Newcastle Borough Museum

The 1940s living room tableau 

Just a few pictures from our visit to Newcastle Borough Museum in Newcastle-under-Lyme on Sunday. It is a charming little museum and we passed a pleasant couple of hours in the museum and park. I loved the 1940s house and the Victorian street scene and we all particularly enjoyed the toy gallery. There was an area in the toy gallery for the children to play in and we had a hard time getting Emma to leave it!

After exploring the museum, the Podlings played for a while in the sensory garden outside and enjoyed the colourful birds  in the aviary. My sister might like to know that they had a rabbit living in the aviary that was the spitting image of her childhood pet, Malcolm. Malcolm was an adorable dwarf lop. Unfortunately, my parents didn't realise when they bought the rabbit that 'dwarf' applied to the ears, not the rabbit. Instead of the small rabbit with large ears we were expecting, Malcolm turned out to be a huge rabbit with itty bitty lop ears! Anyway, I digress...

Although it was a cold day, the Podlings enjoyed playing in the playground in Brampton Park before we headed for home. All in all it was a very pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon and the whole family enjoyed it. We will certainly go there again.

Mark and I, both holders of doctorates in chemistry, were rather taken with this old chemistry set on display in the toy gallery. You can be sure you wouldn't get half these chemicals in a modern child's chemistry set!

I find old books in museums so frustrating. I would love to be able to look though this old recipe book for little girls. I love old books!

I thought this old play kitchen set was lovely and they had a beautiful old doll's pram and doll's house on display. Honestly, I am still a little girl at heart! 

Lily outside the museum

This contraption was obviously designed to work with water, but there was no water in it. The poor girls were trying to get it to work with sand, which was never going to happen. I admire their determination though. Perhaps they have water running through it in warmer weather. I wouldn't have wanted the Podlings getting wet on a cold February day like Sunday!