Taking place in September each year, Heritage Open Days is England’s largest community led festival of history and culture, offering free access to heritage events and activities.
This year, to celebrate our Arts Council England Unlocking Collections Grant funded project we held a special Shippam’s Open Day. Our dedicated Shippam’s project volunteers welcomed visitors to the museum to learn about the iconic Shippam’s company and its impact on the local area.
The open day featured a fascinating display of objects from Shippam’s history, including a collar box, ration books, a vintage telephone, and magazines. These artefacts helped illustrate how Shippam’s evolved over the years to adapt to changing times.
Also on display were commemorative stoneware paste jars, and original tiles from the Shippam’s shop on South Street. Many shared personal memories of the factory and shop, reminiscing about the days when Shippam’s pastes were a household staple.
Volunteers also explained postcards that depicted Shippam’s production process, giving a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse into the factory where the famous pastes were made.
As well as examining objects from times gone by, visitors were also given a look into the ongoing project work within the museum. They observed the cataloguing, repacking, and digitization of Shippam’s historical archive materials. Original archive material was carefully scanned and added to the museum’s database (MODES), while objects were repacked in archival-grade materials. This process enhances the accuracy of the archive, preserving the story of Shippam’s for future generations. The volunteers working on this are doing crucial work in developing the archive.
A big thank you goes out to all who attended our Heritage Open Day, and especially to our volunteers who gave their time.
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