The Court Barn Museum focuses on nine people who worked in Chipping Campden and the north Cotswolds during the 20th century and dedicated their lives to the arts and crafts movement. It also celebrates the richness of craftmaking still thriving in the region today.
The museum, which opened in July, tells the story of how artists, designers and craftspeople escaped industrial cities that were churning out mass-produced goods, for the inspiration provided by the architecture and landscapes of the Cotswolds. The individuals featured in the exhibition had turned away from industrialisation and opted for simpler ways of designing, thereby epitomising the spirit of the arts and crafts movement.
Object rich
The exhibition layout is simple, made up of graphics detailing the life of the craftspeople next to showcases of their work. The items on display appear to have been selected for their relevance and familiarity to visitors.
For example, the Robert Welch silversmith display includes attractive, yet functional, cutlery, teapots and a toast-holder. The Katharine Adams bookbinding exhibit includes illustrations of cats and dogs playing musical instruments, demonstrating the quality of her work.
The storyline is continued into the present, with displays about artisans working in the area today. These displays are updatable, which enables the museum to showcase the breadth and diversity of modern crafts, while ensuring there is something new for repeat visitors.
While changing displays are an excellent idea, it is easy to underestimate the time and money needed to source new material and create new displays. Hopefully, the large number of designers/makers to be tapped in the area will ensure this doesn't happen at Court Barn.
The exhibition does not use interactivity as one of the main interpretation tools, but there are two identical touchscreen units hosting a huge amount of information. Visitors can sit while they navigate through the content via various computerised search fields. So, if there is a specific person, object, type of craft or time in history you are interested in, then you can quickly find it.
The content is illustrated by historic photographs and audiovisual clips of people in contemporary workshops. The museum should consider making this resource available on its website.
The museum balances the social history narrative about the consequences to craftspeople (and their businesses) of the move from cities to the countryside during the last century, with celebrating the skills and creativity that were borne from it. It is as much a social history museum as an arts and crafts museum, which will likely interest a wider audience.
Court Barn brings relevant social issues to date by asking how we are adapting to a post-industrial revolution society. Among the questions posed are how industrial cities such as Birmingham and Manchester reinvent themselves, and what will the balance of hand/machine production become and what impact this will have. The museum doesn't answer these questions or damn machinery to "sell" the handmade, but it does encourage visitors to think.
Although the museum is sophisticated in design, it is also friendly. The curator works front of house and makes himself available to visitors, which is a great asset for the museum. Children's learning has been considered from the outset. There is a small activity booth midway through the museum that is stuffed with activity bags containing puzzles and games relating to arts and crafts.
There is a dual-purpose education space and temporary exhibition area that can be left open or shuttered off according to need. In this space, schools participate in arts and crafts workshops, and pupils can use handling boxes relating to Winchcombe Pottery, Ashbee's Guild of Handicrafts, Robert Welsh's silversmith designs and a Court Barn Museum box, which explores how you go about setting up a museum.
The first temporary exhibition, Ruralicity, was created by Sarah Crawford and featured her jewellery, which is made from things most people throw away. The exhibition is in keeping with the museum's objective to encourage talent and imagination in handicraft, although it is unclear how the museum intends to balance aspirations for temporary exhibitions with an education service in the small space available.
Strong local support
Court Barn itself was built in the late 17th century and remained part of a farm until the early 20th century. It is one of a collection of dwellings that was built to support the parish of the nearby St James' church.
The idea for the museum was born from an event in Chipping Campden in 1988 to celebrate the centenary of Charles Robert Ashbee's Guild of Handicrafts, which moved from London to Chipping Campden in 1902, sparking the arts and crafts movement. The huge success of this event helped to convinced a group of local people that a permanent tribute was needed and they established the Guild of Handicrafts Trust to take the idea forward.
Support for the idea was strong and the Heritage Lottery Fund provided two-thirds of the £1.3m funding. The match funding was provided by various trusts, foundations and individuals, many of which felt some affiliation with the project.
The Landmark Trust, which had bought Court Barn to save it from development, donated it to the Guild of Handicrafts Trust to house the museum. The challenge for the guild was to commission a design sympathetic to the barn's architecture that could be completely reversible. It employed local conservation architect Reg Ellis to achieve this.
Although the journey to Chipping Campden is not an easy one, it is a pleasant one, and the museum is worth a visit if you are in the area. Visitors should be inspired to explore the region's arts and crafts connections, and will have a greater insight into the area where the movement began.
