Cllr Hilary Richards' passion for Colne Valley Museum

Image from Wikipedia

Over 40 years ago Golcar Branch of the Colne Valley Constituency Labour Party moved out of its old club on Cliff Ash at Golcar and gave their old building to the newly formed Colne Valley Museum (CVM).  This was the start of a slow expansion from one weaver’s cottage to three and finally, into the old fish ‘ole.  All this has been done with volunteer labour only supplemented by paid tradesmen when members did not have the specialist skills needed.

Today, Colne Valley Museum has around 300 members which include individuals, couples and families.  Over 100 members are  active volunteers.  

The museum opens each Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday to give a glimpse of life in the 1850s.  On the top floor members demonstrate how wool processes from the preparation the fleece for spinning to weaving the resultant yarn into cloth on period looms  There is a kitchen that demonstrates how people lived in this era as well as a working kitchen where bread, Christmas puddings and other delicious traditional items are prepared and baked for sale some weekends. 

Exhibitions that usually change every 4-6 weeks have included the work of members of art societies, photographic collections and have been on bee keeping.  There is a wide variety of new things to see each time you visit the museum. 

During a visit you will see many volunteers, dressed in period costume, demonstrating and helping visitors as well as providing coffee and cakes in the new café which opens in January in what was the old fish and chip shop.

There are speciality weekends, most recently a Victorian Christmas Fair with traditional games and the chance to meet Father Christmas. 

Many of you reading this may have visited CVM while at school as a Victoria experience is provided for several schools most weeks of the school term and can be tailored for older audiences when requested.  Children from other authorities as well as Kirklees come for the day.  They arrive in costume ready to step back into 1850 to meeting the lady of the house when they enter her kitchen before helping to prepare their own lunch, polish the brasses, do hand washing and crafts.  After eating their lunch the children are allowed into the small shop where they can buy traditional sweets before returning to the 21^st centuary.  We have many adult visitors who tell us how they remember their day with us many years before.

CVM is in the process of bidding for a substantial award from the Heritage Lottery Fund.  They have already awarded the museum money to enable a full feasibility study to be undertaken prior to the submission of the final lottery bid in February 2014.  Once the bid is in, we will all be holding our breath …….. 

The museum has come a long way in the last 40 or so years and may be making a vast leap forward in the future if their bid is successful …. and all this has been done without a single paid employee in sight. 

I believe the reason why CVM has survived and thrived with only volunteer support has been the long term commitment people, often from the local community, make to the museum; and the marvellous friendships and support members give to each other as they work together.

Dates and times of all elements of the museum can be found at www.colnevalleymuseum.org.uk

 

Related Articles:

Cllr Alvy contemplates future of Red House Museum