Recent Temporary Exhibitions

Previous temporary exhibitions have included the following subjects:

HOME OF DISCOVERIES: - DARTFORD BOROUGH MUSEUM 1908-2008 (12 January 2008 – 21 June 2008)

Dartford Borough Museum, one of the liveliest and most interesting small museums in Kent, has been celebrating its centenary. The Museum staff staged a special exhibition to mark the occasion.

The exhibition outlined the origins and growth of Dartford Museum and provided an insight into the work of the modern-day museum. Much of this work takes place behind the scenes.

Dartford Museum started from very humble beginnings in 1908. The early founders were men and women of vision, keen to preserve important aspects of the town’s heritage in a building open to visitors. The Museum of 1908 has grown beyond recognition.

Today there are over 20,000 individual objects in the museum collections covering such diverse fields as geology, archaeology, social and natural history.

The overriding purpose of the Museum is to preserve important objects, whether natural or man-made, for the benefit of future generations of Dartfordians.

The role of Dartford Museum today is just as important as it was in 1908, perhaps even more so. The rapid pace of change and ‘progress’ since 1908 has threatened or obliterated much of our local heritage.

Manual trades and crafts have disappeared; modern inventions have displaced what were once familiar everyday objects.

The selective collecting and interpretation of objects by museums helps us to keep in touch with our historical roots. Museums exist to educate and entertain visitors in an enjoyable sort of way.

THE STORY OF TEMPLE HILL

The year 2007 marked the 60th anniversary of the official opening of the first phase of the Temple Hill estate by the Prime Minister, Clement Attlee on 4 July 1947.

The Museum’s exhibition used a selection of photographs, objects and information to tell the story of these last 60 years. The history of this area as a place of habitation however goes back many thousands of years, with evidence of settlements from the Palaeolithic period through the Iron Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods, into the medieval period. One Roman flagon, found at Joyce Green in 1897, was put on display in Dartford for the very first time.

This was kindly loaned by the Guildhall Museum, Rochester, where it is normally kept in storage. This was also a second chance, for anyone who missed them previously, to see part of the collection of Anglo-Saxon artefacts discovered on the site of St Edmund’s Church, Temple Hill. These were kindly loaned by Maidstone Museum where they are now kept.

More recent aspects of this area’s history such as the hospitals, the airfield, firework factory, churches etc. were also covered by this exhibition.

Also on display were a large satellite photograph of the estate together with a large modern Ordnance Survey map overlaid by a 1930s Ordnance Survey map so that visitors could easily see all of the changes which have taken place in the area.

By visiting this exhibition visitors were able to find out about the folks that lived on the hill.

MADE IN DARTFORD (3 March 2007-30 June 2007)

This exhibition showcased the wide variety of products which have been made in the past by various industries in the Borough of Dartford.

These included the production of foodstuffs for the local area and beyond such as flour, soft drinks and beer. Did you know that one of the flour mills in Dartford used to supply flour to Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle for Queen Victoria?

Aspects of other famous local companies were also covered such as the Hallford lorries of J. & E. Hall and the vehicle bodywork of J. C. Beadle.

Several clockmakers had businesses in Dartford and examples of their work were included in this exhibition.

Also featured were the fabric printing industry and the making of clay pipes.

To end with a bang, Dartford was also home to several manufacturers of gunpowder and fireworks. Therefore the display included information on the powder mills and a selection of dummy fireworks made by Joseph Wells & Co.

WINTER MIXTURE

This was not an exhibition about clove-flavoured hard-boiled sweets, but was in fact a display of different aspects of the winter season, both local and national.

Obviously, Christmas played a large part in the exhibition, with information on how various traditions started. Details of how the Victorians celebrated Christmas were featured using a selection of postcards, cards and exhibits from the Museum reserve collection.

Decorations and forms of entertainment from other periods were also on display.

Christmas during wartime, both at home and at the front, was represented by a selection of objects and documents.

Cookery books with special recipes for Christmas and winter were featured, including a 1786 recipe for mince pies.

The season of winter is also connected with extremes in weather and the exhibition illustrated this, with photographs and information on the ‘Great Frost’ which affected this country in 1895 when sub-zero temperatures gripped the nation.

