A fascinating new local history gallery opens at North Lincolnshire Museum on Tuesday 1 May.
Visitors can see how North Lincolnshire developed from the early 1800s up to the start of World War Two.
New colourful display cases and unusual objects from the museum collection help bring North Lincolnshire’s history to life with interactive exhibits visitors can really get to grips with.
They give visitors the chance to discover how the area’s settlements were transformed from rural villages to busy urban towns and what these changes meant for local people.
The new gallery is split into six themed sections:
- Urban Growth – Explores the impact the discovery of ironstone had on the area. This section links to the museum’s Story of Steel, Ironstone Cottage and North Lincolnshire Villages exhibitions.
- Folklore/Folk Life – Looks at traditional festivals and events ranging from the Haxey Hood to the Plough Jag plays alongside the prominent figures who have documented folk life in the area including Ethel Rudkin and the Peacock family.
- World War One – Find out about North Lincolnshire’s role in World War One - the people who fought, life on the home front, Normanby Hall and the threat of Zeppelin raids.
- Culture, Sport and Leisure Time – Shows how North Lincolnshire people spent their leisure time including museums, theatres, football and other sports clubs, cinemas, dance halls and the now demolished Doncaster Road Roller Rink.
- Inter-War Years – how the years after World War One affected the area and the formation and development of Scunthorpe.
- Local Commerce – Exhibits relating to the area’s influential and well-known companies such as Cotto and Riley’s and also the development of Scunthorpe High Street.
The museum’s Local History Gallery has been closed to visitors since February for the extensive revamp to be carried out. Its hugely popular People’s War Gallery has also been improved.
The new gallery builds on the success of the Archaeology Gallery that opened last year and leads up to the opening of a new 1950s café in the summer.
Cllr John Briggs, a cabinet member at North Lincolnshire Council, said:
“North Lincolnshire Museum has seen its visitor numbers increase by 5,000 in the past year and this exciting new gallery will help draw even more people to this gem of an attraction.
“There are more activities on offer for people of all ages and it’s now open until 8pm on the second Thursday of the month.
“Find out more about the latest events on the museum pages of the council website.”
