The Museum is small but has big ideas! The museum will officially open to the public on Wednesday 10th march 2010 with‘The Sights & Sounds of Newton Abbot’it will be opened by Camilla Hampshire, Museum Manger of The Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter & The Mayor of Newton AbbotThe museum is excited to announce that within the Sights & Sounds exhibition, a prehistoric wooden figure, known as the ‘ Kingsteignton Idol,’ will be on display for the first time, in the area it was discovered in 1867.
Together with a rare bronze-age spear-head, found near the ‘Idol’ .
These two ancient exhibits will enable visitors to understand the ancient history of the town and its environs. The 2010 exhibition is a vibrant mix of photographic images, extracts from the film and oral archive collections, and objects from the collection.Last year’s, very successful John Lethbridge exhibition, will be available for a re-visit, or be a perfect opportunity for the public to visit the exhibition if they missed it in 2009. The full-sized replica of John Lethbridge’s, (18th century diver and inventor) diving-machine awaits them!
Within the GWR Room, a working signal box is available for all to try out, with information and artefacts on I.K. Brunel’s atmospheric railway. |
| Faces from Newton Abbot's past |
Visitors will be able to ‘have a go’ on the working signal box, in the Great Western Railway Room, and talk with enthusiastic volunteers. By the time visitors leave the museum, they will be able to understand the principles of I.K. Brunel’s atmospheric railway. It was built between Exeter and Newton Abbot, and was destined to be built further down the line. It failed after only 18 months; it was a brave and pioneering system with no need for locomotives. The museum has a model and a section of the original atmospheric pipe. |
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GWR RoomThe museum collections are focused on the Great Western Railway and the social history of the town.| The working signal box takes pride of place within the GWR Room, a hands-on connection with the great days of the Great Western Railway. An audio system enables you to hear ex-GWR men talking about their lives as railwaymen. Fry-ups and tales of snowstorms await you! |
The Social History Gallery Exhibitions change every year. This year the gallery exhibition is focused on the 250th Anniversary of John Lethbridge. Go to the Lethbridge menu bar at the top of the page for more information. |
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The Museum was officially opened by Robert Stenuit (pictured above right) and The Mayor of Newton Abbot on March 9th 2009. The Museum commissioned local craftsmen Nick & Adam Hunt to take on the challenge of building a full-size replica of Lethbridge's "diving-engine" for the exhibition, which will be a lasting legacy for the town. |
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