Curtis Museum, Local history museum in Alton, Hampshire, England.
The Curtis Museum is a local history museum in Alton featuring collections that span millions of years of regional history with finds ranging from prehistoric to Roman times. The exhibits display tools, pottery, textiles, and everyday objects from past inhabitants of the area.
William Curtis founded the museum in 1865, following his earlier establishment of the Alton Mechanics Institute in 1837 to promote science education. This reflected a wider 19th-century movement to make knowledge about nature and history available to ordinary people.
The childhood gallery displays toys and dolls spanning centuries, showing how children's play and daily experiences evolved over time. You can observe what toys meant to families across different periods in the region.
The location is easy to find and accessible to most visitors without significant difficulty. Plan to spend a couple of hours to explore the collections thoroughly, especially if you are interested in regional history.
The collection includes the Alton Buckle, a silver gilt Anglo-Saxon buckle from the 6th century discovered in a cemetery. This unusual find offers a rare glimpse into the personal possessions and jewelry of wealthy individuals from that early period.
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