During this time the River Thames froze and Dartford Creek was impassable for six weeks. The mill pond was also frozen and gave local people an opportunity to improve their skating skills.

This exhibition hopefully gave locals and visitors alike a chance to compare the winter months this year with those of days gone by.

THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT! (24 June 2006 – 25 November 2006)

This exhibition was staged to commemorate the centenary of the Dartford Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society which was founded in 1906 and produced its first show, The Mikado, in April 1907.

During their first one hundred years, members of the Society performed at various local venues, entertaining generations of Dartfordians. Since 1982 their main productions have been staged at the Orchard Theatre with smaller events at their headquarters, Heathfield Hall, in Heath Lane, Dartford.

Although Gilbert and Sullivan operettas formed the main repertoire in the early days, shows these days are more likely to be hit Broadway and West End musicals, with the latest project being The Witches of Eastwick.

This exhibition was created largely using the Society’s own archive which includes photographs, posters, programmes, props and costume. Other material came from the Local Studies collection housed in Dartford Library.

Staff at Dartford Borough Museum would like to thank Mike Hopley, Lynn Hall and Tracy Parker, members of DAODS, for their help in organising and setting up this exhibition.

UNDER YOUR FEET (4 March 2006 – 17 June 2006)

This exhibition covered the subject of archaeological finds from the Borough of Dartford. Some of the excavations were very recent, so recent in some cases that we were only able to include photographs since the objects were still being studied and conserved by experts.

Other work had been carried out some years ago but the interesting finds had rarely been seen on display anywhere.

Some of the digs were undertaken on Sundays by the local amateur group, Dartford District Archaeological Group, which consists of a cross-section of the general public from Dartford.

Other sites, particularly those being redeveloped, need to be excavated quickly so developers are required by law to pay for archaeological contractors to do the work. Some finds were loaned to us by these archaeological units, for which we are grateful.

Subjects covered in the exhibition included:

The following organisations helped in various ways in the setting up of this exhibition:

WHAT'S IN STORE? (26 November 2005 - 25 February 2006)

This exhibition comprised a selection of recent donations to the Museum's collection.

These items could be loosely grouped under the following subjects: First and Second World Wars; local industry and other employment; household items; toys and games; education; royal memorabilia and local souvenirs.

Since the Museum officially opened in 1908, a collection has slowly built up, largely from generous donations from members of the public. In the late 1950s, Dartford Borough Council took a decision for this Museum to concentrate on the history of the Borough of Dartford.

Our collection policy continues with this in mind, and consequently we are always interested in receiving new additions for our collection. Unfortunately, with restrictions on our storage space, we still have to be selective in what we eventually accept for the Museum.

One of the main ways in which people donate objects to the Museum is that they are sorting through items at home when they discover objects for which they no longer have a use, but which they think should be preserved.

This is also the case when people are moving house, sometimes to live abroad. A variation on this is when relatives are clearing houses belonging to recently deceased elderly local residents and again find objects which they believe may be of interest to us.

Sometimes people donate items which they have dug up in their gardens. Similarly, some items are donated by metal detectorists.

Occasionally we are contacted by dealers when they obtain an object which has a strong Dartford connection. Of course, they usually wish to receive payment for the item although we have been offered some small items for free. On rare occasions we are informed of major items coming up for auction and sometimes we are interested in bidding for these objects.

Any objects which are purchased for the Museum collection are paid for from our Purchase Fund which consists entirely of the small change dropped into our donations box. This Fund grows from year to year and covers most of our needs.

These are just a few of the ways in which objects are added to the Museum collection. There are, however, as many variations of these reasons and methods as there are objects!

OUR FINEST HOUR (30 April 2005 - 19 November 2005)

This exhibition used the 60th anniversary of VE Day as the starting point from which to look back over the way in which the Second World War affected the lives of people living in the Borough of Dartford.

Various aspects of life on the Home Front were examined through a mixture of objects, photographs, research and personal reminiscences from Dartford residents who lived through those times.

In addition to their normal employment, many local people 'did their bit' by belonging to the Home Guard or various Civil Defence organizations and these were covered in depth. One of the recurring themes which affected everyone in those days was food rationing and that was also featured, along with clothes rationing.

