Welcome to Lutterworth and District Museum!

OUR AUTUMN / WINTER OPENING HOURS ARE:

WEDNESDAY, 10:30AM UNTIL 1:00PM

THURSDAY TO SATURDAY, 10:30AM UNTIL 3:30PM

SUNDAY FROM 1:00PM UNTIL 3:30PM

What’s New?

‘A History of Textile Technology’ . Until the middle of the 18^th Century, all items, be they items of clothing or ships sails, had to be sewn by hand. While the sails from HMS Victory won’t fit in the museum, we do have on display some hand sewn samplers from the early 1800’s for you to view. However the invention of the sewing machine in the 1750’s changed all that, and we have some examples of early Singer sewing machines on display.

Until then sewing an hem by hand took 6 minutes – a machine could do it in 30 seconds. Similarly a seam sewn by hand took 4 mins – with a machine, 15 seconds!

Also on display is a Griswold knitting machine and a circular sock knitting machine – which employed a great number of ladies in Lutterworth.

And if that isn’t enough to make you want to visit, don’t miss ‘The story of the blouse’!!!

Coming Up Next…

Future plans include an exhibition on George Spencer, one of the greatest benefactors this town has known, and we are currently working on our Frank Whittle archive in order to bring more detail to the exhibition. We will announce dates for these on our website and on social media.

As always, we have our collection of old school photographs available for public display.  Remember the long narrow photographs that somehow captured the entire school or school year? Well we have a collection going back to 1927 – perhaps you are featured, or your parents, or even your grand parents!  And if you want a copy of one of the photos in our collection (either printed or in jpeg format), that can be arranged for small fee.

Finally, for those interested in the life and times of John Wycliffe, we have added to our in-house list of publications with a booklet telling his story in more detail. Priced at only £1, it sits alongside our booklet about Frank Whittle to give the stories of our two most famous sons (although in fairness neither were actually born here!).

And VERY finally, for those younger visitors who have been coming in regularly to press a certain button……..

THE TRAIN IS STILL WORKING !!!!!! 

LUTTERWORTH IN WARTIME

In collaboration with local author Tony Bailey, we have reproduced his 2014 book “Lutterworth in Wartime” and copies are still available for purchase at the museum. This is the story of Lutterworth during World War Two – drawing on official documents and the recollections of people who lived through that unique period of history, this book transports the reader back in time to a period when our very freedom was at risk, and when the most useful weapon available to many was the good old British “stiff upper lip”.  Available from the museum, priced at £8.00.

The book will go hand in hand with some future displays that we have planned. This year we are commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, so look out for stories about Lutterworth residents who were involved, and next year we will be commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE Day, giving us a chance to trawl through our archive and display everything that we have relating to Lutterworth and WW2.

MUSEUM GUIDE

Our 44 page guide to Lutterworth and District Museum is still on sale at the museum for only £2.00.  The guide gives a potted history of the town, and provides more detail about some of the exhibits on display. Ranging from the stone age to the production of the jet engine, this is a great way to get a high level understanding or how Lutterworth developed as a town.

We want the museum to tell the story of Lutterworth – not just the great inventions or the world changing work that was done in our town – but how Lutterworth started and got to where it is today. Of course, we mention the invention of the jet engine and the translation of the bible (!), but there is so much more to know.

The key “pillars” of the museum display will obviously remain, after all you can’t change history, and engines that weigh around a ton aren’t easy to move!!  However, we are extending our research and are looking to bring you displays that will open your eyes about the history of the town, along with the people in it.

So, look out for our website and social media announcements, along with posters around the town.  Meanwhile…….

CURRENT FEATURES…..

• Walk through the history of Lutterworth by following a time line
• View exhibits ranging from Roman times to the present day
• Consider Lutterworth’s history put in to context
• See the working model of Lutterworth Railway Station
• See the famous Merlin and Whittle engines in a newly interpreted display
• Learn from video and audio presentations which will hopefully enliven your experience
• Experience key timeline exhibits that will always be there, and other exhibits that we will rotate over time to keep the visitor experience as fresh as possible
• And then come back later as on going development of the displays, which will involve more and more research, brings more of our history to light

Remember, if you want to add your name to our growing list of volunteers to become involved with the project, please let us know!

We are an independent museum, staffed & run entirely by volunteers. Our aim is to collect and preserve the documents & artefacts which chart the history of Lutterworth & its surrounding network of villages from earliest times to the present day.

We’re located at our new site at “High Point”, immediately to the left of the Shambles pub. Contact us to find out more.

We are one out of only 51 Independent Museums in the East Midlands who have achieved FULL Accreditation.