Museum spotlight on Ladybird Books
Special exhibition runs until Sept 23
LADYBIRD Books from the 1970s and 1980s are being celebrated in an exhibition at Charnwood Museum in Loughborough.
‘H is for House: Living in a Ladybird Home’ transports visitors back into a world which will be familiar to millions of people who grew up with the books - as well as those discovering them for the first time.
The iconic books perfectly captured everyday objects and fashions in the exquisite illustrations which remain hugely popular today, providing a social snapshot into specific periods of our recent history.
Visitors will be able to see original Ladybird Books, as well as familiar household items of the ‘70s and ‘80s from the Leicestershire Museums Collection, including a trim phone, Hoover vacuum cleaner and a Teasmade.
There will also be the opportunity to recover lost dialling skills on a rotary telephone, have a go at drawing the objects on display to create Ladybirdstyle illustrations or play in the childsized kitchen styled the museum’s 1970s dolls house.
The exhibition is sure to appeal to anyone who remembers playing with the same toys as Peter and Jane, wearing the same clothes or ringing their friends on a similar telephone.
Coun Richard Blunt, county council cabinet member for heritage, leisure and arts, said: “Ladybird Books are fondly remembered by generation of people who read them as children. This is a fascinating exhibition which is well worth visiting.”
Entry to the exhibition is free. Charnwood Museum is open from 10am-4.30pm Tuesday to Saturday and 2pm-5pm on Sundays. The exhibition runs until September 23.