Fund raising was also important at the time and the achievements of Dartford residents were also celebrated.

Quietness and Confidence (30 October 2004 - 8 January 2005)

This exhibition took its name from the school motto of Dartford Grammar School for Girls, one of Dartford's oldest secondary schools, which celebrated its centenary in 2004.

It was established as Dartford County School in Essex Road in 1904 but has been located in Shepherds Lane since 1912. It was the very first secondary school for girls to be started by Kent County Council.

This exhibition was arranged in conjunction with Dartford Grammar School for Girls and used the school archive to tell the story through a selection of objects, photographs and reminiscences. Many former pupils loaned their own items and photographs in order to complete the picture.

During Dartford Borough Museum's three month closure, many of the photographs and much of the text (but none of the objects) were put on display in the Peter Blake Gallery of Dartford Library.

Transport in Time (13 March 2004 - 23 October 2004)

This exhibition celebrated the two hundredth anniversary of the world's first steam railway locomotive which was designed by Richard Trevithick, a Cornish engineer who came to Dartford to work for John Hall (founder of J. & E. Hall) in 1832.

He stayed at the Bull Hotel (now called the Royal Victoria and Bull Hotel) until his untimely death in 1833. He is buried in St Edmund's Pleasance on East Hill and is commemorated in several places in the town. The exhibition used a selection of photographs, images and objects, taken from our reserve collection, to examine the various types of early transport which were used locally.

The methods of transport covered in the exhibition ranged from horse-drawn vehicles, steam trains, early cars and trams to trolley buses.

Also featured were little known transport projects such as the ‘Darenth Valley Railway' and the ‘Dartford Ship Canal', both of which only reached the planning stage.

Steadfast and Faithful – Dartford in the 1930s (13 September 2003 – 6 March 2004)

This exhibition looked at events in Dartford between 1930 and 1939. The exhibition opened on the day of the 70th anniversary of the creation of the Borough of Dartford in 1933 when the town was granted its Charter of Incorporation, and this event was prominently featured.

A small photographic display entitled ‘Dartford's Flying Start' was also set up at this time. This took its inspiration from the centenary of the first flight by the Wright Brothers in 1903. The display centred on the local contribution towards the early history of flight.

This included Sir Hiram Maxim's steam-powered flying machine which ‘flew' in 1894, the First World War aerodrome and testing ground at Joyce Green and Sir Alan Cobham's Flying Circuses which visited Dartford on several occasions in the 1930s. 

Skilled Hands (3 May 2003 - 6 September 2003) 

This exhibition showcased a range of trades and crafts ranging from various aspects of needlework, such as lace-making and cross-stitch, to gunflint manufacture and the making of clay pipes.

The exhibition included examples of the specialist tools and equipment from clay pipe moulds, pattern blocks for handprinting fabric and printing plates for bank notes, down to lace bobbins and sewing clamps.

In addition to these items, the exhibition also included finished pieces of work such as samplers, lace and broderie anglaise. All of the items on display came from the Museum's reserve collection.

In addition to the main temporary exhibition, there were also two small photographic displays. One of these commemorated the Golden Jubilee of the Queen's Coronation, showing how Dartford celebrated that day in 1953. The other recounted the story of how Dartford coped with a less happy event in the same year, when the Thames burst its banks and flooded large parts of north Kent .

From Pillar to Post (7 December 2002 – 26 April 2003)

This took its inspiration from the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the first pillar box to be installed in the British Isles . The exhibition featured a mixture of objects, pictures and photographs illustrating the early history of the postal service, with particular reference to the local area.

Happy and Glorious (25 May 2002 – 30 November 2002)

This celebrated Her Majesty the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002. It featured a varied selection of local objects and photographs, together with other souvenirs, which revealed the events which took place in Dartford at the time of the Accession in 1952 and the Coronation in 1953. Objects on display included contemporary newspapers, souvenir tins and other mementoes.

The exhibition also revealed how the town has celebrated various royal events including the Silver Jubilee and numerous visits by members of the Royal Family to the Borough of Dartford, in the years since 1952.

These occasions were illustrated by photographs taken at the time and by programmes and objects produced especially for the event. There was also a rare chance to see Princess Anne's signature in the Dartford Borough Council VIP guest book.

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