We’re getting there! The internal refurbishment of the 1850s Gatekeeper’s Cottage, which will house the Museum, started on 29th July and is expected to be completed by the end of November. New floors and ceilings have been installed with a display panel in one of the ceilings to show the original lath and plaster construction. All the walls have been replastered. A new disabled toilet has been installed. Refurbishment of the windows and installation of modern electric circuits is underway.
The work has been possible through generous grants from the Railway Heritage Trust and from Brentwood Council’s allocation of the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund. Financial support has also been given by Ingatestone and Fryerning Parish Council, Essex Heritage Trust and Brentwood Arts Society.
The Ingatestone Museum will be a community-based museum. It will show Ingatestone and Fryerning’s development up to the present day. It will show the importance of the stagecoach and the railway to the development of the villages.
Liaison with local community organisations and schools will be a key focus. The Anglo European school is involved in producing a book of memories of local residents and has offered us a copy of their work which will form part of our section on social history. Changing displays will link to local school curricula, e.g. displays of evacuee memories and photographs of the villages during the Second World War. We also plan to have displays of artists’ and photographers’ work which will further embed community links.
The Museum will be able to host small school groups and this will assist in extending student research and understanding, relating such events to our own community. The design of the displays and building is aimed to be fully accessible for all the community, within the constraints of a listed building.
The Ingatestone Museum Trust welcomes help from the community. Such help could be:
- Donating, or loaning exhibits.
- Telling us interesting facts about Ingatestone’s history.
- Spreading the word.
- Acting as a volunteer in the museum.
- Joining the “Friends of Ingatestone Museum”.
We can help in this by:
- Giving talks to organisations and interested groups.
- Providing publicity material.
For more information, please visit the Museum’s website or contact the secretary at secretary@imt.gb.net
Main room at start of work Main room substantially complete