Vicky Brightman is the head of learning at the Horniman Museum in London
Project data
Cost: £1.3m
Main funder: Heritage Lottery Fund
Museum consultant: Steph Gillett
Architect: Reg Ellis + Associates
Main contractor: Pyments of Camden
Exhibition design: Gareth Hoskins Architects
Graphic design: Sue Haigh
Exhibition fabricator: Blueprint
IT: System Simulation, Art of Memory
The museum, which opened in July, tells the story of how artists, designers and craftspeople escaped industrial cities that were churning out mass-produced goods, for the inspiration provided by the architecture and landscapes of the Cotswolds. The individuals featured in the exhibition had turned away from industrialisation and opted for simpler ways of designing, thereby epitomising the spirit of the arts and crafts movement.
Object rich
The exhibition layout is simple, made up of graphics detailing the life of the craftspeople next to showcases of their work. The items on display appear to have been selected for their relevance and familiarity to visitors.
For example, the Robert Welch silversmith display includes attractive, yet functional, cutlery, teapots and a toast-holder. The Katharine Adams bookbinding exhibit includes illustrations of cats and dogs playing musical instruments, demonstrating the quality of her work.
The storyline is continued into the present, with displays about artisans working in the area today. These displays are updatable, which enables the museum to showcase the breadth and diversity of modern crafts, while ensuring there is something new for repeat visitors.
While changing displays are an excellent idea, it is easy to underestimate the time and money needed to source new material and create new displays. Hopefully, the large number of designers/makers to be tapped in the area will ensure this doesn't happen at Court Barn.
The exhibition does not use interactivity as one of the main interpretation tools, but there are two identical touchscreen units hosting a huge amount of information. Visitors can sit while they navigate through the content via various computerised search fields. So, if there is a specific person, object, type of craft or time in history you are interested in, then you can quickly find it.
The content is illustrated by historic photographs and audiovisual clips of people in contemporary workshops. The museum should consider making this resource available on its website.
The museum balances the social history narrative about the consequences to craftspeople (and their businesses) of the move from cities to the countryside during the last century, with celebrating the skills and creativity that were borne from it. It is as much a social history museum as an arts and crafts museum, which will likely interest a wider audience.
Court Barn brings relevant social issues to date by asking how we are adapting to a post-industrial revolution society. Among the questions posed are how industrial cities such as Birmingham and Manchester reinvent themselves, and what will the balance of hand/machine production become and what impact this will have. The museum doesn't answer these questions or damn machinery to "sell" the handmade, but it does encourage visitors to think.
Although the museum is sophisticated in design, it is also friendly. The curator works front of house and makes himself available to visitors, which is a great asset for the museum. Children's learning has been considered from the outset. There is a small activity booth midway through the museum that is stuffed with activity bags containing puzzles and games relating to arts and crafts.
There is a dual-purpose education space and temporary exhibition area that can be left open or shuttered off according to need. In this space, schools participate in arts and crafts workshops, and pupils can use handling boxes relating to Winchcombe Pottery, Ashbee's Guild of Handicrafts, Robert Welsh's silversmith designs and a Court Barn Museum box, which explores how you go about setting up a museum.
The first temporary exhibition, Ruralicity, was created by Sarah Crawford and featured her jewellery, which is made from things most people throw away. The exhibition is in keeping with the museum's objective to encourage talent and imagination in handicraft, although it is unclear how the museum intends to balance aspirations for temporary exhibitions with an education service in the small space available.
Strong local support
Court Barn itself was built in the late 17th century and remained part of a farm until the early 20th century. It is one of a collection of dwellings that was built to support the parish of the nearby St James' church.
The idea for the museum was born from an event in Chipping Campden in 1988 to celebrate the centenary of Charles Robert Ashbee's Guild of Handicrafts, which moved from London to Chipping Campden in 1902, sparking the arts and crafts movement. The huge success of this event helped to convinced a group of local people that a permanent tribute was needed and they established the Guild of Handicrafts Trust to take the idea forward.
Support for the idea was strong and the Heritage Lottery Fund provided two-thirds of the £1.3m funding. The match funding was provided by various trusts, foundations and individuals, many of which felt some affiliation with the project.
The Landmark Trust, which had bought Court Barn to save it from development, donated it to the Guild of Handicrafts Trust to house the museum. The challenge for the guild was to commission a design sympathetic to the barn's architecture that could be completely reversible. It employed local conservation architect Reg Ellis to achieve this.
Although the journey to Chipping Campden is not an easy one, it is a pleasant one, and the museum is worth a visit if you are in the area. Visitors should be inspired to explore the region's arts and crafts connections, and will have a greater insight into the area where the movement began.
Vicky Brightman is the head of learning at the Horniman Museum in London
Project data
Cost: £1.3m
Main funder: Heritage Lottery Fund
Museum consultant: Steph Gillett
Architect: Reg Ellis + Associates
Main contractor: Pyments of Camden
Exhibition design: Gareth Hoskins Architects
Graphic design: Sue Haigh
Exhibition fabricator: Blueprint
IT: System Simulation, Art of Memory
