Registered Charity No. 1070698
Last Updated 15/4/10
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About
our town
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Why a Sittingbourne Museum ? | |
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In November 1900 a report appeared in the local paper commenting on the fact that Sittingbourne had no museum. The report concluded : “We can only deplore the poverty of the town in anything of this matter. It possesses no collection of any sort whether of ancient or modern interest, neither has it a public building of any kind worthy of itself except the Town Hall of which perhaps the less said the better.” |
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| Nearly 100 years were to pass before Sittingbourne had its own museum, founded and funded entirely on a voluntary basis. Starting in the 1970s, a local Councillor, Peter Morgan, began to collect memorabilia of the town, a collection which grew with the years. People were conscious that they often had items which illustrated our history and which they wished preserved. Storage became a major problem and in the 1990s and a small group began to look for suitable storage space. | ||
| The Beginning | ||
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This led in 1995 to a public meeting at which a steering group was formed with the object of preserving these artefacts and perhaps putting some of them on display. There followed two frustrating years in which hopes of accommodation failed to materialise. Then in 1997, John Frewin, a local optician said we could use an empty shop he owned in East St. Sittingbourne. He further agreed that we could display some of our artefacts and all this for a peppercorn rent. This generosity is typical of the response of the community in supporting us. We began the long task of converting the building, creating displays and organising a programme. The dedicated members who did all this were rewarded when in June 1999 we were officially declared open. In 2009 we have over 500 members, but we need more and we need people who will be active and can help us with decision making, volunteer work, advice, maintenance, knowledge and so on ! |
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The Future Since the early days the museum has gained a considerable number of interesting exhibits, has opened to more and more visitors each year, has a steadily growing membership. We are now involved in the discussions relating to the new cultural building planned for Sittingbourne town centre. |
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