Tenbury Tales
Tenbury Wells Museum, Goff's School, Cross Street, Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, WR15 8EF
Mr Edward Goff, who endowed the Victorian School which houses the museum, will be one of the people featured in special displays of archival photographs and informative text. Other names will include James Cranston, the designer of the town's iconic Pump Rooms and Thomas Mantle a coal carver who tried to give Princess Victoria a carving as her carriage stopped to change horses at a local hotel. An odd link is Mr Goff's endowment arose from a fortune amassed through becoming a coal merchant following a very poor childhood !
Other names - a local ironmonger's family in business since 1895 and a famous resident and champion Graham Archer of the road Archer’s Way, who was awarded the M.B.E for his fifteen British records.
Other creative talents represented will be Sir Thomas Lawrence, famous 18th century painter of the Duke of Wellington and the Prince Regent, who spent much of his boyhood at Tenbury Vicarage. Local characters with more unusual associations with the town with include George Parkin, a farmer who in the 1970's became the agricultural editor of the BBC's The Archers for nearly 20 years. Also Sam Dodge, the local master farrier, town clerk and fireman and 'Donkey Davis' - a districts carrier who pulled his cart with a donkey. Quirkiest of all is Jack Barnes who slept in the workhouse in the winter and drove cattle in the summer. He led all the town processions wearing three top hats one on top of each other with ribbons at the back. Our Tenbury tales.
Tenbury Wells Museum, Goff's School, Cross Street, Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, WR15 8EF
The museum is located in an old school which does not have toilet facilities. Public toilets are located in the town centre in two locations both of which are multi use. There is no parking on site but there are two car parks in the town, one pay and display, the other is free. In addition 90mins free parking is available at the local Tesco supermarket with camera numberplate recognition. The entrance door is wide enough for a pram or buggy and a small hand operated wheelchair. Small sized disabled buggies if not too wide can also enter.
The archive photographs will be available throughout the week during the museum's opening hours of 10:30am - 1:00pm. There is no need to book as this is part of a normal visit to the museum during its opening hours.