News from Leatherhead Museum Committee in 2008

We opened on 29th May following the repair to the building after a car had entered through the front window. Since the re-opening the visitor numbers have increased and so have the donations received from visitors. The new displays are giving interest and we continue to receive further artefacts which will enable us to make some changes during the winter closed period as we trust that our time will not be occupied this year by clearing up after an accident.

We also hope that further improvements can be made whilst we are closed. The Friends of Leatherhead Museum have money available and there are several projects we have in mind which we hope to achieve before April 2009. It is hoped to repaint the sign from the Bull Hotel as well as the museum notice board, both of which are looking the worse for wear. We also have ambitions to replace some or all of the upstairs carpeting but this will depend on costs and manpower availability to empty the cabinets.

The only outstanding item of damage is that to the model of Hampton Cottage; however, this is in hand and it is expected that it will be returned before this Newsletter is published. It will then need some work on it before it can be displayed.

On most Mondays there is a group of people working in the museum but we had a change of occupation on 21st July when we had a visit by 12 people from Seeability together with three helpers. They all appeared to enjoy the visit and were able to appreciate what we had on display.

In my last report I mentioned a PAM radio which is now on display. We recently received a large radio in a wooden cabinet made by BVC in Ashtead and were pleased to add that to our display of Goblin products. We now have fairly comprehensive collections from Goblin and Ronsons as well as examples of items made by other local firms. One thing which we lack is any example of products made by Thermega and if anyone has any such items (they don't need to work!) we would very much like to add to the Society's collection.

We close in December for four months so if you wish to see our displays before they are changed keep this in mind.
Peter Tarplee

At last, on Thursday 29th May, we were able to re-open the Museum after the accident in January. A good number were present to see Lucy Hanson, our Town Centre Manager, perform the ceremony at which both the museum and the craft weekend were declared open.
We had to buy two new display cabinets for the front room downstairs to replace those smashed by the car coming through the window. With lots of cooperation by the suppliers they arrived just over a week before the opening date and it meant that the new displays were mounted in rather a hurry but at least something was there when we opened.

We had already decided to change some displays during the shutdown and we had begun to prepare a case of pharmaceutical items containing some new items from Hewlin's pharmacy in Bridge Street. The pestle and mortar, which had spent some years in the museum garden since it was presented to the Society by the developers in 1984, had deteriorated and we had restored this ready for display. At the time of the accident it was in the front room but luckily the damage it received was fairly easily repaired. This is now in the window together with other appropriate items.

Soon after we re-opened Caesar's Restaurant opposite was being re-furbished and a large Chemist's sign was revealed over the door of 25, Church Street from when it was Brownes the Chemist. This was given to the Society and it now forms part of the window display.

Whilst we were closed the 'behind the scenes' work carried on and considerable progress has been made with recording the Society's collection. Also during the extended closure a number of interesting acquisitions were donated to us and we decided to feature some of this in the new displays.

We received a comprehensive set of joinery tools which were donated by the family of their original owner and some are being shown in the front downstairs gallery. We also acquired some laboratory test equipment from two of the research associations which used to form an important part of the town's work activity. These were from PIRA (Paper Industries' Research Association) and ERA (Electrical Research Association) and include an optical bench, a spectrometer, two pocket saccharimeters, 2a pyrometer, two tumble pots, some specialised test equipment for paper research and a chemical balance. Another weighing device, also on display, is a set of GPO counter scales made around 1852 by de Grave, Short and Fanner which were found to have a connection with Fetcham.

Have you heard of P.A.M. radios? Well we hadn't, but one of the recent accessions is a portable made by them. It looks older than it is (late 1940s) and appears hand-made. Anyway we discovered that P.A.M. made radios in Merrow, by the railway sidings, and that they had a shop in Guildford. Another new item on display was given to us after it was recently removed from a local house. It is a length of PVC insulated cable made by the General Cable Manufacturing Company which had a large cable works in Kingston Road for many years and was one of the larger employers in the town.

As well as additional work caused by the accident routine work also continues; we had to empty one display cabinet in order to change the lighting transformer which was under the plinth. Our thanks to Mr and Mrs Exwood for replacing the artefacts on display again. The convector heater in the front room has failed and so that will probably mean another repair or replacement. At least, now that the public are coming again we are getting donations in the box which all helps the Society with running costs.

We hope to improve the displays which were hurriedly put together in the few days before the opening but we feel that we have made enough changes to prevent members saying "Oh, I've seen the Museum already". Please try to pay us a visit before we close in December, it gives a lot of encouragement to those who help the museum in any way.

Coffee Morning at the Museum Saturday 21st June
10am to 12.30pm. Stalls with plants, cakes, bric-brac, books and a raffle. Everyone welcome, free admission.
Come and visit your local museum.

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes the Leatherhead Museum has finally reopened after being damaged in a freak car crash earlier this year. Much of the front of the museum was destroyed in January when a car, which was turning left out of The Crescent, crashed through the front of the building on Church Street, Leatherhead. There were even fears that the 17th century Hampton cottage would collapse.

