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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 3d

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗺 𝗖𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽!
We're delighted to be stocking locally milled flour from Oxford Flour Mill in Wantage!
This beautiful flour is perfect for any home baker with five varieties available.
Pop in next time your're in town to pick up a bag and take a taste of Wantage home with you!

a tin container with the word 'flour' on it. Either side of that are bags of flour and in front is a rolling pin

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 4d

Whoops! You are correct. Oh, well we are a day early 😆

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 4d

Weights like these would have been used on warp-weighted looms to hold the warp threads taut for weaving.
Today weavers can purchase ready-made weights but it is very likely these ones were handmade by the weaver or someone close to them.

Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 4d

Day 5 of #Museum30 is #Clay
These clay loom weights were found in Sutton Courtenay and are a great example of the annular or doughnut-shaped clay loom weights that became more common during the Anglo-Saxon period.
Before that, loom weights were more often triangular or pyramidal.

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 4d

Would you like to win two tickets to meet Father Christmas here at the Museum on either Dickensian Evening Friday 5th or Saturday 6th December?

Visit our Facebook page to find out more and enter!

www.facebook.com/valeanddownlandmuseum

Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 10d

So good, it’s un-boo-lievable! 👻
Melt in your mouth tiffin available now in the Museum Coffee Shop just in time for Halloween 🎃

chocolate tiffin with a ghost design on top

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 11d

Regent Cinema, Newbury Street, Wantage
No date for this photo but it was pre-1977

Opened in Oct 1935. The first film shown at the cinema was Stormy Weather starring Tom Walls, Ralph Lynn & Yvonne Arnaud
After many ups and downs the cinema closed for the final time on 8th Sept 2005
#WaybackWednesday

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 25d

Johnnie Barr is a simple device which comprises of a wooden trough with a pump outlet. Mounted on wooden wheels to allow it to be hauled along by hand. It was used until the 1860s when it was replaced with a bigger, horse-drawn appliance.

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 25d

We don't know of the exact age of Johnnie Barr but in the Wantage Vestry Book of 1844, it was one of three firefighting appliances mentioned.

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 25d

The Victoria Cross Gallery was the new home for the Fire Brigade Station in 1910. Previously the fire engines were housed in the church until 1847; they were then moved to the Town Hall in the Market Place.

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 25d

Top: Victoria Cross Gallery, Market Place, Wantage in 1910. Johnnie Barr firefighting appliance on the left and the new Merryweather steam fire engine on the right.
Bottom Left: Johnnie Barr
Bottom Right: Rear of Johnnie Barr with hose and buckets.
#WaybackWednesday

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · Oct 9

Congratulations and good luck 🤞

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · Oct 8

Our Nearly New Craft Sale is just a month away!
Come along and grab a bargain!

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · Oct 8

Terrace houses in Naldertown Wantage. We believe this photograph was taken sometime between 1960 and 1975.

These houses were built in around 1870 by the Nalder & Nalder Company as homes for their workers.
#WaybackWednesday

black and white photo of a terrace of brick houses

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · Oct 1

The Stores and terrace houses on Ormond Road in 1967. This photograph was taken just prior to this whole terrace being demolished.

On The Stores we can see adverts for Brasso, Silvo, Players cigarettes and rimflo. Parked outside is a black Morris Minor 1000, 2-door saloon.
#WaybackWednesday

black and white photo of a row of terrace houses and a corner shop, with a black car parked outside.

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · Sep 24

Ormond Road looking on to Charlton Road in the mid-1970s. Apart from larger trees and quite a few more cars, this part of the town has not changed all that much in the past 5 decades.
In the distance is Wantage Hospital.
#WaybackWednesday #Wantage #Oxfordshire #Berkshire

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · Sep 18

This year's Nearly New Craft Session is bigger & better than ever
We will have all the donated craft items for sale, we also have space for extra stalls for local crafts people
So, if you would like to hire a stall please get in touch by emailing Museum Manager - [email protected]

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · Sep 17

The building on Mill Street was purpose built for the church in 1860 at a cost of £1,519, which today would be the equivalent of £160,636.41

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · Sep 17

They then moved into a barn within the Baptist burial ground on Garston Lane in 1649. It was there they had their first Baptist minister Robert Keate who had moved from Reading. In 1771 the church took over a chapel in Back Street (now Church Street) and they later established a church in Grove

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · Sep 17

Wantage Baptist Church has been part of Wantage for many centuries, with meetings taking place in 1650s, likely in people’s houses at this time and then making use of the Market House, or Town Hall which stood in the centre of the Market Place.

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · Sep 17

Mill Street, Wantage c1870
Mill Street looking surprisingly similar to how it looks today, although there is no Tramway building here and the building in between the Baptist Church and the three-storey building at the top of the street, is very different.
#WaybackWednesday

a built-up street with a church in the middle of the row of terrace buildings

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · Sep 16

As the days turn cooler, we’ve added something extra comforting to the menu at the Museum Coffee Shop… homemade soup
Come and enjoy a bowl of our delicious soup, served with fresh rolls, a cheese scone, or choose from our range of freshly made sandwiches, baguettes, and rolls

#SupportLocal

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · Sep 11

There are just 85 days until Father Christmas visits the Museum again & we can not wait!
Fri 5th Dec 4-8pm & Sat 6th Dec 2.30-4.30pm
£6 per child, each child will meet Father Christmas & receive a gift
Find out more information and book online by visiting www.ticketsource.co.uk/vale-downland-museum

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · Sep 10

We think this photo was taken in the 1970s but it must have been in the earlier end of the decade, before the building work was started to convert the old Doctors Surgery into the Museum.

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · Sep 10

Cottages on the left side of the street are no longer there but can you remember when they were demolished? Now it is the rear car park for Douglas and Simmons.

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