The Wisbech & Fenland Museum, located in the town of

Wisbech Wisbech ( ) is a market town, inland port and civil parish in the Fenland District, Fenland district in Cambridgeshire, England. In 2011 it had a population of 31,573. The town lies in the far north-east of Cambridgeshire, bordering Norfolk and ...

in the

Isle of Ely The Isle of Ely () is a historic region around the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, Ely in Cambridgeshire, England. Between 1889 and 1965, it formed an Administrative counties of England, administrative county. Etymology Its name has been said to ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, is one of the oldest purpose-built museums in the United Kingdom. The museum logo is W&F.

History

Initially a member-based organisation, the museum is now a charity (311307). The trustee since 1 April 2015 has been Wisbech and Fenland Museum Trustee Company Limited (09432722)

19th century

The Museum Society was founded in 1835 and was originally located in two rooms of 16 Old Market Place, a detached part of the house of George Snarey, and opened in July. The collections could be seen 'from 11 to 2 o'clock every Friday'. In 1839 admission was one shilling. Wisbech Institute was permitted to bring members for a tour at 6d per member. In 1841 the curator, Captain Schulz R.N., was advertising for an attendant to supervise the museum for three hours a day for a salary of £25 and a residence on the premises. In 1845 the museum building was sold and the museum moved to the present purpose-built building in 1847. Originally designed to house both the Museum (founded in 1835) and Literary Society (founded in 1781), these merged in 1877 and after obtaining all the shares the Museum and Literary Society trustees became the sole owner, with the curator living on site Now a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

, it was designed by architect George Buckler, son of John Buckler. The museum opened with a lecture from Professor

Adam Sedgwick Adam Sedgwick FRS (; 22 March 1785 – 27 January 1873) was a British geologist and Anglican priest, one of the founders of modern geology. He proposed the Cambrian and Devonian period of the geological timescale. Based on work which he did ...

, Vice-Master of

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, on 27 July 1847. The building had been erected at the cost of between two and three thousand pounds, the capital having been raised by 100 shares of £25 each. Guests included Major General

Sir Harry Smith Lieutenant-General Sir Henry George Wakelyn Smith, 1st Baronet, GCB (28 June 1787 – 12 October 1860) was a notable English soldier and military commander in the British Army of the early 19th century. A veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, he is a ...

Lord George Manners Lord George John Manners (22 June 1820 – 8 September 1874) was a British nobleman and Conservative Party politician who represented Cambridgeshire for over two decades, from 1847 to 1857 and from 1863 to 1874, when he died. He was born in ...

, Hon. Eliot Yorke, Algernon Peckover and family. In 1877 the library was extended. The museum retains its original display cases and bookcases. The building suffers from subsidence owing to its location over the site of the former moat to

Wisbech Castle The Castle at Wisbech was a stone motte-and-bailey castle built to fortify Wisbech (historically in the Isle of Ely and now also in the Fenland District of Cambridgeshire, England) on the orders of William I in 1072, it probably replaced an e ...

, settlement of the infill having resulted in movement to the front elevation of the building closest to St Peter's Church. In 1887 the library was extended. The museum houses several important collections relating to local history and the anti-slavery campaigner

Thomas Clarkson Thomas Clarkson (28 March 1760 – 26 September 1846) was an English abolitionist, and a leading campaigner against the slave trade in the British Empire. He helped found the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade (also known ...

. A significant exhibit is the original manuscript of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

' ''

Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by English author Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. The novel is a bildungsroman and depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip. It is Dickens' second novel, after ''Dav ...

'', the bequest of the Reverend

Chauncy Hare Townshend Chauncy Hare Townshend, whose surname was spelt by his parents as Townsend (20 April 1798, Godalming, Surrey – 25 February 1868), was a 19th-century English poet, clergyman, mesmerist, collector, dilettante and hypochondriac. He is mostly r ...

in 1863. Other notable artefacts include reputedly

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

Sèvres Sèvres (, ) is a French Communes of France, commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department of the Île-de-France region. The commune, which had a populatio ...

breakfast service, said to have been captured at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

, and

's chest containing examples of 18th-century African textiles, seeds and leatherwork, which he used to illustrate his case for direct trade with Africa.

20th century

In 1910

Baron Peckover Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight, ...

was re-elected president of the Museum and Literary Institution at its 74th annual meeting. The museum holds an extensive collection of maps, which were exhibited in Cambridge in 1934,

Peckover House Peckover House & Garden is a National Trust property located in North Brink, Wisbech, Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. History The house was built in 1722 and later bought by Alfred Southwell. It was bought by Jonathan Peckover at the end ...

