News

We have two new very interesting additions to our galleries this year.

Following the closure of the Railway & Transport Museum, the Bishop's Castle Railway Society has created an extensive display upstairs in our museum illustrating the colourful history of this enterprise. See "The Railway to Bishop's Castle" by Peter Broxholme.

We also have a new selection of long case clocks made by Bishop's Castle clock makers  together with information about this trade in the town spanning 1700 to 1850. These have been loaned to us by Chris Robinson, author of the book "Bishop's Castle Clocks & Clockmakers".

Both books mentioned above are published in our Insight Guide series, available in the Museum and at BCHRC, The Town Hall and Yarborough Book Shop together with:-

Bishop's Castle Town Hall by Patricia Theobald

A Tudor Home by Madg Moran & Patricia Theobald

The Lost Pubs of Bishop's Castle by Richard Moulson

House on Crutches Museum & BCHRC opening 2016

Easter is especially early this year and this means that there will be a variation to the House on Crutches Museum opening arrangements this season.  As usual, the initial opening will happen over the Easter weekend, with afternoon sessions 2pm - 5pm on Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Sunday and Monday: 25th to 28th March inclusive.  Admission FREE

After Easter the Museum will open from 30th April until 17th September, from 2pm - 5pm every Saturday and Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday. Admission FREE

Visitors to the museum will be able to find out about many aspects of community life and agriculture in Bishop's Castle and South West Shropshire through displays of local artefacts and memorabilia, mostly from the 19th and early 20th centuries, alongside displays about the distinctive economic and political history of this unique border town. The museum trust is planning to add a special new artefact this year. We hope you’ll have time to seek it out....

If you can’t make our set opening hours we offer guided tours at a time to suit you – just contact the staff at the nearby Town Hall – email info@bishopscastletownhall.co.uk or telephone 01588 630 023. Leave your contact and request details and we will get back to you to make arrangements. A small charge is made for such tours (£5 – £10) depending on numbers.

At Bishop's Castle Heritage Resource Centre (BCHRC) in Chapel Yard we hold a regular Local History Centre open session on Saturday mornings from 10.30am - 1pm, when volunteers are on hand to help with family and local history enquiries, as well as selling a range of Bishop's Castle souvenirs such as fridge magnets, book marks and notelets, all with unique local images.

Local History Centre in Bishop’s Castle, Christmas and New Year closing

The Local History Centre at Bishop's Castle Heritage Resource Centre will be closed for Christmas and the New Year, with the volunteers who run the Centre taking a break on Saturday 22^nd December and 29^th December.  Budding local family historians will be able to visit the Centre in Chapel Yard on Saturday mornings from 10.30am to 1pm from Saturday 5^th January to look at parish registers, census returns, field name maps and other resources, helped by the Centre’s enthusiastic volunteers.

or more info please leave a message on 01588 630556

Strawson: an illustrated talk on local photographers

Bishop's Castle Heritage Resource Centre’s popular Talks in the Town Hall are returning on Wednesday 4^th April for a one-off talk by David Evans on the local photographer Madge Strawson.  Her postcards are still sometimes found locally, and David will talk about Madge and her father, whose business was based at the town’s Yarborough House.  

The talk will start at 7.30pm and costs £3, with a reduction to £2 for Affiliates and Volunteers at the Centre.