Museum

The Museum is at 49 High Street, towards North Entrance, just by the railway bridge.

Welcome to the Saxmundham Museum on the Saxmundham Town Council website.

Opening Times

From Monday, 2nd April until Saturday, 29th September. Monday to Saturday including Bank Holidays but excluding Good Friday, from 10:00am until 1:00pm. In addition the Museum will be open each day of the Arts Festival Week in October.

Admission Charges

There is no charge for admission but donations are very welcome. All donations go towards the upkeep of the Museum, buying artefacts and making improvements to the Museum.

Museum contents

This year sees the opening of a Forties Room which will bring back a lot of memories of war time rationing, fashions, etc. Go up the few stairs and enter a different era. The 'touch screen' computer now has many more old photographs of Saxmundham and surrounding villages, and the cinema continues to show films of past times. Both worth a visit. Unfortunately, due to lack of space the Costume Room has closed we still have a wonderful selection of Church memorabilia kindly donated by St. John's Church. The Long Family Silver is on display as well as the 1684 tipstaff and Beadle's stick. The small shop selling Museum momentos is open and are many interesting boards on the walls in the Green Room giving details of the past history of Saxmundham.

The Courtyard with replicas of the windows of Ashfords, the cabinet makers, as well as H.B. Crisp, stationers & printers, Clements, the gentleman's outfitters, Easey's and Olivia's showing fashions from the 30's are enjoyed by many.

Shortly, you will be able to listen to a conversation between the Beadle and the prisoner incarcerated in The Courtyard and you will be able tohear about the crimes the prisoner committed.

One of the many photographs in the Saxmundham Museum - this one shows pigs
being driven through town along South Entrance. The shop on the right was a wine seller (the sign says "H Waller & Sons - Est 1835"): it is an off-license today and looks very much the same.

Friends of the Museum

Are you a Friend of the Museum? Would you like to become one? The annual subscription is £15.00, and you will be invited to at least three Open Evenings for Friends. Further details and an application form can be obtained from the Museum.

Stewarding

Elizbeth Masterton Smith would be delighted if you phone her on 01728 604402 and say you can spare a few hours a week or month to help steward the Museum. It's not arduous and you will make a lot of friends and meet a lot of interesting visitors.

Please come and visit the Museum, it is well worth a visit and we look forward to welcoming you and answering as many questions as we can.

The Museum is grant aided by the Local Heritage Initiative which is a partnership between the Heritage Lottery Fund, Nationwide Building Society and the Countryside Agency.

Clubs and Societies

Although the Museum is only open during the mornings, arrangements can be made to open the Museum at a time convenient to you by phoning Richard Crisp on 01728 663583.

We look forward to meeting you.