Bid to create archive of items from town’s past
Monday, January 30, 2012
9:21 AM
COUNCILLORS in Sudbury are to consider starting an archive of interesting items relating to the town’s past.
At a meeting of the leisure and environment committee tomorrow evening, mayor Anthony Platt will put forward a proposal for a ‘Sudbury museum of ephemera’ and ask for suggestions on how the idea could work.
Sudbury has a rich industrial and social history, and Mr Platt believes many residents have items stashed away that might not be considered traditional museum pieces or artefacts.
He added: “It’s a suggestion that has been made to us because there are so many individuals in the town who have all sorts of bits and pieces relating to Sudbury’s history. We thought it would be good to bring it all together and catalogue the items.
“The idea is for it to complement what the museums already do in the town. Gainsborough’s House, for example has all kinds of items relating to everyday life that are not on show, but which we could add to the register.
“Some people have items of historical interest in their garden sheds.
“We are not asking them to give them to us, but rather to let us see them and register them so we know where to find them if we need something to fit in with a specific function or subject.
“I would also envisage that from time to time, we would put a selection of these items on display.”
Sudbury councillor John Sayers worked at the town’s historic Gainsborough Silk Weaving company for 50 years. Over the years, he has kept several items relating to the industry, such as original bobbins and shuttles from when most of the silk production was done by hand in weavers’ cottages.
Mr Sayers has rescued other pieces from other long-standing businesses in the town, including the two big cauldrons from Bruntons Propellers, which will soon be used to house floral displays in the town centre.
He said: “I have always believed in salvaging items that help tell a story or keep the memory of an industry alive. And although the items are not particularly significant in their own right, I think it’s so important that there is a lasting record of these places because they were once so important to the town’s economy.”
