Fantabulous Felixstowe Museum is now closed for the winter
After a busy and successful season, the museum doors are now closed to the general public while we work behind the scenes to develop new displays for next year as well as catching up with essential museum work and maintenance.
The office continues to be open four days a week for enquiries and research. Contact us by email or phone.
Our evening talks evenings (held in conjunction with the Felixstowe Family History Society) are generally being held at our normal venue, Broadway House in Orwell Rd, Felixstowe, meeting on the second Wednesday of the month. Be sure to check the details below as some may be offered by Zoom.
All welcome.
(to be reviewed February 2022)
Jul
28
Wed
FELIXSTOWE MUSEUM’S FANTASTIC BRICK OLYMPICS
Join in the fun, with the quiz trail around Felixstowe Museum.
Search for the brick athletes inside the museum, solve the clues and get a yummy reward.
NO NEED TO BOOK – just turn up.
Runs until the end of October.
Children £2.00 (includes admission) Adults £3.00.
Great fun on a wet day!
Sep
8
Wed
Mark Mitchels will speak on ‘The Lost City of Dunwich’
No one can stand on the cliffs of Dunwich and not wonder about the city which is now more than a mile out below the North Sea. At the time of Domesday Book Dunwich was spoken of as the tenth largest city in England. Since it began to crumble and fall into the waves, the Lost City has engrossed both historians and visitors. This talk describes the story of a city as fascinating and elusive as El Dorado – and just as exciting. The rise and fall of any human creation speaks to all of us in a common language, because it calls upon our shared fears, but the decline of Dunwich assumes an almost Biblical dimension in that it truly demonstrates that Pride does indeed come before a Fall. And still the North Sea advances, grasping the retreating land.
All welcome. Doors open at 7pm
Sep
11
Sat
Free guided tour of the Ravelin Block (which now houses Felixstowe Museum) which was completed by the Royal Engineers in 1878 as part of the Submarine Mining Establishment (SME) at Felixstowe. Starting outside, the tour will follow the route of the narrow gauge trolleyway through the building where mines were prepared and tested including a behind the scenes look at the rooms such as the Smith’s Shop not normally open to museum visitors. We will then trace the track to the remains of the riverside mining jetty where the mines would be loaded onto the steam launch ‘Nellie’ to be laid across the river mouth, exploring the various surviving features as we go.
The Shop and Café will be open, but only the museum exhibition rooms required for the tour will be open to facilitate access to behind-the-scenes areas.
Duration of tour: 30-45 mins
Oct
13
Wed
John Field will speak on ‘The Treasures of Ipswich’
This is a new talk which illustrates Ipswich’s wide range of buildings and features of great architectural and historic importance. These include the town’s Mediaeval Churches, Mansions and Halls, its important legacy of Victorian buildings, Nationally and Locally Listed Buildings and the many features and artefacts of local, national (and some of International) importance. The talk explores the breadth of Ipswich’s rich history over many centuries through its architectural heritage and aims to create greater public awareness of this legacy in the local area and elsewhere.
All welcome. Doors open at 7pm
Oct
24
Sun
Halloween fun for children at a very spooky Felixstowe Museum.
Search for the witches’ ingredients for potion making and track down those Mangy Moggies. Solve the clues and get a yummy reward.
NO NEED TO BOOK – just turn up. Spooky fancy dress encouraged!
Runs on Sunday 24th October, half-term Wednesday 27th and on Halloween itself.
Children £2.00 (includes admission) Adults £3.00
Oct
27
Wed
Halloween fun for children at a very spooky Felixstowe Museum.
Search for the witches’ ingredients for potion making and track down those Mangy Moggies. Solve the clues and get a yummy reward.
NO NEED TO BOOK – just turn up. Spooky fancy dress encouraged!
Runs on Sunday 24th October, half-term Wednesday 27th and on Halloween itself.
Children £2.00 (includes admission) Adults £3.00
Oct
31
Sun
Halloween fun for children at a very spooky Felixstowe Museum.
Search for the witches’ ingredients for potion making and track down those Mangy Moggies. Solve the clues and get a yummy reward.
NO NEED TO BOOK – just turn up. Spooky fancy dress encouraged!
Runs on Sunday 24th October, half-term Wednesday 27th and on Halloween itself.
Children £2.00 (includes admission) Adults £3.00
Nov
10
Wed
Mark Bathurst will speak on ‘The Medway Queen – the heroine of Dunkirk’
Paddle Steamer Medway Queen was built in Scotland in 1924, for the New Medway Steam Packet Company of Rochester. The Medway Queen is the last of the estuary paddle steamers that were built to take passengers on day trips on the Thames and Medway Estuaries, calling at locations such as Southend, Herne Bay and Margate. At the outbreak of the Second World War she was commissioned into the Royal Navy and became a minesweeper, joining the 10th minesweeping flotilla, but she was so much more . . .
All welcome. Doors open at 7pm.
Dec
8
Wed
Charlie Haylock will give us his new talk ‘Charlie and The Dig’
This is a talk about his experience of coaching the actors in the nuances of the Suffolk dialect during the making of the recently released film on Netflix.
Bookings are required for this talk. Email fxfhs@hotmail.com with the subject line ‘Charlie Haylock – talk’. Please email as soon as possible as we’ve already had a good response. (updated 17 Nov)
Doors open at 7pm. Come early as Mr Haylock is a very popular speaker!
Jan
12
Wed
Gill Blanchard – behind the scenes at ‘Who do you think you are?’
In this talk, Gill relates her experiences of working on this popular programme. She will focus on her research for and appearances on the Jonnie Peacock and Mary Berry episodes.
All welcome. Zoom meeting – 7 for 7.30pm
To attend: email fxfhs@hotmail.com with “Gill Blanchard talk” in the subject line. You will be sent details of the Zoom meeting and password in due course.