From the 1st September the Museum will be open 5 days per week (closed Mondays & Fridays), 10.00am to 4.00pm except Sunday when opening is from 11.00am
Exhibits
Soon we hope to have a bigger Museum; meanwhile just a few of our exhibits are pictured below.
Minehead botanist Isabella Gifford (1825-1891)
Isabella Gifford’s lifelong interest in seaweed, mosses and other plants was widely recognised by botanists around the world, who were keen to learn from her meticulous work and her identification of species. Her main area of expertise was in seaweeds, which she collected locally and preserved. Some of her original specimens can be seen in museums across Britain, almost 1,000 of them managed by the South West Heritage Trust who have kindly provided digitised images of a small selection of her seaweeds found in Minehead for our display.
In 1848 Isabella published a volume of drawings entitled The Marine Botanist: An Introduction to the Study of Algology, illustrated with coloured plates. Her beautiful pictures are works of art in themselves.
She spent her final years in her home and garden at The Parks, Minehead, and died in 1891 after succumbing to a ‘flu epidemic.
Georgian portrait of Minehead solicitor Samuel Warren
Samuel Hayman Warren was born in Minehead in 1741 and lived here until his death in 1803. A prominent solicitor in the town, Samuel was involved with the running of the Minehead Turnpike Trust. His flamboyant signature can be seen in the Trust minutes book (also displayed in the Museum) for 1775.
Samuel married Ann Blake at St. Michael’s Church, Minehead, in 1777. They had at least six children and many grandchildren.
He died in November 1803.
Fine Georgian Watercolour of Minehead Harbour c.1790-1820
This unsigned, large format watercolour is the earliest to be found of its type depicting the port. The Napoleonic cannon embrasures can be seen in situ on the harbour wall.
The vessels in the harbour are typical bluff-bowed trading sloops or smacks engaged in the limestone trade. Collinson (1790s) mentions the trade in coal and lime, as does Savage in his book on the Hundred of Carhampton.
Conygar Tower can be seen on the right of the painting. Erected as a folly in 1775, it is still a prominent local landmark. The artist obviously knew the coast, as the pre-1867 harbour at Watchet can be seen and the remains of the tower beyond Warren Point are indicated.
The way the sea mist moves in beyond Cleeve Hill is typical of early summer.
Display commemorating Sir Mark Henniker, CBE, DSO, MC (1906-1991)
Mark Henniker was born in Minehead in January, 1906, the son of Frederick and Ada Henniker, who lived at Dunkery Lodge, King Edward Road. He had a long and distinguished military career, earning the Military Cross and the Distinguished Service Order for his actions.
Our display describes the courageous operations he engaged in on land and in the air which earned him his medals.
Photo courtesy of Noonans, Mayfair, auctioneers who sold his medals for £100,000 in February 2024
Model of The Regal Theatre, Minehead
The Regal Theatre was built in 1934, much larger than it is today, with a ballroom as well as the main auditorium.
Our model is built to scale based on original drawings and measurements. Compare it with The Regal today.
The theatre is still going strong, enabled by many local volunteers. It showcases a wide variety of stage productions, music events and films. Why not take a look at their programme.
Hobby Horse
We are very fortunate to have a complete Hobby Horse costume, as well as two masks (pictured).
In a tradition whose origin is lost in the the mists of time, on the eve of May 1st each year the Hobby Horse emerges from its stable at the Quay, to parade through the town accompanied by musicians playing accordions and drums.
Built over a light framework, about eight feet long, it is covered with sacking decorated with roundels and ribbons. It has a long tail (hence a horse) which it swishes from side to side. A grotesquely masked and frightening figure propels the horse from the centre, but the ‘Oss is usually quite benign until it arrives at Cher, where ‘the booting’ happens, tradition being that if you refused to put some money in the pot you would suffer the consequences! Donations today are given to the Minehead branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
The Hobby Horse’s tour of the town continues for three days, finishing in Wellington Square before it returns to its stable for another year.
Punch and Judy
We are indebted to the family of magician and entertainer Roy Van Dyke (real name Roy Hobbs) for donating the items in our Punch & Judy display. Born in Minehead, the artist was ideally located to present traditional seaside Punch & Judy shows, as well as develop his own style of comedy, appearing regularly at the Gaiety Theatre on the seafront (now an amusement arcade). Roy was also well known for making comic animals and other shapes out of balloons. He wrote a number of books and articles on the art of balloon folding.
Model Pier and Original Entrance Gate
Minehead’s magnificent Edwardian pier, built in 1901, was demolished by order of the War Office at the beginning of World War II, less than 40 years after its construction. It is believed to be the only pier in the country to be completely dismantled and never replaced. In April 2020, an original entrance gate to the old pier was uncovered and retrieved from the sea. It is now proudly displayed in the Museum alongside a scale model of the pier made by Amalgam Modelmaking, of Bristol.
Arthur C. Clarke
Minehead’s most famous son, Arthur C. Clarke, made his name as a science fiction writer and TV presenter. Born in Blenheim Road in 1917, his legacy bridges the worlds of art and science. The house (pictured) bears Minehead’s only blue plaque.
Come to the Museum to view some of our many souvenirs from the Space Age Festivals held in Minehead to celebrate his life.
Keeping the Fizz
The process of carbonating drinks was developed in the 1790s. Find out how Minehead firms such as Hawkins & Whitman or Ebenezer Culverwell adapted their glass bottles to store fizzy drinks.
Why were flat bases a problem? What was the advantage of the ‘Torpedo’ bottle with a rounded base?
See our example of a Codd bottle, developed by Hiram Codd of London in 1872. These had a longer neck which contained a glass marble. Under pressure from the carbonated drink, the marble would be pushed up to a rubber seal. This innovation meant that bottles could revert to having a flat base and be shelved upright.
The museum has a number of examples from Minehead firms, as well as a range of other bottles and flagons produced for local firms including Hancocks Brewery in Wiveliscombe .