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Vale & Downland Museum

@valeanddownland.bsky.social
1K followers 345 following 341 posts

We're a small local history museum in Wantage, Oxfordshire. The birth place of King Alfred the Great! Winner of the Green Growth Award 2026! linktr.ee/valeanddownlandmuseum

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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Yesterday was the 43rd anniversary of the official opening of the Museum in what was the Old Surgery The first Arbery's display in the Museum on 22nd Sept 83, taken a week before the official opening for a newspaper article. Patricia Hodgson is modelling a fetching hat #WaybackWednesday
a victorian shop display with a lady holding a hat on her head
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
From history & science to the world around us, our monthly adult talks explore fascinating ideas, surprising stories and the issues shaping our future Join us at the Museum for engaging talks and new perspectives See the full programme on our website 👉 valeanddownlandmuseum.org.uk/adult-galler...
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Four generations of the Willoughby family outside the Willoughby Mill, Locks Lane, Wantage. c1900. The young boy sat in the trap is Geoffrey (b.c1896), with his great grandfather, his grandfather is stood beside the trap, and his father is next to the pony's head. #WaybackWednesday
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The new menu has been live for just over a week now and we have had some wonderful feedback! The lovely new rolls from Heritage Bakery are very tempting, & we are pleased that the jacket potatoes are proving a popular return to the menu! Cafe open 9:30am, last orders 3pm, please pop in and visit!
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
From left to right: Dr Willie Dawson, Dr Frederick Vaughan Squires, and Dr A.C Birt. Outside the Church Street Depenserary, Wantage, in around 1928.
three men outside a brick and shingle building
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Wantage Stores. 1926/7. An impressive window display of stacked goods. With a young man stood in the doorway with a delivery bike in front of him. Wantage Stores was to the left of Arbery’s. #WaybackWednesday
a shop front with an open door with a man stood outside
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Peter J. King @rock-rex.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
"Saxon Stone Carving (found at Eynsham)" in the Vale & Downland Museum, Wantage #poem #poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity #wantage #saxon #stonecarving #vale&downlandmuseum @valeanddownland.bsky.social
                                       The eyes gaze out in solemn challenge
                        forehead furrowed,
                             one eyebrow slightly raised,
                                   as if in wry perplexity.

                                              A trinity in stone —
                                                                                 but was it piety,
                                                            the hope of sanctified contagion,
                                                             that led the centuries of fingertips
                                                            and lips to wear away the softer,
                                                                       more expressive features?
                      Maybe it was simply time’s
          cackhanded passing and the English
                     seasons cracking and eroding them
                                    that left us
                              with this scholarly enigma.

