The Faversham Museum is housed in three 16th Century buildings, which on their own are associated with many aspects of the town’s history.
But so much more is to be found in the hundreds of items on show, which together take you through the story of the town from prehistoric times till the 20th Century. Past visitors have been amazed at the amount and quality of the material displayed; one even likened it to the Tardis from Dr. Who!
The following information is just a short précis of the various sections on show, but clicking on the links will bring up photos and further detail if you want.
Entrance to the Museum is through the Tourist Information Centre at 10-11 Preston St., which in itself is a wonderful source of material on wide range of subjects.
The first section (the Long Gallery) is devoted to the period from prehistoric through to mediaeval times, when Faversham was one of the major seaports in the country and possessed an abbey larger than many cathedrals.
From there you proceed to the Elizabethan Room, via a courtyard housing all sorts of relics relating to motoring before the 1960’s. In there is a marvellous collection of objects associated with the times, as well as genuine period music and even a spoken commentary by one of our residents at that time.
Through from here is the Panelled Room, which was the bar of the “Fleur de Lis” pub from which the Heritage Centre derives its name. Items from the various industries, which have been part of the town over the centuries, illustrate its rich diversity.
Also in here you can watch a 15 minute video of the history of our town, which is of great interest.
Next the Exhibition Gallery which, as its name indicates, houses regular displays of items from our grand “behind-the-scenes” collection, or exhibitions of work by external artists.
At the end of the Gallery is the Gunpowder Room, where events and items from one of the towns major industries are on show. Another 15 minute video here illustrates our part in this unlikely endeavour. But this room is only an introduction to the two major sites not far from here, where the actual buildings and processes can still be seen i.e. Chart Mills and Uplees Gunpowder Works. If you have got the time, please try and visit them.
Out to the corridor, where copies of all the Town Charters from 1256 onward are displayed (the originals are all kept in the Alexander Centre), then up the stairs.
Here, in what we tend to term our nostalgia corner, is a Schoolroom, a Victorian Kitchen, Leisure & Entertainment, the Boer War, the World Wars, Sport in Faversham and our Parade of Shops.
Then down the stairs again and out to the Big Shed, which houses yet more items from local industries and even a fully working Strowger telephone exchange!