Head back to school at Cranbrook Museum

AN EXHIBITION detailing the fascinating story behind one of the oldest schools in Kent has made a visit to Cranbrook Museum an absolute must this month.

The History of Cranbrook School features photographs stretching back to the 1860s, school uniforms through the ages and a textual summary of the school's highlights going back to its origins in the reign of King Henry VIII.

There is also a reproduction of the charter signed by Queen Elizabeth I on her visit in 1573, a full 55 years after John Blubery, yeoman to the King's Armoury, left a bequest for "a frescole howse for all the pour children of the towne".

The exhibition, which runs throughout the month of June, has been assembled by school archivist and former deputy headmaster Peter Allen.

Waterloo Road resident Mr Allen said the museum had been one of the borough's hidden treasures since it opened in 1973.

"It has a very stuffy image and not many people seem to know it is there," he said, "but just about every person who finds it, absolutely loves it. It is a bit of a gem."

The museum, in Carriers Road, attracts more than 2,000 visitors a year and is home to thousands of permanent exhibits relating to the town's history.

Highlights include a collection of stuffed, locally caught birds from the 19th Century, wartime artifacts and a carving of Old Father Time which adorned St Dunstan's Church from 1767 to 1922. A new feature for 2009 is a "virtual tour", which allows disabled visitors to view exhibits from the less accessible upper levels on a computer screen.

The collection is housed in a Grade Two Listed, 15th Century farmhouse, which is leased by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council to Cranbrook and District Local History Society for one shilling a year.

TWBC also provides a grant, which takes care of utility bills on the understanding volunteers take care of all maintenance work relating to the collection and the gardens.

Curator Rodney Dann said the council and the history society ran the institution in a "harmonious partnership" with a great deal of help from the team of 15 to 20 willing volunteers.

He said: "The council does a very good job keeping the outside well maintained but the history society basically runs it. However, we would be lost without the stewards and the volunteers. And we're always looking for more!"

Mr Dann added: "Our next exhibition will be inns, taverns and beerhouses past and present. I think people will be surprised how many drinking places there were in the town. It was around about 28 in the civil parish, which also takes in Sissinghurst. There are only five left now."

The History of Cranbrook School runs until June 30. Museum opens 2 to 4.30pm daily until the end of October (closed Sundays and Mondays). Admission: £2 adults, 50p children. For more information, phone 01580 712929 or visit www.cranbrookmuseum.org.