Radstock Museum in
Radstock
Radstock is a town and civil parish on the northern slope of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England, about south-west of Bath and north-west of Frome. It is within the area of the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset. The Radstoc ...
,
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
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, established_date = Ancient
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, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
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, England has a range of exhibits which offer an insight into North
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
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, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
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life since the nineteenth century.
History
The museum was originally opened in 1989 in barns in
Haydon. The museum moved to its current site in the restored and converted Victorian Market Hall, a grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
dating from 1897 which was opened on 10 July 1999 by
Loyd Grossman
Loyd Daniel Gilman Grossman (born 16 September 1950) is an American-British author, broadcaster and cultural campaigner who has mainly worked in the United Kingdom. He is well known for presenting the BBC programme ''MasterChef'' from 1990 to 20 ...
.
Exhibits
Many of the exhibits relate to the now disused local
Somerset Coalfield and
geology
Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...
. The geology exhibits including fossils found locally particularly relate to the work of
William Smith, who was known as "the Father of English Geology", and spent much of his early career in the local area.
Other areas include aspects of local history including home life, schools and shops, and industries such as
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
, a
forge, and a printers.
Artefacts and memorabilia of the
Somerset Coal Canal
The Somerset Coal Canal (originally known as the Somersetshire Coal Canal) was a narrow canal in England, built around 1800. Its route began in basins at Paulton and Timsbury, ran to nearby Camerton, over two aqueducts at Dunkerton, through a ...
,
Somerset and Dorset and
Great Western Railways are also on display.
Religious life in the area is represented with exhibits related to
John Wesley who founded
Methodism
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...
and
John Skinner who, as well as being rector of
Camerton was also an archaeologist and antiquarian.
References
External links
Radstock Museum*
{{Authority control
Radstock
History of Somerset
Industry museums in England
Museums in Somerset
Somerset coalfield
Grade II listed buildings in Bath and North East Somerset
Mining museums in England
Mining in Somerset
History museums in Somerset
Local museums in Somerset
Museums established in 1989
1989 establishments in England
Grade II listed museum buildings