Chesterfield Museum & Art Gallery

Chesterfield Museum & Art Gallery
St Mary's Gate
Chesterfield
Derbyshire
S41 7TD
England

Website

www.chesterfield.gov.uk/site/default.asp?CATID=63

E-mail

museum@chesterfield.gov.uk

Telephone

01246 345727

Fax

01246 347220

All information is supplied by the venues or providers themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.
venue representative image
Guided tours icon Shop icon Study area icon Hearing disability facilities icon Visual disability facilities icon Wheelchair access icon

The museum tells the story of Chesterfield from its origin as a Roman fort to the present day. It is located in the Stephenson Memorial Hall, built in 1879 as a mechanics institute, and named in honour of the town's most famous Victorian resident, railway pioneer George Stephenson. The museum opened in 1994 and is the first public museum in the town - a suprising fact considering Chesterfield's long and important history as a midlands market town and industrial centre. The museum stands in the shadow of the famous 'Crooked Spire' of St Mary and All Saints and is a short walk from Chesterfield's excellent open market, one of the largest in the country.

Venue Type:

Museum

 Opening hours

1000-1600
except Wed & Sun

Closed: Wed & Sun

 Admission charges

FREE

 General services and facilities
  • Brochure or leaflet available with directions to museum
  • Guided tours
  • Pre-booking service for groups
  • Toilets
  • Shop
 Children and families
  • Events and resources for children and families
 Disability access
  • Sign language interpretation available
  • Touch exhibits
  • Toilets for disabled
  • Wheelchair access to all public areas
 Schools services and facilities
  • Printed/audio-visual information available for schools
 Research and adult learning
  • Adult lectures and courses held
  • Loan service

Chesterfield Museum & Art Gallery
St Mary's Gate
Chesterfield
Derbyshire
S41 7TD
England

Website

www.chesterfield.gov.uk/site/default.asp?CATID=63

E-mail

museum@chesterfield.gov.uk

Telephone

01246 345727

Fax

01246 347220

All information is supplied by the venues or providers themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.

The museum's most important exhibit is a medieval builders' windlass used for the construction of Chesterfield Parish Church ('The Crooked Spire') in the 14th century. It is an impressive sight standing around 20ft high and dominating the entrance to the galleries.

The museum holds finds from a series of excavations in the town centre, mainly associated with the area of the Roman fort and the core of the medieval period town. However the majority of the collections relate to the social and industrial history of Chesterfield and the surrounding area of north eastern Derbyshire.

These recall the past industrial activities of the town, including coal-mining and engineering, and the museum has an extensive collection of locally made stoneware pottery (often known as 'Bramptonware' after one of the areas in which it was made). Recently acquired is the Robinson Collection of packaging and healthcare products made by Chesterfield based Robinson & Sons Ltd, who are perhaps most famous for designing and making the original 'Smartie Tube' and for being the first manufacturers of the disposable nappy.

There is a small collection of material relating to George Stephenson and his family, including a group portrait by John Lucas RA.

Local artist Joseph Syddall's (1864-1942) work is usually on display in the art gallery. He was a professional portraitist and illustrator, who was declared by his teacher, Sir Hubert von Herkomer, to be the 'finest draughtsman in England'.

Collection details

Archaeology, Coins and Medals, Costume and Textiles, Decorative and Applied Art, Fine Art, Industry, Land Transport, Personalities, Science and Technology, Social History, Trade and Commerce

Collections services

  • Object identification and/or written enquiry service
  • Object study facilities available (enquire in advance)

Chesterfield Museum & Art Gallery
St Mary's Gate
Chesterfield
Derbyshire
S41 7TD
England

Website

www.chesterfield.gov.uk/site/default.asp?CATID=63

E-mail

museum@chesterfield.gov.uk

Telephone

01246 345727

Fax

01246 347220

All information is supplied by the venues or providers themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.
Exhibition details are listed below, you may need to scroll down to see them all.
Links to the Past exhibition, Chesterfield Museum

Links to the Past

7 January — 24 March 2012 *on now

An exhibition telling the story of Robinson & Sons, one of Chesterfield's oldest companies. The exhibition tells the story of this packaging and healthcare compnay through photographs from the Robinson archive and objects made by the firm.

Suitable for

  • Family friendly

Where

Chesterfield Museum & Art Gallery

View of the Parthenon, the most famous temple of Ancient Greece

The Ancient Greeks

31 March — 12 May 2012

An interactive exhibition about life in Ancient Greece. Lots of hands-on activities including dressing-up!

