Thursday 15 January 2015

Kelham Island Museum













We went to Kelham Island Museum last Sunday. After Saturday's
stormy weather it was nice to be out and about again and see
some blue skies and sunshine. It was too cold to be outdoors though,
so we decided a visit to a local museum was just the thing to do.

The museum, which stands on a man-made island built along the
River Don 900 years ago, tells us about Sheffield's rich industrial history.
There are exhibits on steel and steel making, trade and manufacturing,
and the working and living conditions of those who worked here,
particularly during the Industrial Revolution. One section of the museum
houses a huge collection of tools and there's a transport gallery
with brilliant examples of locally made cars, motorcycles and bicycles.
 I liked the glass cases full of  handmade tools and cutlery and
 the mock Victorian street lined with tradesmen's shops.
 Markie wanted to see things from Victorian times and she liked this
little street too. The museum's centrepiece is the River Don Engine,
the most powerful steam engine in Europe. The fifth photo from the top shows only a part of it. We saw it in action and not only is it massive,
 it's very noisy and quite scary too, but very impressive.

I really liked this museum. My husband and I enjoyed ourselves and found it all very interesting and fascinating. I also like that they have
hands on displays for kids throughout all the exhibits and there's
a soft play area for them too.  Markie was curious and eager to learn
and that was lovely to see. Lulu was just happy that GrandDad came along and she got to spend time with him. Overall it was a good
family day out. A museum visit was definitely the thing to do on
 this Sunday.


8 comments:

  1. What a great little outing! I never think to visit a local museum on these cold days we have here. Thanks for the fantastic idea!

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  2. How wonderful! Museums are so great for cold winter outings, and having a GrandDad along just makes it even better. I adore your girls' red shoes!!

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  3. Hi Marion, the museum sounds a great place to visit, it's good to get out somewhere and not get too cold. I really don't know Sheffield at all well, so I'll bookmark Kelham Island in my Days Out folder! I love the reproduction of the Victorian street and it was good that they had hands-on exhibits for the children. Wishing you a lovely, cosy weekend xx

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  4. Love local museums. Great set of photos. The Made in Sheffield sign is brilliant. I'll put this museum on my list of places to visit. Although it's a long way from me, you never know. I'm enjoying your blog and I've put you on my reading list, so will be back.

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  5. Hello Marion, What a brilliant idea to visit a museum on a raining and cold day. I love musuems and this one sounds to be a gem, it reminds me so much of Beamish.

    luv
    irene
    xxxx

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  6. This museum sounds fascinating! It's just my kind of thing. I can see why you liked it so much. Thanks for sharing.

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  7. It sounds fascinating and looks really interesting too, lots to see for Dads and sons and Mums and daughters alike by the look of it! xx

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  8. Sounds like you had a very successful day out, and everyone was happy. I love to visit these museums with the old engines, all shiny and brightly painted and dark grease on cogs. And I love the photo of all those wooden handles, today's plastic is certainly charmless in comparison.
    This museum is just near where my son lives, in fact at Christmas his brass band plays here when they have a Christmas market, he says it has a great atmosphere and now I've seen your photos I definitely want to go. Thank you for sharing
    Caz x

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