Walsall Museum
Lichfield Street
Walsall
West Midlands County
WS1 1TR
England
Website
Telephone
01922 653116
Walsall Museum is a friendly and welcoming museum in the heart of Walsall, sharing a building with the town's Central Library.
Venue Type:
Museum
Collection of social and industrial history from Walsall's past and present, ranging from 17th century firemarks to 21st century posters.
Strong collection of costume and textiles, including the Hodson Shop Collection, a unique collection of unsold shop stock of working-class clothing from the 1920s to 1960s.
Collection details
Costume and Textiles, Industry, Social History
Key artists and exhibits
- Sister Dora
- Jerome K Jerome
- Hodson Shop
A Centenary of Stainless Steel: The Old Hall Connection
We celebrate the centenary of the invention of stainless steel with a display of one of its finest products: Old Hall table and teawares.
Among the items on show are examples of Robert Welch’s trend-setting designs for the Old Hall company in the 1950s, the highly popular Connaught and Campden tea services of the 1960s and some of the earliest examples of stainless steel tablewares from the 1930s.
Stainless steel tablewares and teawares were manufactured in Bloxwich, Walsall, under the name of Old Hall by the firm of J & J Wiggin from 1930 until 1984.
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
Free of charge.
Walsall Museum is open Tuesdays - Fridays 10am - 5pm and Saturdays 10am - 4pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays and Bank Holidays.
Factory Girls
A display of clothing to celebrate the role of women in the workplace from the 1920s to the 1970s. Take a trip down memory lane to explore the clothing worn by local women working in the borough's many factories and workshops.
The display focuses on the wide variety of overalls, pinafores and aprons worn to protect clothing while out at work. Despite the fact that these items were meant to act as protective garments and were exposed to the grime of factory work, they are themselves very attractive items of clothing showing off off bright patterns and prints.
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
Free of charge.
Walsall Museum is open Tuesdays - Fridays 10am - 5pm and Saturdays 10am - 4pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays and Bank Holidays.
The Museum is closed over the Easter weekend from Friday 29 March - Monday 1 April. We are open as normal from Tuesday 2 April.
Pills and Potions: Medicines and Remedies from the 1890s to the 1940s
A display about the medical remedies and popular cures with which we once combated disease and ill health. On show in our Sister Dora Discovery Box are a selection of well-known pills and medicines dating from the 1890s to the 1940s, along with a range of advertising material used to promote many of these remedies and examples of some of the equipment used by pharmacists and doctors to produce their own pills and medical remedies.
We are grateful to the George Marshall Medical Museum in Worcester for kindly loaning a number of the items on display.
Suitable for
- Any age
Where
Walsall Museum
Admission
Free of charge.
Walsall Museum is open Tuesdays - Fridays 10am - 5pm and Saturdays 10am - 4pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays and Bank Holidays.
Museum Mystery Challenge
Take our Museum Mystery Challenge and discover weird and wonderful artefacts, famous local people, and the unique history of our borough. You can do it yourself or with family and friends. Use your skills to find objects and complete challenges in The Changing Face of Walsall, Walsall Museum’s local history gallery.
The Museum Mystery Challenge is free to do, requires no advance booking, and is available during Walsall Museum’s normal opening hours.
Suitable for
- 5-6
- 11-13
- 16-17
- 7-10
- 14-15
- 18+
- Family friendly
- Especially for children
Where
Walsall Museum
Admission
Free of charge.
The Museum Mystery Challenge is available during Walsall Museum's normal opening hours:
Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 10am-4pm
Closed Sundays, Mondays, Bank Holidays.
No advance booking is required, for further information please call 01922 653116 or email museum@walsall.gov.uk.
Sunshine Flowers Children's Drop-In
Free your imagination and create exotic paper flowers to greet the Summer!
Have fun and try out your craft skills in this special half-term drop-in activity led by our experienced and friendly staff.
Suitable for children aged 5-12 years, parents / carers must remain with children throughout.
