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11 Jul 07Poole Museum Grand Opening
Marching Roman soldiers and a gang of marauding pirates will be just two of the attractions at the grand opening of Poole Museum on Saturday 14 July.
The museum is reopening to the public following a £1.3 million facelift and to mark the occasion members of the second Augustan Roman Legion will be setting up camp and marching up the High Street while a gang of pirates will entertain people along the Quay.
The open day will commence at 10am, when Town crier David Squires will announce the Mayor of Poole, Cllr Jeff Allen who will officially open the Museum at 10.30am. The opening day events go on until 5pm and admission is free.
There will be a packed programme of activities and talks for all the family throughout the day, including demonstrations of Roman cosmetics and midwifery, a talk by a Roman senator about the conquest of Dorset and storytelling about pirates in Poole. Other activities will include Tudor and Victorian cookery demonstrations, pottery making and face painting.
Refurbishment of the museum has been possible thanks to local fundraising money and £750,000 of Heritage Lottery Funding 
.
Kevin McErlane, Head of Culture and Community Learning, Borough of Poole, said: "The open day marks the end of a major project that has seen the museum transformed. We promise a fun packed agenda for all the family that will create a real buzz on the Quay and lower high street throughout the day."
The museum will provide a home to some of the town's most precious and historic artefacts, including Poole's 2,300-year-old log boat - one of the largest surviving prehistoric artefacts of its kind in Britain. This will take pride of place near the entrance of the museum in a specially-made glass exhibition case.
The museum will have a ceramics gallery featuring a collection of world-famous Poole Pottery. The collection is believed to be most significant museum display of Poole Pottery and Carter Tiles in the country.
Refurbished galleries will tell the story of Poole from prehistory through to the 21st century. A series of regular community-based exhibitions will highlight the memories and mementoes of Poole people. The first of these exhibitions, 'A Sense of Place - Hamworthy Voices', tells the tale of life in Hamworthy, while 'Thread' shows the work of a community textile project based on the history and districts of Poole.
There is also a new entrance and atrium, and a terrace and visitor lounge offering views over Poole Harbour and the Old Town.
Cllr Peter Adams, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Culture, said: "We want the museum to be part of the community and something that local people can be involved with and proud of. I think people will be amazed to find out just how much history there is in Poole. The log boat and Poole Pottery collection are just two exhibitions that show Poole's rich heritage for people to come and explore. I would like to thank the officers concerned for their hard work on this significant project"
The museum refurbishment has seen Borough of Poole working with award-winning architects Horden Cherry Lee and local contractors Greendale Construction , who carried out the building work.
There is full disabled access to Poole Museum and Local History Centre, but not at Scaplen's Court and Garden.
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