1954 and 1976 and the museum in 1993. In 1947 the Museum Committee recommended to the trustees that the manuscript of Dickens' ''Great Expectations'', valued at thousands of pounds, be sold. The Charity Commissioners stated that they could not agree to the sale without very good reasons and would hold a town inquiry. The manuscript had been bequeathed by Chauncey Hare Townsend "for the benefit of the town and neighbourhood of Wisbech" with the proviso that it "should never be sold or exchanged but deposited in the same museum for ever." The sale was abandoned. In the 1950s Fenland Archaeological Society operated from the museum.

21st century

In May and June 2018 an archaeological dig was carried out by

Archaeological Project Services The Heritage Trust of Lincolnshire or Heritage Lincolnshire in the shortened form of its name, is an independent charitable trust working to preserve, protect, promote and present Lincolnshire's heritage for the benefit of local people and visitors ...

(APS) as part of the Wisbech High Street project on the museum grounds. Members of Fenland Archaeological Society (FenArch) and the public took part in this community dig. In 2018 the building was included on the

Heritage at Risk Register An annual ''Heritage at Risk Register'' is published by Historic England. The survey is used by national and local government, a wide range of individuals and heritage groups to establish the extent of risk and to help assess priorities for acti ...

Benjamin Zephaniah Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah (15 April 1958 – 7 December 2023) was a British writer, dub poet, actor, musician and professor of poetry and creative writing. Over his lifetime, he was awarded 20 honorary doctorates in recognition of his c ...

visited the museum in 2018 to make a recording for the

BBC 2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and d ...

series ''Inside Culture with Mary Beard''; Zephaniah named W&F as his favourite museum. The 'Friends of Cambridge University Library’ visited the W & F on 14 April to explore its wonderful library. The visit marked a new partnership between

Cambridge University Library Cambridge University Library is the main research library of the University of Cambridge. It is the largest of over 100 libraries Libraries of the University of Cambridge, within the university. The library is a major scholarly resource for me ...

and W & F, who are working together to shine a light on the collections and develop projects of mutual interest. The

University of Cambridge Museums University of Cambridge Museums is a consortium of the eight museums of the University of Cambridge. The consortium works in partnership with the Cambridge University Botanic Garden and other Cambridge University collections. It was awarded Maj ...

formed a partnership with W&F (which is even older than the

Fitzwilliam Museum The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities University museum, museum of the University of Cambridge. It is located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge. It was founded in 1816 under the will of Richard ...

), sharing resources. In 2021 the museum received a £616k grant from

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...

for roof repairs to begin in spring 2021. To celebrate the museum's 175th anniversary in 2022 the Friends arranged a concert 'Steps in Time' by Hexachordia, which was held in

owing to building work in the museum.

Local and social history

The W&F collection includes agricultural implements, drainage tools and pipes, shooting and fishing equipment and as such reflects the culture and economy of the Fens up until modern mechanisation developed in the 20th century. In addition, the history of Borough and port is represented by collections which include a shipping industry display - the port authority is now the Fenland District Council, the town was a major port for grain and wood, slates, coal and stone was imported to serve the area's needs. Crime and punishment items used locally are on display. The town once had a gaol, pillory, stocks and gibbet. A mantrap once belonging to the

Peckover House and Garden Peckover House & Garden is a National Trust property located in North Brink, Wisbech, Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. History The house was built in 1722 and later bought by Alfred Southwell. It was bought by Jonathan Peckover at the end ...

is on display in the museum. 19th- and early-20th-century life is illustrated through the collection of domestic objects and others relating to local trades. The museum exhibits include bill posters for the town's Georgian

Angles Theatre The Angles Theatre is a theatre and historic Georgian playhouse in the market town of Wisbech, Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. It is among the oldest of Britain's theatres. The current premises consists of the original theatre building ...

, one of the country's oldest purpose-built theatres. A model of a woad mill at

Parson Drove Parson Drove is a fen village and civil parish in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. A linear settlement, it is west of Wisbech, the nearest town. The village is named after the central thoroughfare along which the village developed, a ...

and associated items are on display.

Woad ''Isatis tinctoria'', also called woad (), dyer's woad, dyer's-weed, or glastum, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae (the mustard family) with a documented history of use as a blue dye and medicinal plant. Its genus name, ''Isati ...

growing industry was mostly confined to the Cambridgeshire and

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

Fens. A display of items linked to the

Cambridgeshire Regiment The Cambridgeshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, and was part of the Territorial Army. Originating in units of rifle volunteers formed in 1860, the regiment served in the Second Anglo-Boer War and the First and Seco ...

is found in the uppermost gallery.

Manuscripts

This collection includes ''

Hours of Idleness ''Hours of Idleness'' was the first volume of poetry published by Lord Byron, in 1807, when he was 19 years old. It is a collection of mostly short poems, many in imitation of classic Roman poets. Background The volume was published in June– ...

