The West Berkshire Museum, in Newbury,

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

, holds various artworks and collections related to Newbury and West Berkshire. Established in 1904, the museum is housed in two of Newbury's most historic buildings. The Cloth Hall was built in 1627 by Richard Emmes, a master carpenter of

Speenhamland The Speenhamland system was a form of outdoor relief intended to mitigate rural poverty in England and Wales at the end of the 18th century and during the early 19th century. The law was an amendment to the Elizabethan Poor Law. It was created a ...

for the Newbury Corporation as a cloth factory. Originally part of a larger range of buildings with a courtyard in the centre, the building was subsequently used as a workhouse, hospital and school before being used for storing corn from 1829 until its conversion to a museum. The museum itself has exhibition galleries, café and a local history library, along with a Conference room which can be hired. A permanent exhibition tells the story of West Berkshire. From the geology to the stories of people who have lived in West Berkshire; early ancestors, to well known characters like

Jack O'Newbury "Jack of Newbury" or John Winchcombe, also known as John Smallwood (c. 1489 −1557) was a leading English clothier from Newbury in Berkshire. When Tudor cloth-making was booming, and woollen cloth dominated English exports, John Winchcombe wa ...

: the people who have created the towns and villages, roads and canals, fields and farms, industries, pastimes and organisations that forms West Berkshire today. The second floor galleries feature a series of special exhibitions, along with Gallery 5 which can be hired to display original artwork, sculpture and craft. Entry is free but donations are most welcome and go towards adding to and conserving the collections and maintaining the historic buildings. The museum underwent a £2.2m renovation in 2014 to update its exhibition areas and visitor facilities. The funding came from the Heritage Lottery Fund (£1.2m), and West Berkshire Council, Greenham Common Trust and the Headley Trust (£1m total).

References

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External links

Official site
Museums in Berkshire Grade I listed buildings in Berkshire Local museums in Berkshire Buildings and structures in Newbury, Berkshire Museums established in 1904 1904 establishments in England