BASED IN THE NEWLY RESTORED TOWN HALL IN THE HEART OF FOLKESTONE, THE MUSEUM IS THE CULMINATION OF MANY YEARS OF HARD WORK BY FOLKESTONE TOWN COUNCIL AND LOCAL HISTORY ENTHUSIASTS TO SAVE FOLKESTONE’ S COLLECTIONS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
DAYSOUT
A New
Museum
FOR
FOLKESTONE
BASED IN THE NEWLY RESTORED TOWN HALL IN THE HEART OF FOLKESTONE, THE MUSEUM IS THE CULMINATION OF MANY YEARS OF HARD WORK BY FOLKESTONE TOWN COUNCIL AND LOCAL HISTORY ENTHUSIASTS TO SAVE FOLKESTONE’ S COLLECTIONS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
Folkestone Museum focuses on five main themes: on the ground floor‘ Fashionable’ Folkestone records the rise of the town from sleepy fishing village to thriving seaside resort under the patronage of the Radnor family; the‘ Frontline’ theme deals with Folkestone’ s involvement in conflict, specifically WWI and WWII;‘ Maritime’ documents the influence of Folkestone’ s proximity to the sea, recounting stories of shipwrecks, smuggling, and local fishing heritage.
On the lower floor,‘ Aefre’ the Anglo Saxon skeleton, takes centre stage in a bespoke case displaying grave goods and an interactive touch screen revealing details about the history of our mysterious ancestor. Also within the‘ Ancient’ theme, the remains of the Roman villa at East Wear Bay are explored. For dinosaur bones, fascinating fossils, flora and fauna, shells, eggs and beautiful butterflies, head to the‘ Natural’ section. Children and adults can get stuck in to their own archaeological dig and uncover treasures and fossils from beneath the earth. Furthermore, an educational programme for schools and free workshops for all ages is currently in development.
To coincide with Folkestone Triennial, from 1st September to 21st October the museum presents a solo show by British artist Terry Smith( b. 1956). Smith ' s practice covers installation, drawing, film, video, sound works and performance. Often using whatever is to hand to produce his work, Smith ' s show promises to challenge and intrigue the audience. As a one-off, Folkestone Museum will also host Smith ' s Venice Agendas on 23rd September, a day of impromptu performances previously featured at the Venice Biennale and Turner Contemporary, Margate. For more information about the artist, go to: http:// www. arts. clara. net / arts / smith _ terry. html
Folkestone Museum is generously funded by Heritage Lottery Fund, Queen Victoria
Memorial Foundation, Arts Council England, Roger de Haan Charitable Trust, South East Museums, Kent County Council, and Roland Cruickshanks Foundation. Admission is free of charge but as a not-for-profit organisation, they do rely on donations to maintain free admission. Donation boxes are situated on both floors of the museum and a minimum donation of £ 2.00 per visit is recommended.
Open Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm
Folkestone Museum The Town Hall 1-2 Guildhall Street Folkestone CT20 1DY 01303 257946 www. folkestonemuseum. co. uk
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