Peacock and Verity Community Spaces aims to to establish a local heritage centre operating from the building’s historic bakehouse
Masham is a unique town with a long and fascinating history, from the 9th-century church and graveyard through the famous Peculier Court and participation in the Pilgrimage of Grace to the development of farming, brewing and light industry in the 18th - 20th centuries. Unusually for a town of our size and importance we do not have a museum or heritage centre, and the acquisition of this building would fill a gap in the community by using one of the town's most historic buildings to host a centre exploring and celebrating the history of this unique market town.
The heritage centre will be based in the building's historic bakehouse, where the Victorian cast-iron stoves will be renovated to provide both a striking focus to the heritage and a living example of it, as schoolchildren and adults alike learn how to bake the 19th-century way! The room will be used for displaying local artefacts and storing our 25,000-item archive of Masham paperwork from the Edmundson and Gowland solicitors office, which will also be available for use by students and by local people wanting to research their family, property and town history.
To ensure we are getting the details right we are working with local and national heritage businesses and attractions. Beamish are providing a great source of inspiration and support.
Can you help us research Masham's heritage? Do you have a historic artefact or paperwork which would fit within our heritage collection? Contact us
The heritage centre will be based in the building's historic bakehouse, where the Victorian cast-iron stoves will be renovated to provide both a striking focus to the heritage and a living example of it, as schoolchildren and adults alike learn how to bake the 19th-century way! The room will be used for displaying local artefacts and storing our 25,000-item archive of Masham paperwork from the Edmundson and Gowland solicitors office, which will also be available for use by students and by local people wanting to research their family, property and town history.
To ensure we are getting the details right we are working with local and national heritage businesses and attractions. Beamish are providing a great source of inspiration and support.
Can you help us research Masham's heritage? Do you have a historic artefact or paperwork which would fit within our heritage collection? Contact us