BASED IN THE NEWLY RESTORED TOWN HALL IN THE HEART OF FOLKESTONE , THE MUSEUM IS THE CULMINATION OF MANY YEARS OF HARD WORK BY FOLKESTONE TOWN COUNCIL AND LOCAL HISTORY ENTHUSIASTS TO SAVE FOLKESTONE ’ S COLLECTIONS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS .
DAYSOUT
A New
Museum
FOR
FOLKESTONE
BASED IN THE NEWLY RESTORED TOWN HALL IN THE HEART OF FOLKESTONE , THE MUSEUM IS THE CULMINATION OF MANY YEARS OF HARD WORK BY FOLKESTONE TOWN COUNCIL AND LOCAL HISTORY ENTHUSIASTS TO SAVE FOLKESTONE ’ S COLLECTIONS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS .
Folkestone Museum focuses on five main themes : on the ground floor ‘ Fashionable ’ Folkestone records the rise of the town from sleepy fishing village to thriving seaside resort under the patronage of the Radnor family ; the ‘ Frontline ’ theme deals with Folkestone ’ s involvement in conflict , specifically WWI and WWII ; ‘ Maritime ’ documents the influence of Folkestone ’ s proximity to the sea , recounting stories of shipwrecks , smuggling , and local fishing heritage .
On the lower floor , ‘ Aefre ’ the Anglo Saxon skeleton , takes centre stage in a bespoke case displaying grave goods and an interactive touch screen revealing details about the history of our mysterious ancestor . Also within the ‘ Ancient ’ theme , the remains of the Roman villa at East Wear Bay are explored . For dinosaur bones , fascinating fossils , flora and fauna , shells , eggs and beautiful butterflies , head to the ‘ Natural ’ section . Children and adults can get stuck in to their own archaeological dig and uncover treasures and fossils from beneath the earth . Furthermore , an educational programme for schools and free workshops for all ages is currently in development .
To coincide with Folkestone Triennial , from 1st September to 21st October the museum presents a solo show by British artist Terry Smith ( b . 1956 ). Smith ' s practice covers installation , drawing , film , video , sound works and performance . Often using whatever is to hand to produce his work , Smith ' s show promises to challenge and intrigue the audience . As a one-off , Folkestone Museum will also host Smith ' s Venice Agendas on 23rd September , a day of impromptu performances previously featured at the Venice Biennale and Turner Contemporary , Margate . For more information about the artist , go to : http :// www . arts . clara . net / arts / smith _ terry . html
Folkestone Museum is generously funded by Heritage Lottery Fund , Queen Victoria
Memorial Foundation , Arts Council England , Roger de Haan Charitable Trust , South East Museums , Kent County Council , and Roland Cruickshanks Foundation . Admission is free of charge but as a not-for-profit organisation , they do rely on donations to maintain free admission . Donation boxes are situated on both floors of the museum and a minimum donation of £ 2.00 per visit is recommended .
Open Monday-Saturday , 10am-4pm
Folkestone Museum The Town Hall 1-2 Guildhall Street Folkestone CT20 1DY 01303 257946 www . folkestonemuseum . co . uk
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