If you have visited the museum in the last few weeks, you may have noticed some new places to sit. Our project, Firm Foundations, Flourishing Futures, is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we transformed the museum’s historic courtyard. Once used to stable horses and in need of some love after some extensive building works, the yard is now the perfect place to sit, relax and explore local history.
When we surveyed our visitors last year, the overwhelming response was for more places to sit, and more opportunities to learn about the objects on display. We then got to work creating a space that our visitors could enjoy all year round.
We worked with bio-diverse garden designer, Teasels, to create a welcoming, fun and local history-inspired space.
Taking inspiration from the flora and landscape of Cambridgeshire and based on the feedback from our visitors, Teasels created a design that brought new seating and local plants to the museum’s yard.
Using livestock troughs as planters, the design framed a cosy seating area. Plenty of Cambridgeshire and UK native species were chosen to attract pollinators and provide seasonal colour and interest. This included two special mixes of wild meadow seeds, which are taking root this summer.
We’re very pleased that we were even able to include a small pond, giving a nod to Cambridgeshire’s amazing fenland habitats.
Tidying up the rest of the yard, our staff and volunteers have catalogued and stored some of the historic brickwork and machinery which had been stored outside. This included the large sign from the Lion Hotel, which is now safe in storage.
Our collection work continued as we researched the history of our largest museum objects. The Hobson fountain statues.
Given to the museum in 1953, the four statues once stood atop the pillars of the Victorian fountain on Market Hill. The fountain was built to mark the end of Hobson’s conduit in 1849 after a fire forced the redevelopment of the market. A new sign finally tells their story.
Image courtesy of Cambridgeshire Collection K.C.J55 1664
This project would not have been possible without the help and support of our volunteers, who have helped at every stage. We are also very grateful to Friends of the Museum of Cambridge who donated £100 to purchase a third bench for this space.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.