Blake Museum

Blake Museum
The Blake Museum at
5 Blake Street, Bridgwater
Location within Somerset and England
Location Bridgwater, Somerset
Coordinates 51°07′38″N 3°00′05″W / 51.1271°N 3.0014°W / 51.1271; -3.0014Coordinates: 51°07′38″N 3°00′05″W / 51.1271°N 3.0014°W / 51.1271; -3.0014

The Blake Museum is in Bridgwater, Somerset, England and since April 2009 has been run by Bridgwater Town Council with help from The Friends of Blake Museum. It has been an Accredited Museum since 2006.

The museum was founded in 1926 by Bridgwater Borough Council, and its collecting area covered from East and West Huntspill in the North to Thurloxton in the South and from Ashcott and Burrowbridge in the East to beyond Nether Stowey in the West. In 1974, the assets of the Borough Council were absorbed by Sedgemoor District Council, which ran the museum until 2009, when it could no longer afford to do so. The Museum was returned to the ownership of the Town Council. Since then, the Museum volunteers have completely re-furbished the building and garden, have undertaken a re-display in new cases of the artefacts, and have begun an update of the museum's catalogue.

The Museum's 90th birthday in 2016 was celebrated by a special exhibition.[1]

The building is believed to be the birthplace of Robert Blake, General at Sea (1598–1657). It was built in the late 15th or early 16th century, and has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II* listed building.[2] The three-storey two-bay structure is built of limestone with some hamstone and a mixture of English-bond and Flemish bond brickwork. Some of the ceilings are original including one of six panels divided by chamfered beams and a roundel in the middle of each panel. One of the fireplaces has a Tudor oak lintel.[3]

Although it is commonly used, Robert Blake's name was never prefixed by "Admiral", which was not used in the Parliamentarian navy; his actual rank of General at Sea combined the role of an Admiral and Commissioner of the Navy.

Notable features of the museum include artefacts from Blake's life including his sea chest. The museum also illustrates Bridgwater's mercantile and marine past and includes important local historical events such as the Battle of Sedgmoor. As well as a diorama of the Battle of Sedgemoor, the new Battle gallery covers conflicts from the time of King Alfred, the English Civil War as well as the 20th century. The Museum possesses a very full archive of cuttings from the local newspaper, the Bridgwater Mercury, for every week of the war, 1914-1918, which have been used to design a centenary exhibition each August, 2014-2018.

There is also a small collection of agricultural machinery and tools, and dairy equipment, a group of coins found in the bank of King's Sedgemoor Drain. In 2012, the museum restored and put on display the Spaxton Mosaic.[4] The collection also includes items of women's garments dating from the 19th century, an extensive photographic collection, maritime and transport heritage items, brick, tile and textile items, and a Monmouth rebellion archive.[5] The museum houses the archive of the work of the local artist John Chubb (1746–1818).[6]

The museum also had an association with Channel 4's archaeological television programme Time Team.[7]

It works very closely with the Bridgwater Heritage Group, which publishes online much about the town's history.

The Museum publishes a series of information leaflets about the town's history, which may be downloaded from the museum's website The Museum Friends publishes a quarterly newsletter, Blake News, which features forthcoming exhibitions and talks.

Opening times

The Museum is open between Easter and November, Tuesday - Saturday 10.00am - 4.00pm (last entry 3.00pm) Admission is free but donations are very welcome.

The Museum publishes a brochure specifically for tourists which is updated annually with news of any changes to the displays, and which details the dates of the season.

For enquiries please ring +44 01278 456127 or email secretary@bridgwatermuseum.org.uk

References

  1. ↑ "History of Blake Museum". Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "The Admiral Blake Museum". Images of England. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
  3. ↑ "The Admiral Blake Museum". National heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  4. ↑ "Spaxton Mosaic revealed". Bridgwater Mercury. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  5. ↑ "Blake Museum- The collections:". Sedgemoor District Council. Archived from the original on 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  6. ↑ "Chubb Lithographs of 18th. Century Bridgwater". Bridgwater Heritage Group. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  7. ↑ "Blake Museum". Bridgwater.net. Retrieved 2007-10-27.
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