The Flintham Museum, Nottinghamshire, looks at rural life through the eyes of a village shopkeeper. Shopping before supermarkets is a fascinating subject in its own right. But, the story of how a chance conversation developed into a community project which led to the opening of the museum is equally interesting.
About the museum
The Flintham Museum looks at rural life through the eyes of a village shopkeeper. The museum opened in 1999 and it is owned and run by volunteers. Now that Covid restrictions have been lifted, we are enjoying welcoming visitors again. Email for an appointment on a day and at a time to suit you and the volunteer curator.
Changes at the Museum
The museum volunteers reckoned that the pandemic was an opportunity to reflect on everything we have achieved since 1999, and then to rethink what we do and how we do it so that we remain relevant and able to reach new audiences. Consequently, there will be two Flintham museums - a physical museum and a digital museum.
The physical museum will be open by appointment. You can make an appointment for any day and time to suit you and the volunteer curator. The regular Sunday afternoon openings have been abandoned, although if you want to make an appointment for a Sunday afternoon that's fine. The number in your group may be subject to any Coronavirus guidelines in place at the time of your intended visit. There will be a charge of £5 per person, with children under 16 free of charge, but the visit will include more than the museum. Subject to the weather you will be able to enjoy a conducted walk to see where the village shop used to be, and visit a rare mud dovecote hidden away in a back garden. There will also be outside activities available in the meadow at the side of the museum. If you would like to arrange a visit, please send an email to the museum.
Projects
In 2003, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), through the Local Heritage Initiative (LHI) awarded a grant to the Flintham Society to research education in Flintham over the centuries.
The Flintham Society, an educational charity, was founded in 1991 with two aims: the first was to open and manage a museum which looks at rural life thorough the eyes of a village shopkeeper; and the second is to research and provide 'educational' activities and events for local residents.