A museum for the whole valley
Valley Museum (sample) has collected the history, art and everyday objects of the valley since 1898. Entry is free for children and on Thursday evenings.
Our story
The museum began with one room of finds from the old ford and a donated cabinet of minerals. Today it cares for twenty thousand objects (sample), from Bronze Age pottery to posters from last year’s town festival.
We are a charity. Admission, members and donations pay for most of what we do.
People
A small team and more than eighty volunteers (sample).
Dr Ruth Adeyemi
Director (sample)
Tomasz Nowak
Curator of archaeology (sample)
Claire Dubois
Curator of art (sample)
Sam Patel
Learning manager (sample)
Grace Lin
Collections care (sample)
Owen Hughes
Visitor services (sample)
What we collect
Objects made, used or found in the valley, and art that shows it. We accept gifts after a curator has seen them; every object gets an accession number and a record anyone can ask to see.
- Archaeology and local history
- Art and photography of the valley
- Pottery, textiles and tools made here
Support the museum
Join as a member, give a gift in memory of someone, or volunteer on the front desk or in the stores.