The History of Warwickshire Museum Service
The Market Hall was built in 1670 and originally had open arches for market stalls with meeting rooms above. The ground floor arches were infilled in 1879 as the museum expanded and the whole building was taken over by the Society.
|
In the early 19th century there was considerable public interest in the structure of the natural world, natural science and archaeological collecting.
A group of local men decided to form the Warwickshire Natural History and Archaeological Society.
At the Society’s first meeting on 24th May 1836 the foundation of a museum was identified as one of its primary aims.
The Society hired some rooms in the 17th century Market Hall in the centre of Warwick, now the headquarters of Warwickshire County Museum Service.
There they displayed archaeological, natural history and geological objects, many collected locally from Warwickshire.
Through field collecting and gifts from individuals the society’s collection grew quickly. More display space was needed and by 1840 the whole of the top part of the Market Hall was in use.
|