Friday, July 4 2008
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Mini Museums

Visitors to Airedale, Featherstone, Havercroft, Kinsley, Knottingley and Normanton libraries can see small displays of objects from the Council’s museum collections in their very own Mini Museums.

Mini Museums give people living in these six communities the opportunity to enjoy some of Wakefield’s treasures in their own village or town. Exhibitions change regularly and there are often special activities organised at the libraries so that people can find out more about the objects on display.

Since the start of the Mini Museum project in September 2004 exhibition topics have included hair, toys, cameras, holidays, the 1970s and shoes. Click on the links below to read more about them.

Each Mini Museum exhibition comes with a file of information about the objects on show and about the topic of the exhibition. There are also books related to the exhibitions that library visitors can borrow.

What do you think?

We are always keen to hear what people think of the Mini Museum displays in their libraries, so why not leave us a comment in the back of the information file in one of the libraries. Or follow the link to 'Contact Mini Museums' below to fill in an e-form or for our contact details.

Get involved

Mini Museums also give local people the chance to get involved in putting together their own display. If you fancy being a curator, please get in touch or if you have any ideas about the sorts of objects you’d like to see in the libraries, let us know. Follow the link for 'Contact Mini Museums' for our contact details.

Mini Museums are supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, SureStart (Hemsworth, Kinsley and Fitzwilliam), and Wakefield Council.


Contact Mini Museums
Contact information for Mini Museums
All Tied Up
This exhibition featured a range of ties both from the museum collection and loaned from local residents. Dates: Featherstone Library from June – September 2005.
Best Foot Forward
This display comprises of a variety of shoes from the 1800s to the 1970s. Dates: Knottingley Library from March to June 2006 and Normanton Library from June to September 2006.
Carbolic Collection
This exhibition displays a collection of vintage soaps. Dates: Havercroft library March – June 2006
Say Cheese
This display featured a range of vintage photographic equipment and cameras. Dates: Normanton Library December 2005- March 2006.
Dip into a Decade: The 1970s
This Mini Museum exhibition looked at some local events from the 1970s. Dates: Featherstone Library December 2004 – March 2005, Normanton Library March – May 2005.
Happy Holidays
This display featured holiday-related items from the past loaned from local people. Dates: Airedale library September 2004 - March 2005, Kinsley library March – September 2005.
Hatch, Match, Dispatch
The objects in this display have been used by Wakefield people to mark births, marriages and deaths from the 1800s to 2006. Dates: Featherstone library March – June 2006, Knottingley library June – September 2006, Normanton library September – December 2006, Havercroft library December 2006 – March 2007
Head Tales: Highlights from the History of Hair
This display exhibited hairdressing objects dating from the 1800s to 2005. Dates:Havercroft Library September - December 2004, Knottingley Library December 2004 -March 2005, Normanton Library March – June 2005.
Home Sweet Home
Display of dolls house furniture with a 1940s theme. Dates: Featherstone March – June 2005, Knottingley June – September 2005, Normanton September – December 2005, Havercroft December 2005 – March 2006, Airedale March – September 2006, Kinsley September 2006 – March 2007.
Night on the Town
Essential object for a big night out! See it at: Havercroft library June 2006 – August 2006, Featherstone library September 2006 – November 2006, Knottingley library from December 2006 – February 2007, Normanton library from March 2007 – end May 2007
No Place Like It
Residents of The Manse Residential Home in Knottingley worked with a local textile artist to create work inspired by their memories of homelife as children and adults. Dates: Knottingley library, September to December 2005
Rain and Shine
This exhibition explores the way weather affects the way we feel, what we wear and what we do. Dates: Kinsley library, September 2004 – March 2005.
Remember Me By This
This exhibition displayed objects collected by a local lady and left to the museum service in 1971. Dates: Havercroft Library March – June 2005
Soundtrack of Your Life
Things That Go
This Mini Museum features a variety of model land, sea and air transport. Dates: Airedale Library March – September 2005, Kinsley Library September 2005 – March 2006.
Two by Two
This display features a wooden Noah's Ark from the museum collection. Dates: Airedale Library September 2005 – March 2006, Kinsley Library March – September 2006.
Write On
This exhibition features writing objects from a typewriter to quill pens and a fragment of a Roman wax writing tablet excavated in Castleford. Dates: Havercroft library June – September 2005, Featherstone September – December 2005, Knottingley December 2005 – March 2006, Normanton March – June 2006.