarkable collection of fieldwalking finds from the Benson & Ewelme areas, such as this group of 18/19th century lead cloth or wool seals (below).
1155 & All That! In 2005,
Wallingford marked the 850th anniversary of the granting of its Royal
Charter by Henry II. This exhibition was mounted as part of the
celebrations - it was so popular that we decided to retain it for a
further year. In it our
cartoon character CHARTERMAN (see left) guided the visitor through the
background to Wallingford’s historic Charter. He showed you WHAT it all
means, WHY the Charter was granted, WHEN & WHERE it all happened and WHO
was involved. And you still can! The book 1155 & All That! is available price £4.95 from the Museum Bookshop, Wallingford Bookshop or Toby English or direct from the publishers, Pie Powder Press (see their website at www.piepowder.co.uk)
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