'' by

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

, ''

'' by

and ''

The Monk ''The Monk: A Romance'' is a Gothic novel by Matthew Gregory Lewis, published in 1796 across three volumes. Written early in Lewis's career, it was published anonymously when he was 20. It tells the story of a virtuous Catholic monk who give ...

'' by Matthew Lewis.

Natural history

W&F has a collection of local, British and international geology (rocks & minerals), paleontology (fossils), conchology (shells) including specimens from the barrister William Metcalfe (1804–1873), 19th-century bird, mammal and fish mounts, lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), coleoptera (beetles) and a herbarium (botanical specimens) particularly William Skrimshire's (1766–1829) early nineteenth-century collection. Among the fossils to be seen are ichthyosaurs, belemnites, sea urchins and shark teeth.

Archaeology

The extensive archaeology collection of the W&F enables visitors to understand the development of Fenland life from the pre-historic through medieval times to the recent past. W&F's Romano- British collection features fine examples of pottery as well as a skeleton of a c.1700-year-old woman from Coldham. The jewel of the Museum's Celtic material is a highly decorated

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

Wisbech Scabbard (c.300 BC), found locally by

Samuel Smith Samuel Smith may refer to: In politics *Samuel Smith (Connecticut politician) (1646–1735), early settler of Norwalk, Connecticut and deputy of the General Assembly of the Colony of Connecticut in 1691 *Samuel Smith (1754–1834), British member ...

. Pottery and other artefacts recovered in the soils of the Welle Stream (an extinct Fenland river) give an insight into life in the Iron Age, Roman and Medieval Periods. W&F acquires finds from digs in the area, it recently received some of the collection of the 2009 Dig in The Castle. W&F also worked with the Wisbech High Street project and Fenland Archaeological Society to carry out a community dig on the museum's grounds and loaned items for a temporary exhibition and open day at Wisbech castle in 2019.

Ancient Egyptian

W&F houses a Victorian collection of artefacts which illustrate much about the Egyptian lives and beliefs. A dismembered mummified hand is mounted on a red velvet cushion. Other items include a mummified cat, idolets of

Osiris Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wikt:wsjr, wsjr'') was the ancient Egyptian deities, god of fertility, agriculture, the Ancient Egyptian religion#Afterlife, afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He was ...

Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

and

Horus Horus (), also known as Heru, Har, Her, or Hor () in Egyptian language, Ancient Egyptian, is one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities who served many functions, most notably as the god of kingship, healing, protection, the sun, and t ...

and

canopic jar Canopic jars are funerary vessels that were used by the Ancient Egypt, ancient Egyptians to house embalmed organs that were removed during the mummification process. They also served to store and preserve the viscera of their soul for the afterl ...

s and several

stelae A stele ( ) or stela ( )The plural in English is sometimes stelai ( ) based on direct transliteration of the Greek, sometimes stelae or stelæ ( ) based on the inflection of Greek nouns in Latin, and sometimes anglicized to steles ( ) or stela ...

(gravestones). W&F has an Egyptian handling collection which is very popular with school parties and groups of other visitors.

Artworks

165 of the museum's paintings and sculptures are available to view online. The collection includes international figures such as

and

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. Charles was born ...

as well as others with local connections such as

John Thurloe John Thurloe (June 1616 – 21 February 1668) was an English politician who served as secretary to the council of state in The Protectorate, Protectorate England and spymaster for Oliver Cromwell and held the position of Postmaster General betw ...

and William Ellis (missionary) and scenes including local

production.

Photography

The Fading Images website lists more than 100 photographers in Wisbech. More than any other town in Cambridgeshire. The W&F collection includes 19th-century photographs of Wisbech and the surrounding area by

; the Lilian Ream collection, topographical images of East Anglia taken by Herbert Coates in the 1920s, Wisbech building and street scenes photographed by Geoff Hastings in the 1950s and 1960s and photographs in the 1970s by George Annis. It also has some of the earliest examples of photographs of Madagascar taken in the 1850s by William Ellis (1794–1872), a prominent member of the

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed tradition, Reformed in outlook, with ...

. The museum holds a collection by Margaret George (1899–1983): Social documentary photographer. Margaret was the daughter of the vicar of

Guyhirn Guyhirn (sometimes spelled Guyhirne) is a village near the town of Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, England. It is on the northern bank, the North Brink, of the River Nene, at the junction of the A141 with the A47. The population is included in ...

Ring's End Ring's End is a hamlet near Guyhirn in the Isle of Ely in Cambridgeshire, England. The population is included in the civil parish of Elm in the Fenland District. History Land surrounding Elm including Coldham suffered serious flooding, with lo ...

in 1918. She was given her first camera at twelve years of age. She photographed the daily life of the village from workers in the fields to mothers holding their newborns. She exhaustively dated and annotated her photographs, even naming animals. These were, in turn, archived in albums.

