Exhibitions

Exhibitions

What is it? 

An exhibition can be reasonably defined as a selection of items displayed for the enjoyment of the public. The specific subject of an exhibition can be almost anything, but the most popular themes tend to be art and history.

What does it involve?

Attending an exhibition mainly just involves paying attention and engaging with the show that has been put on for you! 

Why do it and what are the benefits?

The purpose of an exhibition is to display points of interest in the most effective manner, and it can be a great alternative way of learning than reading out of books in the classroom. Having a visual and tangible example of something in front of you makes it so much more interesting to learn about, especially if it's something you've only ever seen in pictures before e.g. you'll remember seeing preserved artefacts in real life much easier than when you saw it in a book. 

What equipment do we need?

Exhibitions often have guides to take you around and explain the display further, and specialist school group guides may have activities for the students to engage in during the visit - check beforehand to see if such a feature is available, and if you need to bring any equipment for it! Other than that, you shouldn't need to provide anything to enjoy an exhibition. 

Who is it suitable for?

While not all exhibitions are suitable for all ages, there is enough variety that there will be one perfectly suited to the age and interests of your student group - make sure to do your research!

Costs?

Entry to exhibitions can vary between costing nothing and a £30+ fee depending on the content and the venue!

Issues/Things to think about? (unsuitable for age groups, medical conditions etc)

Exhibition venues can often be large and confusing to navigate, so make sure younger groups of students are sufficiently supervised!

How do we include?

The variety of venues, subjects and sizes available when considering attending an exhibition means you should be able to include everyone regardless of interests or disabilities. 

Doing it abroad?

Foreign countries all have their own fascinating histories and culture which will all undoubtedly be displayed in a great exhibition somewhere! The main cities of a country are the most likely places to find an engaging exhibition, so check out whats on before you set off from the UK!

Main website: 

Consult individual venue websites to see exactly what they have on at the current time!

 

See the list below for venues and providers who deliver this activity:

Sidmouth Museum

Venue Type: 
Museums
Overall Rating: 
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"Something for everyone of all ages" is the motto of Sidmouth Museum through its interpretation of Natural History and the Jurassic Coast.

This Regency cottage houses permanent exhibitions illustrating the development of the town from fishing village through Regency & Victorian times. Many famous residents and visitors are commemorated. Local lace and a wide collection of photographs are included in this Tardis like small museum. Annual exhibitions celebrate events and anniversaries both locally and national.

WW1 The Domestic Front

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Carlyle's House

Victorian writers' shrine in Chelsea
Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
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Hidden in the quiet back streets of Chelsea is the home of Thomas and Jane Carlyle.

A twist of fate turned Carlyle into a star of the 19th-century literary world. Suddenly this was the place to be.                                                      

When you pull the bell to enter you will follow in the footsteps of Dickens, Ruskin, Tennyson and many more.

William Makepeace Thackeray said: 'Tom Carlyle lives in perfect dignity in a house in Chelsea with a snuffy Scotch maid to open the door and best company in England ringing at it!'

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Shipley Art Gallery

Venue Type: 
Art Gallery
Overall Rating: 
0

The Shipley Art Gallery is the North East’s leading gallery of craft and design. The Shipley houses one of the most important collections of contemporary British craft, along with fine collections of design and paintings.

The Designs for Life gallery provides a stimulating learning environment in which themes including form and function, materials and manufacturing, pattern, chairs and lighting can be explored in an interactive way.

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Souter Johnnie's Cottage

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

See Scottish literature come to life in this 18th-century thatched cottage in the heart of Kirkoswald, Ayr. The former home of cobbler – or souter – John Davidson, the real-life Souter Johnnie immortalised in the Robert Burns poem Tam o’ Shanter, it features a thatched tavern in the garden, complete with life-sized sandstone statues of the poem’s main characters.

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Malvern Museum of Local History

Venue Type: 
Museums
Overall Rating: 
0

A small museum packed with fascinating information, and full of fun things to do and see. Dress up as a monk, build a castle, see an observation beehive and more. Free audio guide available.

School and Group Visits

Educational and group visits may be arranged for any day of the week and evening visits are also possible. Group and evening visits must be by prior arrangement.

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Max Gate

Atmospheric Victorian home designed by Thomas Hardy
Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

Max Gate, an austere but sophisticated town house a short walk from the town centre of Dorchester, was the home of Dorset's most famous author and poet Thomas Hardy. Hardy, who designed the house in 1885, wanted to show that he was part of the wealthy middle classes of the area, to reflect his position as a successful writer, and to enable him to enter polite society. The house was named after a nearby tollgate keeper called Mack.

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Castle Donington Museum

Venue Type: 
Museums
Overall Rating: 
0

Castle Donington Museum Trust was founded in 1994 to provide and maintain a Local History Museum, reflecting the long and interesting history of this community overlooking the River Trent, which brought, in their turn, Saxons, Romans, Vikings and Normans to the heart of England.

In 2001 we staged our first exhibition in the Stone House, a grade two listed building and each year we mount a new exhibition, illustrating some aspect of the life of Castle Donington and its inhabitants over the centuries.

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Cotehele Mill

Working watermill and workshops
Venue Type: 
Factory Visits & Industry
Overall Rating: 
0

This working mill next to the Morden Stream is an atmospheric reminder of the recent past when corn was ground here for the local community. It’s believed that mills have worked in the Tamar valley since medieval times and this watermill dates back to the 19th century. The buildings surrounding the mill were used as stables, cowsheds, a hayloft and a ‘cherry house’ for storing cherries. The last of these buildings was added in the 1890s and they are now set up as a selection of estate and craft workshops.

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Cromer Museum

Cromer’s past in an enchanting nutshell
Venue Type: 
Museums
Overall Rating: 
0

Step inside a tiny fisherman's cottage and imagine life in Cromer at the end of the 19th century. Colourful displays chart the town’s history as an early Victorian seaside resort, resplendent with fine hotels and scandalous mixed bathing. 

The town is in a geological area of international importance. Find out why in the Geology Gallery with its fine collection of fossils, which include bones from one of the area’s most famous finds, the West Runton elephant - Britain's oldest and most complete elephant fossil.

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Baconsthorpe Castle

Venue Type: 
Castles
Overall Rating: 
0

Visit the extensive ruins of Baconsthorpe Castle, a moated and fortified 15th century manor house, that are a testament to the rise and fall of a prominent Norfolk family, the Heydons.

Over 200 years, successive generations of this ambitious family built, then enlarged, and finally abandoned this castle.

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