Behind the humble doors of the Gloucester Folk Museum lies a treasure trove of items that recently appointed curator Michael Meldrum has described as “one of the finest collections” he’s ever come across.
Michael has taken on the role of honourary curator at the museum and has been steadily cataloguing and valuing the collection for the past six months.
He said the job however, keeps growing.
“I thought I’d have it knocked over in a year, but it keeps growing.
And it’s a job that came about by accident.
Michael was in Gloucester for something else and just happened to wander into the museum as part of the visit.
“I walked in and was astonished by a lot of the things I found there,” he said.
“A lot of these things any museum would be proud to own, there’s a real depth to the collection.
He has described the collection as a “pocket of local history” but the importance of many of the items housed in the historic building is only just being unearthed as Michael researches and puts many of the pieces into context.
One of his favourite pieces at the museum is what has been lovingly referred to as “the dog bowl” for many years.
It is however a piece of 1770s Liverpool Delph ceramic ware.
The punchbowl is marked “Succefs to the British Arms” and relates to the American War of Independence.
“It is one of the most serious objects I’ve ever seen,” said Michael.
“It’s an extremely rare piece,” he said.
The Chinese-style markings on the outside the bowl are Delph’s attempts to compete with Chinese porcelain.
Michael said it is one of the most unique pieces in the country, and something he had never seen before.
The bowl was donated to the museum many years ago, a gift that Michael guesses was probably made by someone who couldn’t bear to see the bowl “go to the tip”.
“I don’t know who you were but you’re a wonderful person,” he said.
The museum’s collection of war memorabilia is also something that has left Michael somewhat staggered.
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There’s everything from photographs to trench art, to a flag of the Rising Sun signed by Japanese soldiers, which Michael is currently having authenticated as he believes it could be a document of surrender.
He said many of the items in the collection would not be out of place at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
To celebrate the depth of the war memorabilia an exhibition is being put together for next year which will go on show at the Gloucester Gallery for a month.
It will even see the honour rolls housed at the museum moved to gallery and the traditional Anzac Day wreath laying ceremony held at the Folk Museum will instead by held at the Denison Street gallery.
Michael said without the commitment of the volunteers who have run the museum for so many years, so much of Gloucester’s past would not have been preserved.
“They have done inestimable service for this community. They have preserved history pretty much against the odds,” he said.
“They have gathered and saved stuff.
“All the stuff that without these people would have been lost many years ago,” he said.
Michael said the museum’s collection has vast potential, not only for ongoing exhibitions on specific themes but also for research.
“This will be one of the top research centres for research in regional areas. We’ve got it all,” he said.
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