Suitable for

  • Family friendly
  • Especially for children
  • Any age
Cartoon character, depicted as a 1930s detective viewing a book through a magnifying glass

Family History Open Days

5 May 2012

Learn how to trace your family tree with members of Chesterfield's family history society.

Suitable for

  • 16-17
  • 18+

When

10am-4pm

Cartoon character, depicted as a 1930s detective viewing a book through a magnifying glass

Family History Open Days

7 May 2012

Learn how to trace your family tree with members of Chesterfield's family history society.

Suitable for

  • 16-17
  • 18+

When

10am-4pm

Portrait of the Stephenson family by John Lucas RA featuring George Stephenson

George Stephenson, Father of the Railways

19 May — 1 September 2012

An exhibition about Chesterfield's most famous Victorian resident, George Stephenson, engineer, inventor and innovator.

Suitable for

  • Family friendly
Photograph of model wearing necklace and head-dress made from recycled materials

Reincarnated Rubbish

28 July — 29 September 2012

Artwork by Val Hunt created from recycled materials

Suitable for

  • Any age
Photograph of woman at the Dema glass factory putting transfers on beer glasses

A Touch of Glass

8 September — 31 December 2012

An exhibition exploring glassmaking in Chesterfield, featuring the former Dema glassworks and its products.

Suitable for

  • Any age

Chesterfield Museum & Art Gallery
St Mary's Gate
Chesterfield
Derbyshire
S41 7TD
England

Website

www.chesterfield.gov.uk/site/default.asp?CATID=63

E-mail

museum@chesterfield.gov.uk

Telephone

01246 345727

Fax

01246 347220

All information is supplied by the venues or providers themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.
Events details are listed below. You may need to scroll down or click on headers to see them all. For events that don't have a specific date see the 'Resources' tab above.
Saxon event

Meet a Saxon

16 February 2012

Learn about Saxon life with our costumed interpreter. Find out what it was like to live in Saxon times from our very own 'real' Saxon!

Suitable for

  • Family friendly
  • Any age

When

10am-4pm

1940s Weekend - Chesterfield Museum

1940s Weekend

25 February 2012

Experience 1940s life on the Home Front. From the Home Guard to Rationing, members of UK HomeFront explain life at home during Workd War Two. This is in conjunction with events at Chesterfield's Pomegranate Theatre and Winding Wheel concert venue.

Suitable for

  • Family friendly
  • Any age

When

10am-4pm

1940s Weekend - Chesterfield Museum

1940s Weekend

26 February 2012

Experience 1940s life on the Home Front. From the Home Guard to Rationing, members of UK HomeFront explain life at home during Workd War Two. This is in conjunction with events at Chesterfield's Pomegranate Theatre and Winding Wheel concert venue.

Suitable for

  • Family friendly
  • Any age

When

10am-4pm

Photograph of Ashley Holt, our Greek soldier, wearing his Greek armour and helmet

Meet a Greek Soldier

12 April 2012

Find out about life in Ancient Greece from our Greek hoplite (soldier), and try out some child-sized Greek armour.

Suitable for

  • Especially for children
  • Family friendly

When

10am-4pm

Photograph showing costumed interpreter dressed as Victorian engineer, peering over the top of a model steam engine

Meet a Victorian Engineer

7 June 2012

Find out about the many innovations in engineering made in the 19th century from our own 'Victorian Engineer'.

Suitable for

  • Especially for children
  • Family friendly

When

10am-4pm

Photograph of our medieval doctor in costume examining a urine sample.

Measley Medicine - Medieval Market Day

24 July 2012

Find out about medicine in medieval times from our own 'medieval doctor', part of Chesterfield's 'Medieval Market Day'

Suitable for

  • Any age

When

10am-4pm

Photograph of children learning about the Wild West from a re-enactor dressed as a Plains Indian

Go West!

1 November 2012

Find out about the real American Wild West with the Wyoming Wild Bunch living history re-enactment group.

Suitable for

  • Any age

When

10am-4pm

Chesterfield Museum & Art Gallery
St Mary's Gate
Chesterfield
Derbyshire
S41 7TD
England

Website

www.chesterfield.gov.uk/site/default.asp?CATID=63

E-mail

museum@chesterfield.gov.uk

Telephone

01246 345727

Fax

01246 347220

All information is supplied by the venues or providers themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.
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