At last... a place to show off the town’s treasures
ASHBOURNE finally has a new public venue in which the town’s treasures can go on display.
Ashbourne Historical Centre is now open in the main hall of the Town Hall, and its series of exhibitions have, quite appropriately, started with a display charting some of the rich history of Ashbourne Royal Shrovetide.
The new centre, which is funded, organised, secured and run by Ashbourne Town Council, will pick up the mantle from the Ashbourne Heritage Centre in Church Street, which was a long-held dream of the late Trilby Shaw, one of the town’s most respected historians.
And while the centre led by Mrs Shaw and a small team of volunteers afforded a small space for regular public displays, the new Ashbourne Historical Centre showcases all its artefacts in a much larger, brighter room with a selection of secure storage areas for the items not currently on display.
Curated by Shrovetide historian and ball painter Tim Baker, who has been the Town Hall’s events officer for many years, the new display area is open Monday to Saturday from 10am until 3pm, closed Wednesday and Sunday, and entry is free.
Mr Baker says the new centre, which also doubles as the town’s visitor information point, brings a much-needed new spotlight to some of Ashbourne’s most important assets.
He said: “I think the town council should be applauded for doing this for the town and for local people, I think it’s a wonderful idea.
“I’m a great believer in preserving history, because I always think that to appreciate what you’ve got now, you must appreciate the past.
“There’s a great swathe of nostalgia that can be revisited and reminisced, and it’s quite gratifying to see people coming in and reliving Ashbourne’s history.”
As part of the curtain-raising Shrovetide theme, Tim has assembled a huge collection of historic balls, with some from the 19th Century, all the way up to more modern leathers.
A constant loop of Shrovetide DVDS from the 1980s is also running, alongside an assortment of Shrovetide memorabilia and paintings, a few originals of which have never been seen in public before.
More permanent exhibits in the centre include Ashbourne Water bottles, antique items of interest, and the sign that once swung below the bottom of the Green Man Gallows sign in St John Street.
This wooden sign, which was permanently removed for safe-keeping after being hit and ending up in the trailer of a passing lorry one day, will soon be on display alongside the sign’s controversial wooden carving, the Black’s Head, which the town council is arranging to take possession of from Derbyshire Dales District Council, ready for it to be locked in a glass case.
Mr Baker says he is looking forward to welcoming locals and visitors to the centre, and showing them around the items on display.
He said: “I’ve been very fortunate in my life, what with my involvement with Shrovetide, and the former HIT Society, and the Heritage Society in the past, and now that I’ve been trusted to look after this, for the council and for the people of the town.
“Being a true Ashburnian it’s a great privilege, but I’m also sensible and fearful of the fact that it has to be done correctly.”
Mr Baker says he would be keen to speak to anyone who owns items they think might be of interest to the town, that could be catalogued and go on secure display in the centre, as they start to think up new themes for the coming weeks and months ahead.
To offer up an item, or to discuss any aspect of the centre, call Mr Baker on 01335 342291.