Children have a strong and natural interest in the world around them, particularly if it is something out of the ordinary or something from the past.  Most children love to make collections too, whether it be key rings, shells, coins, football cards, Lego figures, gem stones or fossils.  We set out to give the children at Wicor an opportunity to combine these interests as our very own museum curators. Our original team of six curators was given training and guidance by staff from Westbury Manor Museum in Fareham.  They learned how to identify objects, how to classify and catalogue them, how to look after and handle them and how to set them out and label them in a museum.

Wicor Museum was opened by Kevin Ashman of BBC Eggheads fame in May 2008 and has been going strong ever since. Each class takes responsibility for choosing the subject of the display and the curators help them to organise this and create interactive activities for museum visitors.  Westbury Manor staff continue to support the training of the curators and provide sessions for the class setting up the display.

Displays have included a history of Lego, animal curiosities, Stone Age tools and mammoth bones, a history of Plasticine, telephones, bugs and butterflies, the Queen’s Coronation and the history of Walt Disney.

Westbury Manor Museum

Use the link above to visit the Westbury Manor Museum website.