All materials provided.
Suitable for
- 5-6
- 7-10
- 11-13
When
11am-1pm
Admission
Only 75p per child.
No need to book, just drop in between the hours given.
History of Walsall and the Saddlery Industry
The talk starts with the earliest mention of Walsall, as far back as 1002, and continues right up to the present day, with samples of some of the products of the town's most important industries to look at. Presented by Cliff Kirby-Tibbitts, a local business man whose family have been associated with saddlery in Walsall since 1793.
Suitable for
- 18+
- Not suitable for children
When
2-3pm
Admission
£1.00 per person. Places are limited so advance booking is essential. Call us on 01922 653116 or email museum@walsall.gov.uk
Public Talk - The Stagecoach Era on Inn Signs
The depiction of historic forms of transport on inn signs is the subject of this illustrated talk from David Cole of the Inn Sign Society. The talk provides an illuminating insight into travel before the age of the motor car and also covers turnpike roads and the early railways.
This talk complements last year's popular talk from David Cole, 'An Introduction to Inn Signs', and also stands alone as an enjoyable insight into the subject for anyone with an interest in historic forms of transport.
Suitable for
- 18+
- Not suitable for children
When
2-3pm
Admission
£1.00 per person
Places are limited so advance booking is essential.
Call us on 01922 653116 or email museum@walsall.gov.uk
Funky Fridge Magnets Children's Drop-In
Make your own funky fridge magnet to stick on your fridge at home.
Have fun and try out your craft skills in this special Summer holiday drop-in activity led by our experienced and friendly staff.
Suitable for children aged 5-12 years, parents / carers must remain with children throughout.
All materials provided.
Suitable for
- 7-10
- 5-6
- 11-13
When
11am-1pm
Admission
Only 75p per child.
No booking required, just drop-in between the hours given.
Wooden Spoon People Children's Drop-In
Our special wooden spoon people are fun to make and decorate to take home.
Have fun and try out your craft skills in this special Summer holiday drop-in activity led by our experienced and friendly staff.
Suitable for children aged 5-12 years, parents / carers must remain with children throughout.
All materials provided.
Suitable for
- 7-10
- 5-6
- 11-13
When
11am-1pm
Admission
Only 75p per child.
No need to book, just drop-in between the times given.
Dolphin Door Name Plates Children's Drop-In
Create your own special dolphin name plate for your bedroom.
Have fun and try out your craft skills in this special Summer holiday drop-in activity led by our experienced and friendly staff.
Suitable for children aged 5-12 years, parents / carers must remain with children throughout.
All materials provided.
Suitable for
- 5-6
- 7-10
- 11-13
When
11am-1pm
Admission
Only 75p per child.
No booking required, just drop-in between the hours given.
Silhouette Shapes Children's Drop-In
Get creative with our craft materials to make a unique silhouette shape to take home.
Have fun and try out your craft skills in this special Summer holiday drop-in activity led by our experienced and friendly staff.
Suitable for children aged 5-12 years, parents / carers must remain with children throughout.
All materials provided.
Suitable for
- 5-6
- 11-13
- 0-4
When
11am-1pm
Admission
Only 75p per child.
No need to book, just drop-in between the hours given.
Public Talk - The Anglo Saxon West Midlands
Discover how this area looked in Anglo-Saxon times with Della Hooke of the University of Birmingham. Della, an Associate Member of the School of Geography at the University, uses archaeology, place names, documents and other sources to reconstruct the surroundings of our early Medieval ancestors.
We know much about this period from archaeology and even written history, but the landscape can also be reconstructed to provide us with an intimate view of the region as it was in Anglo-Saxon times.
This talk has been especially programmed in to form part of the national Heritage Open Days for 2013.
Suitable for
- 18+
- Not suitable for children
When
2-3pm
Admission
£1.00 per person
Places are limited so advance booking is essential.
Call us on 01922 653116 or email museum@walsall.gov.uk
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