The Flintham Museum
The History Of The Museum
The Flintham Museum looks at rural life through the eyes of a village shopkeeper. Fred White and his daughter Muriel ran the village shop at Flintham near Newark, from 1911-1982. They aimed to be the ‘Harrods of Flintham’ and sold a wide range of goods. They were also hoarders - items which did not sell were stored in outbuildings. In 1990 this unsold shop stock was discovered beneath decades of dust. A community project has turned the muck and muddle into a museum which Loyd Grossman opened in 1999.
The
Role Of The Village SHOP
So, what will visitors find if they visit in 2005? Flintham’s collection shows the role of a village shop in its community. Rural retailers offered more than hardware, haberdashery and haricot beans. They acted as the village banker and social worker, and the shop was the ideal place to pick up the latest gossip. Two shop windows are stacked with items covering the range of goods which the Whites sold and there are lots of opportunities to reminisce about shopping before supermarkets.
About
the Museum
The museum is in a tiny, eighteenth-century red-brick and pantile building by the side of a pond and wild flower meadow. The museum was a finalist in European Museum of the Year 2001 and has recently been declared ‘worth a detour’ in a book about the country’s best museums. The volunteers who own and run the museum hope you will turn off the A46 and come and see for yourselves.
Further
Information
Opening Times: Bank Holiday Mondays , Easter - August 2.00-5.00pm, Sundays after Easter to October 2.00-5.00pm
Address: The Flintham Museum, Inholms Road, Flintham, near Newark, NG23 5LF
Telephone: (01636) 525111
Website: Flintham Museum
