The History of the Museum

Origins

In 1934, Mr E.W.C. Charters, the chairman of a local charity known as the Dunwich Town trust, wrote to the East Anglian Daily Times announcing that a museum was to be founded in Dunwich and appealing to the public to donate objects of interest. Major E. Read Cooper, who was an authority on the history of Dunwich and a trustee of the Town Trust, was closely associated with the project. In 1935, the museum was opened in the Old Rocket Station, which had been made available by the owner of the Dunwich Estate, Captain Michael St John Barne. Mr Horace Green gave his services for some years as curator.

The Rocket Station Museum

The museum continued in the Rocket Station for over 30 years and in time, Mr Edwin J. Clark became the curator. After the Second World War, the Dunwich Estate was sold off in portions, and the ownership of the Old Rocket Station, the Reading Room Cottage, and the New Reading Room (the parish hall - formerly the billiards room) passed to the village. In 1952, this gift was confirmed by the founding of the Dunwich Reading Room and Museum Charity (known locally as the Lloyd Trust) which acquired the three buildings. The Dunwich Town Trust was the tenant of the Rocket Station and continued to run the museum.

In 1966 Mr Clark died and the museum was closed. The Town Trust and the Museum Charity were faced with the problem of deciding whether there could continue to be a museum in Dunwich.

The Museum in St James Street

In 1968, a report was prepared on the possible future of the museum. Before the end of the year it was boldly decided that the museum should be modernised and moved to the Reading Room Cottage in St James Street which had been empty for some years. By May 1969, the conversion of the cottage was well underway, financed by the Town Trust.

Costs however rose rapidly, presenting a serious problem. It became clear during 1970/71 that the expense of the project was going beyond the resources that the Town Trust could make available. The Museum Charity took charge of the project but the Town Trust generously continued to make grants. The Area Museum service helpfully organised the professional and technical assistance needed and made a grant towards the cost of designing and making the displays. The museum formally opened in 1972.

The success of this museum in the followed years owed much to the dedication of the late Dr O. G. Pickard, local historian and honorary curator and it continues to flourish under the care of the current staff, volunteers, trustees, and the village.

Dunwich Community Heritage Hub - The Way Forward

In 2023, the Dunwich Reading Room and Museum Charity transitioned to a new, membership based charity, the Dunwich Community Heritage Centre (DCHC). We are hoping to grow our membership base, and encourage you to concider joining for only £10 a year.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded the new charity a grant to support it in an ongoing project to update and improve the Reading Room space. With the project, the DCHC is working with the community to create a more inviting, sustainable, flexable, and functional space for residents, events, exhibitions, learning, and admin.

The Way Forward has allowed us to digitize a rich collection of old glass plates and film with previously unseen images and conserve some of our most fragile watercolour landscapes. Our current exhibiton is on pilgirimage, featuring a vary rare camel badge found in Dunwich and on loan from Moyse Hall and number of ampullae and other badges. We are undertaking a program of pilgrimage inpired activities as well as a wide variety of other activities and will continue to expand our program throughout the project and coming years.