Public access

Until 2023, admission was free for all visitors. Since 1 May 2023 adults have been charged £5 on entry, which buys a year-long season ticket. The museum is open 10am - 4pm Tuesday to Saturday. It is sometimes open on Bank Holidays but usually closed on Sundays. The W&F is an important venue for widening interest in Wisbech and Fenland and regularly participates in Fenland-wide events and Twilight at the Museums. It puts on activities for families and individuals as well as temporary exhibitions, workshops and other events. During January and early February the museum is open only on Saturdays. The museum has been upgraded to include a lift to access different levels.

Museum library

The W&F has a reference library of c.12,000 volumes. Non-fiction works of History, Biography, Medicine, Travel and Exploration comprise the bulk of the collection with less Fiction and Drama, and Theological and Political works are uncommon. The 1882 catalogue of the library was reprinted in 2011 by Cambridge University Press.

Friends of Wisbech and Fenland Museum

The Friends of Wisbech and Fenland Museum Charity (283506) raise funds for the museum and publish books on local history. Current (2024) membership subscriptions individual £10 and £15 for two persons at the same address. ''The Life and Times of Chauncey Hare Townshend, a Victorian Collector'' (1998), ''The Trade of a Farmer: John Peck of Parson Drove'' by Dian Blawer was published in 2000. ''An East Anglian Odyssey: the story of the DaSilva puppet company'' (2006) by Chris Abbott. In 2019 a series of books of photos by Geoff Hastings and Andy Ketley were published; the first print run of 100 copies of ''Images of Wisbech no.1'' sold out in a week and was reprinted the same month. ''Images of Wisbech no.2'' followed in December. ''Images of Wisbech no.3'' was launched in February 2020 to coincide with an illustrated talk by writer William P. Smith. ''Images of Wisbech no.4'' followed in November the same year. ''Images of Wisbech no.5'' was published in October 2021. Volume no.6 was published in 2022. ''Wisbech Inns, Taverns and Beer-houses: Past and Present'' vol 1 was published in December 2021. Vol 2 was published the following month. Volumes 3 and 4 were published in 2022, volume 5 in 2023 and volume 6 in 2024.These publications received awards from the

British Association of Friends of Museums The British Association of Friends of Museums (BAFM) is an independent organisation for Friends, supporters, and volunteers in museums, galleries, and heritage sites within the United Kingdom.

, the British Guild of Beer Writers and the Cambridgeshire Association for Local History.

Awards

The museum was shortlisted for the Kids in Museums 'Family Friendly Museum Award' 2021 in the Best Small Museum class. The Friends were short-listed for the BAFM 'Impact Award' in 2022. The Friends won the BAFM Friends of the Year Award in 2023. The museum received £5,000 from the Benefact Group's Movement For Good annual programme of giving in 2024.

Funding

The museum operates a free admission policy for under sixteens and full-time students and a £5 season ticket for others and relies to a large degree on volunteer support with income from a combination of sponsorship, admission charges, donations, museum shop sales and grants. Since

Fenland District Council Fenland may mean: * Fenland, or the Fens, an area of low-lying land in eastern England ** Fenland District, a local authority district in Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, forming part of the Fens ** Fenland Airfield, an airfield near Spalding, ...

withdrew grant support, the

Wisbech Town Council Wisbech Town Council is a Parish councils in England, parish council covering the town of Wisbech in England. It is the successor to the Wisbech Municipal Borough. The Council is based at Wisbech Town Hall, 1 North Brink, Wisbech where its com ...

grant and a recent 'Re-founders' scheme (£1k pa for five years) and grants from the 'Friends' and other organisations have been important sources of funds. More recently a 'Supporters Circle' scheme using monthly Direct Debits of £5 Clarkson, £10 Peckover or £20 Townsend has been launched by the museum.

Publications

* * * The museum produced annual reports until c2013. Annual returns are made to the Charity Commission website. * The Fenland Five leaflet * *Publications are sold in the museum gift shop and online.

References

External links

* *
Wisbech and Fenland Museum
information from

The National Archives National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention. Conceptual development From the Middle Ages i ...

, UK
W&F FacebookFriends of Wisbech & Fenland Museum Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wisbech and Fenland Museum Wisbech Museums in Cambridgeshire Museums established in 1847 Decorative arts museums in England Natural history museums in England Local museums in Cambridgeshire 1847 establishments in England Geology museums in the United Kingdom Fenland District Theatre museums Charles Dickens Fossil museums in the United Kingdom Museums established in 1835 Photography museums and galleries in England