Bridport Museum celebrates 90th birthday
It originally played host to 'objects of interest not only to the archaeologically minded, but to laymen in general'.
Bridport Museum is celebrating it's 90th birthday today (Saturday 28th May).
It launched in 1932 as the Bridport Museum and Art Gallery in one of the town's oldest buildings, 'The Old Castle'.
It's free entry all day with fun amiliy activities throughout.
There is also the chance to drop in and find out more about volunteering opportunities, and how to play your role in securing the next 90 years of the Museum’s history.
When the museum launched it was an innovative step for the small industrial town. Many larger places did not have a civic art gallery or museum in the 1930s.
Bridport’s good fortune was based upon what the Bridport News called ‘Mr Codd’s munificent gift’ of the building and a collection of his own work together with the civic pride of the council who were willing to fund the conversion of what had been the Conservative Club into a gallery and museum space.
On a Saturday afternoon in May 1932, a large group of Bridport’s great and the good gathered for the official opening; to hear the speeches, to see some of the donors and to explore the new gallery and museum.
The ceremony took place in the main room on the ground floor which had been set out to house the museum and which already contained ‘many objects of interest to not only the archaeologically minded but to the laymen in general’. Later that day the art gallery and museum was opened up for free to the public, although not to children. From then on, admission was charged to adults and to accompanied children.