Go inside the Old Grammar School and discover the story of Kingsbridge and the South Hams.
The museum was founded in 1971 in the old Kingsbridge Grammar School buildings. Mrs Evelyn Northcott persuaded English China Clays Ltd. to rescue the derelict building and found a museum to collect and record the social history of the area.
The Museum was named after William Cookworthy, who was born in Kingsbridge, and who developed the first true hard-paste porcelain china.
The Museum collects mainly social history material made or used locally, significant elements being a collection of Cookworthy Porcelain, an agricultural collection illustrating life on a farm between the Wars, and a Victorian kitchen. There are also special and temporary exhibitions on a variety of themes.
The Museum facilities now include:
* Displays of artefacts from the early history of Kingsbridge through to the present day;
* A gallery of agricultural machinery and tools;
* A collection of nearly 10,000 photographs dating from the 1870's through to the present day;
* Costumes from the 19th and 20th centuries;
* A viewing gallery giving a virtual tour of the Museum;
* A resource centre to support personal research. This has many local documents including microfilm copies of local newspapers from 1855 to the present.
In the nine galleries you will find both permanent displays and special exhibits showing how the people of the area have lived, worked and played over many generations
The Museum Rooms:
The Cookworthy Room
This relates the story of Kingsbridge, and traces the development of Kingsbridge and Dodbrooke as a market town from the original settlement recorded in the 10th century. Exhibits relate to the social history, trades and crafts, and notable events in the area The Cookworthy Room is the old schoolroom, with its wood panelling inscribed with the initials of generations of schoolboys. Beneath the coat of arms of Charles II, the Headmaster sat on his canopied seat with a commanding view of his pupils. Beside this seat hangs a portrait of Thomas Crispin, who although born in Kingsbridge, lived and worked in Exeter as a fuller. A Quaker, he was closely connected with the Society of Friends in Kingsbridge and in 1670 he built and endowed the Grammar School.
The Ilbert Room
The Ibert Room is located off the Cookworthy Room .It shows a selection from their collection of period costumes (primarily Victorian/Edwardian), associated images and artefacts.
The Special Exhibition Room
The special Exhibition Room is located upstairs from the Cookworthy Room. The Cookworthy Museum has almost 20,000 objects , archives and images in its collection. This room enables the Museum to mount a changing exhibition from the collection illustrating aspects of local life.
The Crispin Room (Old Boys' Room)
This room is named after Thomas Crispin, the founder of the Grammar School. Here you will find the history of the school and of its pupils. Its varying fortunes are illustrated with photographs and trophies, uniforms and prizes.
Victorian Kitchen
The Victorian Kitchen was a hive of activity in the Grammar School days, preparing meals for up to 60 boarders as well as for the Headmaster's household. The huge cast iron range was made at the local foundry in Duke Street. The kitchen, with its farmhouse table and built-in dresser, is equipped with the tools and pots, dishes, moulds and cutlery necessary for a large Victorian establishment
Scullery and Shop
As in the old farmhouse the scullery has a slate floor, which helped keep it cool on a busy wash day. It would have been used to prepare all the vegetables for the school meals and to wash up afterwards. Cold water was pumped into the sink and heated in the copper, providing hot water for all scullery and kitchen tasks. Without the aid of detergents, soap and soda was used for all washing up and the plates left on the rack to dry.
The room is currently used as the museum shop
The Farm Gallery
The Farm Gallery is in the walled garden to the rear of the main building It contains a wide range of machinery and equipment used on farms, from heavy equipment such as a cider press to hand tools. The designs of equipment such as wagons (which were not used here until the 17th century) are influenced by the narrow lanes and steep hills of the South Hams, and were built in local engineering workshops. They also have facilities for repairing and restoring the machinery. The Farm Gallery was built in 1975
The Viewing GalleryThe Viewing Gallery is located on the ground floor near the building entrance. It provides a comfortable seated area with screening facilities for DVD. It normally shows the Museum virtual tour. This is intended for visitors with restricted mobility whom may not be able to undertake a full tour of the Museum.
The facilities were funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The Resource Centre
The Heritage Resource Centre is open Monday to Thursday 10.00 a.m. - 12 noon, Wednesdays 10.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m., and at other times by appointment.
Our volunteers will help you with your researches using our available records, including:
* Parish records for many local parishes, on microfiche
* Local newspapers from 1855 to date, on microfilm
* Library of local history books and trade directories
* Collection of maps including 6 inch Ordnance Survey maps, tithe maps and apportionments
* Database of heritage photographs, dating from as early as the 1870s
There is a Devon Record Office service point. Printing and photocopying of Local History databases and other resources. Scanned prints from the Musem's collections, both framed and unframed, are available to order.
There is a small charge per session, and for printing and copying. Friends of the Cookworthy Museum may use the facilities free of charge (except the microfilm reader/printer).
If you are researching anything historical within the South Hams, you really should call in and have a chat as you never know what you might discover.
Facilities:
* Toilets * Shop *Parking Available
For assistance with wheelchair access to the ground floor, viewing gallery, farm gallery and walled garden, please telephone the museum.
The museum is on the main road through the village Princetown, just past the main prison entrance, towards Tavistock.
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