THE MUSEUM IS OPEN
Despite the work that is going on at the Shambles Public House, the museum IS OPEN! Just walk to the left of the workmen’s fencing, and you can access the museum as normal.
Welcome to Lutterworth and District Museum!
OUR OPENING HOURS ARE THURSDAY TO SUNDAY, 10AM TO 3PM.
We will be closed on Sunday 19th March (Mothers Day), and Sunday 9th April (Easter Sunday). We will also be closed over the Coronation Weekend on Saturday May 6th, and Sunday May 7th.
THE WORKING MODEL OF LUTTERWORTH RAILWAY STATION
We are pleased to announce that the refurbishment of the model railway is now complete, and the trains are running. The departure schedule is very much up to you – just come along and press the button!!
LUTTERWORTH CHARACTERS
Our central display area now has a wall display about Lutterworth Characters. Some you may have heard of, others you possibly haven’t. So, if you want to know the stories of Pleasance Pendred, Eliane Plewman, James Green, William Green and a few more, come along and have a look – you may be surprised at the heroes and characters that our small town has produced!
We are currently working on the first “re-fresh” of the museum displays.
We want the museum to tell the story of Lutterworth – not just the great inventions or the world changing work that was done in our town – but how Lutterworth started and got to where it is today. Of course, we will mention the invention of the jet engine and the translation of the bible (!), but there is so much more to know.
The key “pillars” of the museum display will obviously remain, after all you can’t change history, and engines that weigh around a ton aren’t easy to move!! However, we are extending our research and are looking to bring you displays that will open your eyes about the history of the town, along with the people in it.
So, look out for our website and social media announcements, along with posters around the town. Meanwhile…….
CURRENT FEATURES…..
- Walk through the history of Lutterworth by following a time line
- View exhibits ranging from Roman times to the present day
- Consider Lutterworth’s history put in to context
- See the working model of Lutterworth Railway Station
- Characters of Lutterworth – we had some real heroes!
- See the famous Merlin and Whittle engines in a newly interpreted display
- Learn from video and audio presentations which will hopefully enliven your experience
- Experience key timeline exhibits that will always be there, and other exhibits that we will rotate over time to keep the visitor experience as fresh as possible
- And then come back later as on going development of the displays, which will involve more and more research, brings more of our history to light
Remember, if you want to add your name to our growing list of volunteers to become involved with the project, please let us know!
We are an independent museum, staffed & run entirely by volunteers. Our aim is to collect and preserve the documents & artefacts which chart the history of Lutterworth & its surrounding network of villages from earliest times to the present day.
We’re located at our new site at “High Point”, immediately to the left of the Shambles pub, and we hope to re-open our doors to visitors for a “taster” session at the end of August 2022, with full opening hopefully at the end of September. Contact us to find out more.
We are one out of only 51 Independent Museums in the East Midlands who have achieved FULL Accreditation.
Contact UsUnique Archive of Sir Frank Whittle Memorabilia
Amongst our collection is a unique archive of memorabilia of Sir Frank Whittle, Power Jets and the early history of the jet engine. Pride of place goes to the “cut away” example of the Whittle W2 700 jet engine which has been kindly loaned to us by Leicestershire Museums, and which allows visitors to see the internal workings of the engine. This version of the engine was the model that powered the Gloster Meteor in which Sir Frank took his first jet powered flight. The museum also holds a copy of the original patent for the concept of the jet engine, registered by Sir Frank in 1930, and which was later developed by Power Jets who were based at the Ladywood Works in Lutterworth from 1938 – 1944. We also have a copy of the American patent from the 1940’s.
The first successful flight took place on May 15th 1941, from Cranwell in Lincolnshire. Sir Frank telegraphed his team of engineers at their offices in Brownsover Hall, Rugby, to tell them of its success. The team opened a precious bottle of champagne to celebrate, and each of them signed the label on the bottle. That bottle is displayed in our museum adjacent to the engine.
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