In August 2010, The John Moore Countryside Museum was awarded just under £35,000 towards the implementation of a brand new, multi media interpretation project in the Merchant’s House. The aim of the project was to explore the history of this unique row of 15th century timber framed buildings, originally thought to have been built as a property speculation by the monks of Tewkesbury Abbey.
Speaking at the time, curator Simon Lawton said, ‘We have known for a long time that the Merchant’s House has the potential to be much more than a beautifully restored listed building. We are delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has enabled us to capture the experience of living in the row both in Tudor times and, more importantly, today, leaving an important legacy for the next generation.’
An existing archive of newspaper cuttings owned by the Abbey Lawn Trust revealed that the row had a chequered history, having been threatened with demolition on a number of occasions to make way for new car parks and superstores. The most recent of these threats came in the 1960s when the houses were still largely residential and commercial properties. It was in this decade that the cottages were acquired by the Abbey Lawn Trust, a group comprising of a number of local landowners, all of whom were keen to preserve these unique buildings for generations to come. Thankfully after tireless campaigning and fundraising efforts, the trust succeeded to preventing the demolition and began the process of restoring the properties.
When the HLF project first began we invited visitors to contribute their own memories and reminiscences for our records and were overwhelmed by the number of former residents who came forward. Their childhood memories have been captured as part of the project and now form part of our new oral history archive which will soon be available to access on our website. Our team of dedicated volunteers have to date uncovered census returns dating all the way back to the 1800’s detailing the names and occupations of the cottages residents. Thanks to the help the the Local History Society and Gloucestershire Archives we are confident that we can go back even further than this when we resume our research in September. One day we may even discover the names of some the properties’ original residents!
We owe tremendous thanks to the numerous talented local craftsmen and women who have furnished the house with such historical accuracy, and also to our re-enactors who have captured the imaginations of so many visitors on many occasions. You can now listen to recollections of some of these ‘Tudor’ characters on our new audio guides and delve into our character boxes to uncover and handle some of their belongings.
Don’t just take our word for it! Join us to discover all of the exciting new features that we have to offer and explore our fully furnished Tudor Merchant’s House and Shop. With a number of events scheduled to take place throughout the coming months and the museum open from 10am to 5pm daily, this is one attraction that you don’t want to miss.
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