                                          Is that a hint of wimple?
                                                  Are the smaller faces children?
                                                                         lower ranks? 
                                                                                  We try to tell a story,
                                                                           but the eyes defy us.
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Outside the Victoria Cross Gallery in 1987. Parslows bakery in what today is Greggs. The Bear Hotel to the right and a market out on the cobblestones. Do you recognise any one? It would be lovely to put some names to the faces.
a cobblestone courtyard with benches and market stalls with a large group of people
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
The team from Rutherford Appleton Laboratory is coming back to the museum on Tues 4th Aug for another fantastic Science Family Day £6.50 per child, book online www.ticketsource.com/vale-downland-museum
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
9 and 10 Market Place, Wantage. Circa 1897. Wilkins & Sons Grocery Store, with the staff on the steps and in the doorway. Later it would become Fergusons Grocery Store and in the 1970s it became Drewett, Watson, & Barton Estate Agents. Today it is Coral Bookmakers. #WaybackWednesday
three storey brick building with a shop on the ground floor
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Wantage Market Place in what we believe is the early 1970s. It is definitely after February 1971 due to the sign in the window reading 12p, so we know it was post decimalisation. The car is a Triumph Herald 13/60
two shops with a car parked outside and three women on the pavement
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
It's #WorldSnakeDay and as you can imagine a small Oxfordshire history museum doesn't have many snake related objects in the collection, so this plaque with a three-headed snake is the best we could do! #WorldSnakeDay #History #WWII
a plaque with a winged man with a sword, atop a three-headed snake
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Wallingford Street, Wantage. Circa 1932. On the left is Roberts Draper. In 1800 it was the home of the Kirby family, a daughter of the Kirby’s married John Ormond. #WaybackWednesday
a street view with brick buildings lining both sides
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
It's the final week of term for lots of kids & we are gearing up for a fun filled summer here at the museum. First up is the ever popular LEGO® Club. Perfect for all LEGO® loving children and parents/guardians can enjoy an hour in the museum coffee shop or exploring the galleries
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Every time we look at this beautiful mural we notice something new! This artwork is called Living Landscape and it was painted by the very talented @annadillon.bsky.social
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Church Street in the 1970s. Photo taken from the churchyard of Priory Bookshop owned by John Kent. #WaybackWednesday
grave stones and trees with a bookshop in the background
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Wantage Parish Church. C1895, after some restoration The Church of St Peter & St Paul stands on the site where Christian Worship has been for more than 1300 years, but the building we see today is largely thirteenth century. It has of course had many alterations over the centuries #WaybackWednesday
a large church with a tower in the centre
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
The first phase of our barn redevelopment is now complete! Talented local artist Anna Dillon the Artist has painted an absolutely stunning mural called Living Landscape and we are so excited to share that it is now on display in our barn gallery. #LivingLandscape
a photo of a large mural depicting the landscape of the Vale of White Horse
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Wantage Recreation Ground 5th June 1943. At a Carnival for Victory, this woman has just walked the plank and fallen into a large canvas water tank. How many of us would love to take a dip in that water today? #WaybackWednesday
a large crowd watching a woman in a big tank of water
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
The Museum Fundraising Summer Fete is just a month away and raffle tickets to the big raffle are now on sale! We have some epic prizes this year and more are being added everyday £1 per ticket available to buy from the museum The draw will be on Sat 11th Jul at the end of the fete
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
A charabanc outing from Wantage to Southsea July 1920 They departed from the Abingdon Arms at 7.30am. The photograph was taken in the Market Place outside Cottrell’s shop. It was a very wet day in Southsea, which may explain why they didn’t stay very long and returned at 12.30pm #WaybackWednesday
black and white photo of a long open topped charabanc or coach. filled with men, women and children
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Pitt Rivers Museum @pittriversmuseum.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Last few days of 'Hawaii: Ma aka to Ma kai' - go on a journey through the Hawaiian landscape, with contemporary works by Honolulu-based Poakalani Quilters, films & photography exploring the decline in Hawaiian ecosystems, alongside stories of resilience & restoration. Closes 7 June. bit.ly/46UZ738
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Wantage Market Place in 1948. A nice view of the King Alfred statue and the Ye Old Post Office Vaults behind. The buses back then were quite a bit smaller than those we see in the town centre today. #WaybackWednesday #WorldBicycleDay
a town market place with cars in the centre, a lady walking across the road and a man on a bicycle
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
South Oxfordshire & Vale of White Horse district councils are working with Flying Geese to research what people in southern Oxfordshire would like to make it a better place for the people who live here Have your say, complete the survey online by Sun 31st May www.smartsurvey.co.uk/t/SouthernOx...
the market place gallery with a stone cross on a marbled plinth
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Rehearsing the play Love Locked Out in the 1970s. Robin Cripps on the left, Roger Smith in the centre, and Ken Stallard on the right. #WaybackWednesday
three men, two of the men are pushing the third into a very small cupboard
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
The heat is on its way but we have you covered with brand new air conditioning in our galleries! Stay cool while you explore.
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Book for our Children's Art Workshop online 👉 www.ticketsource.com/vale-downlan...
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Main Street, Grove, c1910. Kents Row. Rural District Council cottages with Edgar Povey with his bicycle These cottages are still there today but everything else in this photo has changed quite a bit. Now opposite the cottages is Millbrook Square & the road has gotten wider and there are more houses
row of cottages with trees behind and opposite. a man stands on the road with a bicycle
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Bexhill Museum @bexhillmuseum.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
"Egerton Road, Bexhill-on-Sea." Postcard c.1906. When trams used to pass the Museum. #Bexhill #Sussex #Road #Tram #History #1900s #ThrowbackThursday