But despite the severity of the damage the museum was finally reopened last Thursday afternoon by Lucy Hanson, Leatherhead's town centre manager. Alan Pooley, 69, the museum manager, spoke to the Advertiser about his relief at seeing the museum back on its feet. He said: "I think that as the museum is run on a completely voluntary basis by people who are passionate about local history it hit us all a lot harder when the accident happened. We have been very keen to get the museum open as soon as possible and it is a great relief that this has been done slightly ahead of schedule."

The front of the museum had to be completely rebuilt to resemble its previous style. The oak display cabinets which were destroyed during the crash have also been replaced by modern glass display cabinets worth £1600. A week before the opening of the museum Friends of Leatherhead Museum began an extensive clean-up and cataloguing operation. John Morris, 68, the treasurer of the Leatherhead and District Local History Society, said: "We have had a huge job to do with cleaning all the exhibits and putting them back in the museum. The good thing is that we actually have a little bit more exhibiting space now because the new cabinets are larger."

At the event it was also announced that the museum received £7500 in donations to go towards getting wheelchair access to the building. County Councillor Tim Hall (Con, Leatherhead and Fetcham East) gave £2,500 from his local allowance and the rest came from private donations.

The museum's opening kicked off a series of craft days, organised by the Friends of the Museum, during which visitors were taught a number of ancient arts including broom-making, pottery, patchwork and spinning. The History Society have also planned a celebrity sock raffle, to take place on September 19, where the socks of seven famous names including Tony Robinson and Michael Aspel are going on sale to raise money for the museum's upkeep. Tickets cost £1 and are available from the museum.

Press Release from the Leatherhead & District Local History Society 14 May 2008

LEATHERHEAD MUSEUM OPEN AT LAST
It was to have been in the first week of April but many will know that in January, Leatherhead Museum suffered a devastating blow when a motor accident destroyed the front of the building and many of the contents. It has been ‘all hands to the pumps’ to restore the building, to make it safe for visitors and to replace the exhibits. At last this has been achieved, and the museum is ready to open its doors to the public.

The opening ceremony will take place at 1pm on the afternoon of Thursday, 29th May. It will be performed by Lucy Hanson, Leatherhead’s Town Centre Manager.

This date coincides with the launch of a favourite event, the Crafts Week-End. Each day until Saturday, 31st May demonstrations will take place during which experts at various crafts show their skills to the visitors. Armed with the necessary equipment the experts will explain the intricacies of pottery, patchwork, spinning and woodland crafts. At the same time the newly reinstated museum exhibits will be on show, and will continue to be there until the museum closes in December.

Leatherhead Museum offers a warm welcome to allcomers (grown-ups and children alike). It is situated in Church Street at the junction of The Crescent. Opening times are : Thursdays and Fridays from 1pm to 4pm and Saturdays from 10am to 4 pm. Contact can be made by phoning 01372 386348 or visiting the website at www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk

Leatherhead museum is struggling to reopen following a disastrous car crash earlier in the year. The crash, which happened in the early hours of Sunday, January 6, left the front of 17th century Hampton Cottage badly damaged. A car smashed into and became embedded in the front of the building. It had to be removed by specialist teams amid fears the fragile building could collapse. Much of the interior of the Church Street cottage had also been damaged with two display cabinets containing books and archives destroyed. Historical artefacts such as pottery and china from the Victorian and Edwardian eras were also smashed in the calamitous collision.

But to many in the Leatherhead and District Historical Society it is the long-term effects of the crash that are most frustrating, as the repairs have taken much longer than expected. John Morris, the society's treasurer, said: "The museum should be open by now because we normally start at the beginning of April. But it has taken us almost three months from the accident to getting the initial repairs done." He added: "It is very disappointing for the stewards of the society who are raring to get back in and start greeting the public, but you can't have that if you have got nothing to show them."

photo: Haslam, 19 Apr 08: click for detail

However it is not all bad news, as much of the original frontage of the museum has now been restored to its former glory. Members of the society are now cautiously optimistic for a late May or June reopening. Fred Meynen, chairman of the Friends of Leatherhead Museum, said: "It all seemed to happen last week - suddenly all the windows were in place. "We are jubilant that we seem to be on track now and it is very positive that the outside of the building looks how it did before the accident occurred."

But there is still much work to be done, and although the outside has been restored, the interior is still a work in progress.
Gordon Knowles, the chairman of the museum's trustees, said: "The inside is a bit of a mess at the moment. There is still an awful lot of clearing up to be done."

Leatherhead Museum is shortly to undergo remedial work to restore the damage caused by the car crash which wrecked the front of the building last January. The museum normally reopens for the season at the start of April but this will be impossible owing to the amount of work that still needs to be done. There will be delay at least until May or perhaps even June depending on the rate of progress with the restoration.

Besides the work to ensure its structural soundness much needs to be done to restore the interior, the displays and the furniture. Some additional improvements are planned for the exhibits on the upper floor but these must wait until the load-bearing capability is assured. The funding of repairs is covered by insurance, however the Trustees are endeavouring to raise funds for the future maintenance of the 400 year old building. An appeal is in full swing.