The Wirksworth Heritage Centre shop will now sell work by local craftworkers Suzannah Doxey and Katie Brooks.

Suzannah produces unique hand-painted glass pieces such as vases and glasses. All are reasonably priced with most items costing under £10. Suzannah also works on commission producing one off pieces for weddings and special ceremonies.

Kaite produces beautiful, individual silver jewellerey. Prices start at around £25.

"We are delighted to welcome these local craftmakers to the shop. Both artists have exhibited at the Wirksworth Festival and produce exquisite pieces - perfect for an affordable and unique gift."

Children from Wirksworth Junior School spent the day dressed up as lead miners and mine owners as part of an exciting education project to explore the past. 

The project was developed by Wirksworth Heritage Centre who worked with teachers to attract funding from the national Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. Children were encouraged to use their imagination with a dressing up and drama workshop, guided history trail around the town, visit and worksheet activity at the Heritage Centre and school session getting ‘up close and personal’ with the Centre’s museum objects. Children also used a digital camera and video and to record their experiences and developed a web page to document the project.

“It was really fun making the website taking pictures, videos and designing and typing up the website. When we went to Heritage Centre we learnt things about Wirksworth that we did not know before.”

The project has enabled the Heritage Centre to develop a new education package for schools with the emphasis on interaction, learning and fun. Please email enquiries@storyofwirksworth.co.uk for further details.

         

Wirksworth Heritage Centre, Derbyshire, has secured £6,000 in funding grants to restore a group of eighteenth century clothes belonging to the Wirksworth Gell family, and a large silk banner paraded through the town for Queen Victoria’s Jubilee celebrations (1897) by a mysterious Wirksworth society, the ‘Forget-Me-Not Lodge’.

 “All the objects have a strong and unique local connection to Wirksworth” notes Marketing Manager Rosa Straw “and as a local community museum we felt they should be repaired and seen. The banner has never been on public view before because of its condition, so it is a real coup for us and our visitors to be able to display it.

It’s an exciting piece and although we have other objects connected to the Forget-Me-Not Lodge we know little about it, other than it was established in 1840, was active in Wirksworth as part of the Friendly Society movement, and was a branch of what was (and still is) known as the ‘Oddfellows’. If anyone can tell us any more about the Lodge, the Oddfellows or the Friendly Societies we’d be very interested. We are aiming to publish further research on the banner in the future and will keep visitors updated.”

All items are on permanent display in the Heritage Centre, Wirksworth. For further information and to be kept up to date on the banner research please email enquiries@storyofwirksworth.co.uk.