Where
Presteigne, Mid-Wales. “It’s a tiny border town. Another 20 yards and we’d be in England,” says Gabrielle Rivers, the senior curator at the Judge’s Lodgings.
What
“We are exactly what we say we are – a judge’s lodgings,” says Rivers. “The building is an 1820s shire hall with accommodation for the judge (who was in residence for a fortnight each year), kitchens, and servants’ quarters, plus a large assize court (the former periodic criminal courts) and four holding cells.”
Opened
1997. “It took us three years to restore the building to its 1860s heyday when it had a major refurbishment,” says Rivers. “We ripped out the electric lighting and installed gas and oil lamps.”
Collection
“Much of the collection is the building itself,” says Rivers. “It’s a stately home in miniature.” A lot of what the museum shows were everyday Victorian items that were stored in the attic.
The lodgings also holds Presteigne’s local collection and there are a few loans from the Museum of Welsh Life. Small acquisitions include articles such as candlesticks, which are used in room decoration.
Help at hand
Rivers and her assistant have both been at the lodgings for 13 years and are the only full-time staff. Three part-timers work during high season. “We have a very strange range of skills,” she says. “Including Victorian jelly-making.”
Budget
“Like most small museums, we survive by the skin of our teeth,” says Rivers. The museum gets a small amount of money from Powys County Council, which owns the building (the museum is run by a charitable trust); other income comes from the shop, ticket sales (admission is £5.95 for adults) and hiring it out. “You can get married in the dock,” says Rivers. “Two local police officers did that.”
Visitors
15,000 in 2009.
Highlights
Many visitors come to see the gravestone of Mary Morgan, a teenager hanged by the infamous Justice Hardinge for infanticide in 1805. “The stone, paid for by a friend of Hardinge, is a sanctimonious approval of the sentence,” Rivers says.
Sticky moment
“A class of primary-school pupils visited the court for a game of hunt the thimble. They were fascinated by something in the corner of the room that they thought was a bracelet. It turned out to be a young snake. We had to get the children out quite quickly. The RSPCA identified the reptile as an American corn snake, which had escaped from somewhere in town.”
Survival tip
“Get a cat. We have one, Arthur, whom people write letters to,” says Rivers. “On a more serious note, you should always be enthusiastic about your museum. We like to have a laugh – that’s essential when dealing with the Victorians.”
Current projects
The museum has grant applications to develop exhibition rooms and new spaces for temporary shows. Its new website will be up and running this month.
www.judgeslodging.org.uk
Presteigne, Mid-Wales. “It’s a tiny border town. Another 20 yards and we’d be in England,” says Gabrielle Rivers, the senior curator at the Judge’s Lodgings.
What
“We are exactly what we say we are – a judge’s lodgings,” says Rivers. “The building is an 1820s shire hall with accommodation for the judge (who was in residence for a fortnight each year), kitchens, and servants’ quarters, plus a large assize court (the former periodic criminal courts) and four holding cells.”
Opened
1997. “It took us three years to restore the building to its 1860s heyday when it had a major refurbishment,” says Rivers. “We ripped out the electric lighting and installed gas and oil lamps.”
Collection
“Much of the collection is the building itself,” says Rivers. “It’s a stately home in miniature.” A lot of what the museum shows were everyday Victorian items that were stored in the attic.
The lodgings also holds Presteigne’s local collection and there are a few loans from the Museum of Welsh Life. Small acquisitions include articles such as candlesticks, which are used in room decoration.
Help at hand
Rivers and her assistant have both been at the lodgings for 13 years and are the only full-time staff. Three part-timers work during high season. “We have a very strange range of skills,” she says. “Including Victorian jelly-making.”
Budget
“Like most small museums, we survive by the skin of our teeth,” says Rivers. The museum gets a small amount of money from Powys County Council, which owns the building (the museum is run by a charitable trust); other income comes from the shop, ticket sales (admission is £5.95 for adults) and hiring it out. “You can get married in the dock,” says Rivers. “Two local police officers did that.”
Visitors
15,000 in 2009.
Highlights
Many visitors come to see the gravestone of Mary Morgan, a teenager hanged by the infamous Justice Hardinge for infanticide in 1805. “The stone, paid for by a friend of Hardinge, is a sanctimonious approval of the sentence,” Rivers says.
Sticky moment
“A class of primary-school pupils visited the court for a game of hunt the thimble. They were fascinated by something in the corner of the room that they thought was a bracelet. It turned out to be a young snake. We had to get the children out quite quickly. The RSPCA identified the reptile as an American corn snake, which had escaped from somewhere in town.”
Survival tip
“Get a cat. We have one, Arthur, whom people write letters to,” says Rivers. “On a more serious note, you should always be enthusiastic about your museum. We like to have a laugh – that’s essential when dealing with the Victorians.”
Current projects
The museum has grant applications to develop exhibition rooms and new spaces for temporary shows. Its new website will be up and running this month.
www.judgeslodging.org.uk