As a child Bolton Museum was our local. The museum is housed in a lovely Neo-Classical Crescent of imposing sandstone. The building houses an aquarium in the basement – as a child spotting the one eyed piranha was the highlight of any trip! The central library on the ground floor and then a museum with 3 main galleries on the top floor.
Childhood highlights for the museum was obviously the Egyptian display complete with Mummies! Closely followed by the gallery full of Taxidermy – obviously displaying animals of the world. I have since discovered this was is a mainstay of many local museums in the early 1980’s. I was slightly surprised that on a visit to New York’s Natural History Museum in 2010 they also had a gallery full of stuffed beasts which was very reminiscent of my visits to Bolton Museum in the 1980’s!
I remember my Mum taking my sister and I to the Museum quite a few times, sometimes with friends and at least once with my Granny. I also recall my Grandpa taking us once in the summer holidays. I have spoken before about the importance of my childhood exposure to museums and heritage which has grown my love for all things old and musty! There was obviously the obligatory school trip to the museum. I think we were learning about either Greeks or Romans and we sat in a theatre and there was dressing up involved! In my teens I remember taking myself and my friend Kat to see an exhibition on 20th century design, which included the same dinner service my parents had got as a wedding present. I also had a weird teenage date looking at the fish in the aquarium!
Bolton Museum had rarely crossed my mind since until it hit the headlines in 2011 for selling a portion of it’s painting collection to raise money to repair the storage depot.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14078290
In these times of austerity these are the difficult decisions that have to be taken, and it is only with better funding and support for these types on institution that will ensure their survival for the next generation. In one simple phrase, use it, donate to it or lose it!
Earlier this year we had to have a tyre repaired on our car whilst visiting relatives in Bolton. These things are never straight forward are they? So we took the short walk into town to kill some time while we waited for the repair to be done. On a cold March morning we sought refuge in the Museum. I will be honest I was really happy with what I found! After the whole cash strapped headlines, I was expecting nothing to have changed since my last visit in the late 1990’s but I was greeted by a really interesting and informative modern exhibition on the history of Bolton.
The stuffed creatures were no longer on display (maybe they are all in the newly repaired stores!) and had been replaced by a detailed history of the emergence and growth of my home town. Once more, there were quite a few visitors including families, the next generation of museum professionals perhaps! I have been trying to convince my 91 year old Grandfather to visit, being Bolton born and bred I imagine there will be a lot of memories brought back seeing the various exhibits covering everything from Mill workers to Bolton Wanderers football team.
I didn’t get chance to look at the Egyptology exhibit as the mobile rang and it was time to collect the car, but Bolton Museum, I will be back next time I’m in the area to sample the rest of the delights you have to offer.
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