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Godalming Museum

Live near Godalming?
Time on your hands?
You can VOLUNTEER!

  The Museum

It's Summer (!) 
Museum now open 10 till 5

Current and forthcoming Exhibitions and events

For a flavour of Godalming's long and rich history see
The Town
 

Resources for Schools!
Godalming Museum Educational Services


B***** b******** b****** Electric light!


Have you seen the Godalming Museum Newsletter?


The Museum records the history of a quiet country town with many traces of a rich industrial past, notably in cloth making and knitting. It was also the first town in the world to have a public electricity supply.
It hosts a series of exhibitions and events throughout the year. 

 

THE BUILDING
A bakery for over 370 years, the building was adapted as a museum in 1987 and re-developed in 1998 with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It is actually two Wealden timber framed houses. One was built about 1400 and the other around 1500, with a brick facade and parapet added in the 18th Century. The original lime and horse hair plaster covering a wattle wall can still be seen. 
See some views of the museum

 

AT WORK AND WAR
A stocking frame illustrates the town's dependence in the past on cloth making and knitting. Other local industries are featured as are the two World Wars.

CRAFTSMANSHIP AND CLOCKS
The Millennium Window celebrates 2000 years of Godalming's history. Clocks made by the Stedman family including the old town clock (1814) are in working order.

 

THE GARDEN
The garden at the back of the Museum is created in the style of Gertrude Jekyll following her principles of planting, colour grouping and design - and her influential partnership with Lutyens is celebrated in the Summer house and seat, which are replicas of his designs.

FACTS AND FIGURES
Information about the Museum's Collections is available in the Resources Room and the adjacent Library, open daily in the afternoon, is a valuable source of local records.

 

                                                                    Web site last updated 10th October 2003