At 90 years and counting, Shropshire historical society is still making history
A Shropshire historical society is celebrating its 90th birthday, which has made it the oldest club of its type in its hometown.
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Bridgnorth Historical Society was formed on February 8, 1934 by Mr. J.T. Foxall to “advance the education of the public in all matters of historic or allied nature, in particular those arising in Bridgnorth and within the county of Shropshire”.
As part of an agreement when it was founded, Bridgnorth Historical Society was tasked with running the town's museum, which it has done successfully for the last 89 years.
Andrew Cooper, from the society who manages the Northgate Museum in Bridgnorth, said last year, they pulled in around 2,000 visitors.
He said: “When it was set up, the historical society was asked to run the museum at no cost to the town council - which we have done ever since.
“I've been running the museum for the last 10 years and I try to add things to the collection that has good links to the town. For instance, we have a lot of clock faces dating back 150 years as Bridgnorth was famous for watch and clock making, we also have lots on the history of the River Severn as in its day, Bridgnorth was the largest inland port in Europe.
“We also have a new Second World War exhibit put together by local historian Clive Gwilt, which explains Bridgnorth's role during the war and that Hitler fancied making the town his HQ in the UK.
“It really is a must-stop for visitors coming to Bridgnorth. Last year we had around 2,000 visitors, but I think we may be down when we reopen this year as a lot of people come in with the Severn Valley Railway and the landslip means we may not be getting as many visitors to the town.”
Along with running the museum, Bridgnorth Historical Society holds monthly talks, where speakers give interesting talks on historical subjects, often with photographs, videos and demonstrations. These meetings take place at the Community Hall in Bridgnorth’s Low Town.
“We have 80 members now, with three new members joining last year. As we are more than 90 years old, we are probably the oldest club of its type in Bridgnorth,” said Andrew.
Bridgnorth Museum opens for the season on Good Friday (April 18) from which point it will be open Wednesday, Saturdays and Sundays from 12.30pm to 4.30pm.
