Wareham Town Museum

Exterior of Wareham Town Museum

Wareham Town Museum tells the story of the Wareham area of Dorset in southern England from prehistoric times to the present day, with a special exhibition on Lawrence of Arabia, who lived nearby. The museum, which is in the centre of Wareham, next to the town hall, is supported by the Wareham Town Council and is run by volunteers.

Museum

The museum is based in Wareham Town Hall and focusses on the local area and the people who lived in Wareham over the centuries. It includes information about archaeology, geology and local history.[1] It is staffed by volunteers and runs on donations.[2]

The museum has a special section on Lawrence of Arabia, who lived close by at Clouds Hill, now maintained by National Trust. They have hosted lectures by the archaeologist, Neil Faulkner, on the topic, explaining Lawrence's role at the Hallat Ammar train ambush in 1917, showing a bullet apparently fired from a Colt pistol by Lawrence himself.[3] The museum has produced an hour-long DVD entitled T. E. Lawrence — His Final Years in Dorset which includes a reconstruction of Lawrence's fatal motorcycle accident while riding his beloved Brough Superior near his home, Clouds Hill, in May 1935.[4]

The museum has displayed some Saxon artefacts, including a sword found in the River Frome near Wareham from 10th century. The sword was inscribed with old English text and may have belonged to royalty.[5] After the original was returned to Dorset County Museum, the museum put together a new Saxon exhibition which includes a replica of the sword.[2]

External links

References

  1. ↑ Richards, Alexandra. Slow Dorset: Local, Characterful Guides to Britain's Special Places. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 162. ISBN 9781841623931.
  2. 1 2 Frampton, Will (31 March 2016). "This replica Saxon sword is centrepiece of new exhibition". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  3. ↑ Jim, Durkin (24 June 2016). "Lawrence of Arabia DID help raid Saudi train, expert tells museum". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "Lawrence of Arabia section in Wareham Town Museum". www.greenacre.info. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  5. ↑ Durkin, Jim (19 April 2012). "Saxon sword found in River Frome may been owned by royalty". Bournemouth Echo.

Coordinates: 50°41′10″N 2°06′34″W / 50.6862°N 2.1095°W / 50.6862; -2.1095

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/26/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.