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Ivy Cottage, Main Street, Grove in the 1950s. According to what is written on the back, this is Mr Sewell gardening at 'Mrs Spanners old house'. #WaybackWednesday #NationalGardeningWeek
a thatched cottage with large bushes along the front of the garden, a man is gardening
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
The Museum and Coffee Shop will be closed on both Bank Holidays this May. Monday 4th & Monday 25th May
blue poster with pink blossom tree branches
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
One of two introductory films which you can watch in our auditorium featuring the wonderful David Attenborough as narrator Watch the full film 👉 youtu.be/ev4mm_f6C_c?... #Archive30 #SoundAndVision #WaybackWednesday
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
This gorgeous banner is the perfect example of why conservation is so important to help preserve our history. The Church of England Working Men’s Society banner is 140 years old, dating back to 1886! #ArchiveConservation #Archive30
a collage of 6 photos showing various sections of a cloth embroidered banner
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
The corner of Market Place and Newbury Street in 1904. Walter & Co were a watch, clock and jewellery shop which opened in 1891 and closed in 1939. Today this is Simpsons Estate Agents. #WaybackWednesday
brick building, door on the corner with a smartly dressed Victorian man stood in the open doorway
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
This box of curiosities was collected by Dr Gains as a child in Brightwalton between 1870 and 1899. It contains shells, nuts, seeds, glass, pins, rocks, buttons, teeth, carved ivory, and more! #Archive30 #UnusualArchives
wooden box with two layers contain a variety of different objects
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
This very colourful hat was worn by the Icknield Way Morris Men Fool 'Little Bob' The Fool is an integral part of any performance, providing a link between the dancers and the audience, persuading them to donate to the charity collection. #Archive30 #ColurfulArchives
a bowler type hat with flowers and ribbons
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
It is believed this large group of men is likely to be Wantage Home Guard during World War II. The photo was owned by Harry Glaysher who was part of the 5th Berkshire Battalion Home Guard in Wantage. Do you recognise any one in this photo and can help us put names to faces? #Archive30 #SomethingBig
very large group of men in uniforms
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
A wreath party marching towards St Peter & St Paul Church Wantage for the funeral of Lt Napier Burnett Lindsay in 1909. This was such a big funeral that the whole community came to a standstill. #Archive30 #CommunityArchives Read more about this photo 👉 facebook.com/valeanddownlandmuseum
large crowds of people some carrying wreaths
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Sports day, probably at King Alfred's School #Wantage on 3rd June 1946. The winner of the race was David East, second was Lester Piggott, who went on to be a top #jockey, and one of the boys in the background is Harry Glaysher #Archive30 #SportsArchive
group of boys running a race
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
99 years ago on 15th April 1927, Floss sent a sweet Easter message to Mrs Cowley at 5 Crawborough, Charlbury "Just to wish you all a very happy Easter. Floss" The postcard features a lovely photo of the Main Street in Lockinge #WaybackWednesday #Archive30 #ArchivePast
both sides of a postcard, the image on the postcard has a road with an old car and people. the street is lined with timber houses and trees
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Churchill Archives Centre @chuarchives.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Today's #Archive30 theme is #ArchiveAnimals! One of Clementine Churchill's photograph albums contains this small picture of her daughter Sarah Churchill (dancer and actress) with her dog "Trouble". He looks like he's living up to his name!
Slightly blurry photograph of Sarah Churchill sitting on grass with her dog, a spaniel, play biting her hand
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Royal Berkshire Archives @berksarchives.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
We have so many #ArchiveAnimals in our collections that it was hard to choose which to feature today. In the end we went with Dorothy Kaminski's cat and kittens as they were too cute to resist 😍 #Archive30 📷 D/EWN/F99
4 black and white photographs of a cat a two kittens playing in a wicker basket.
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
A bank holiday outing to the #Uffington White Horse Hill in around 1900 Women and children out for a picnic on the beautiful landmark which is believed to have been created during the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age Photo by prominent Oxford photographer Henry Taunt #Archive30 #ArchiveAnimals
a group of women and children in Victorian dress, standing on grass with baskets and horse and carts around them
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Our model railway fits both #PopularItem & #SomethingSmall for #Archive30 It is most definitely our most popular item and has lots of small pieces Two very dedicated volunteers have taken on the project of updating the model to reflect the changes to the local railway from 1920s to 1980s
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Catching up on #Archive30 with No.3 #ArchiveFashion A beautiful grey/blue silk taffeta sack dress dates back to the 1700s but was repurposed for the Lockinge Revels which was hosted by Lord & Lady Wantage in 1885 Most of the buttons on the front of the dress are original, just one has been replaced
long floral dress on a mannequin
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Today's #Archive30 is #ArchiveBuildings and this one has not changed much in the 91yrs since this photo was taken in 1935. Arbery & Son in #Wantage Market Place, decorated with garlands to celebrate the silver jubilee of King George V The building was built in the 1600s and today is a Costa Coffee
three story building, bottom level is a shop
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
It's the first day of #Archive30 and today is #YourArchive this is a very small section of our Research Library, full of interesting & useful books & documents to research local family history, & the history of local buildings and businesses
shelves of books
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
The Metal Box float at the 1987 Hospital Carnival. Metal Box manufactured containers for use in the food and drinks industries. From the 1930s up to the 1980s, Metal Box were one of the largest manufacturers in the world producing metal packaging at their 41 factories across the UK #WaybackWednesday
a flatbed lorry with metal cans attached to the edges of the flatbed. 4 adults and two children riding on the flatbed
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
There's still time (and spaces) to book for tomorrow's LEGO® Club! Let the kids enjoy an hour of building while you have a relaxing cuppa in the Museum Coffee Shop☕ Wednesday 1st April £4 per child, please book in advance online bit.ly/3NDJPKN
poster with three lego mini figures and a large lego heart
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Vale & Downland Museum @valeanddownland.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Here are our #Easter opening hours🐰
poster featuring opening times with easter eggs and a bunny
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