Museum news

Stay up to date with what’s happening at St Agnes Museum – and look forward to what’s coming next!

Museum’s 41st AGM reports ‘excellent year’

St Agnes Museum Museum news
The cheque handover showing Brian Murrish, Trudy Brown, David Teagle and Clare Murton

Chairman, Roger Radcliffe, welcomed a large audience to the 41st Annual General Meeting of St Agnes Museum Trust at the Methodist Church Hall.

The Treasurer, David Teagle, reported an excellent year financially with total income being £27,109 and total expenditure £23,749.  Visitor numbers and shop sales increased.  There would be increased insurance costs of £2,500 because of buying the freehold of the Museum building and indemnity cover for the Trustees.  He recommended an increase in subscription charges from 2026 due to increased publishing and postal charges.  After an intervention from the floor, the single annual subscription will rise to £15 and the Family subscription to £20.

Curator, Clare Murton, thanked her many helpers, especially Tracy Dumper and Luke Jones, and acknowledged grants that the Museum had been awarded, including £1000 from Cornwall Council towards roof repairs, £800 from St Agnes Local Improvements Committee for storage heater guards and a further almost £1400 from St Agnes Old Cornwall Society for museum quality storage.  The Hicks reel had been shortlisted for a Cornwall Heritage Award.  The new exhibitions are “Life Saving & Shipwreck Stories”, which will include our new submarine quadrant.  Our two longcase clocks are being serviced.

Membership Secretary, Mary Wilson, reported a total voting membership of 280 with 20 new Members joining.

Chairman, Roger Radcliffe, spoke of the Committee’s wish to purchase the freehold of the Museum from the Parish Council.  Temporary repairs to the roof’s valleys had been made.  He expressed particular thanks to Clive Benney and Clare Murton, and to all the volunteers who had helped in so many ways.

St Agnes Old Cornwall Society Chairman, Brian Murrish, with Treasurer Trudy Brown, presented Roger Radcliffe with a cheque for £1343.88p for museum grade storage.

Clive Benney gave a fascinating illustrated talk on “Early St Agnes Policing”.  He had had a 30 year career in the Police Force, his father and grandfather had been Special Constables in St Agnes, and his great grandfather had policed St Agnes from 1895-1919.  Before then there had been Parish Constables and the Parish Constable Act of 1842 brought policing to the countryside.  Cornwall Constabulary was formed in 1857 when its Chief Constable recruited two men at St Agnes.  The 1871 Census showed two policemen in St Agnes.  Roger Radcliffe thanked Clive warmly for his insight into local policing.

41st Museum AGM and Early St Agnes Policing talk

St Agnes Museum Museum news
PC Benney at tea treat
PC Be

St Agnes Museum Trust will hold its 41st Annual General Meeting at the Methodist Church Hall, British Road, St Agnes on Thursday 27 February at 7.30pm.

After completion of business and refreshments, Museum Vice Chairman and Cornish Bard, Clive Benney, will give an illustrated talk: “Early St Agnes Policing”.  Visitors will be most welcome for a small charge of £1.

Items from the Museum Shop will be on sale and there will be a chance to pay subscriptions or join the Trust.

Winter Coffee Morning crowds brave storm to raise ‘excellent’ amount

St Agnes Museum Museum news
Winter Coffee Morning crowds brave storm to raise ‘excellent’ amount
Coffee morning crowds enjoy exhibition of photographs and film from the first 30 years of St Agnes Surf Life Saving Club

Despite the torrential rain and gale force winds of Storm Bert the Museum held a very busy and successful Coffee Morning in the Church Hall on Saturday 23 November.

The crowds were drawn not only by the stalls and delicious coffee but by an extensive exhibition of photographs and film from the first 30 years of St Agnes Surf Life Saving Club curated by Museum Vice Chairman and local author Clive Benney. Many early members of the Club came to reminisce and view photos of their youth.

Coffee and tea raised £83, the cake stall, packed with cakes and scones, £110, a Museum shop stall £148, Cornish books £50 and the raffle raised a record sum of £182. The Membership Secretary took £270 in subscriptions and a new Member joined. So the total raised was an excellent £843 and a very convivial morning was enjoyed by all.

‘Thank you’ coffee morning as ‘tremendous’ shop takings celebrated

St Agnes Museum Museum news
‘Thank you’ coffee morning as ‘tremendous’ shop takings celebrated

6 November 2024

Chairman, Roger Radcliffe, warmly welcomed Museum Stewards to their annual end of season Coffee Morning at the Museum on 6 November.  He thanked them for coming and read some of the many appreciative comments in the Visitors’ Book.  Among the suggestions Stewards had made were completing the Thomas’ Shaft Mine Model and raising the annual subscription.

Mike Furness, our Shop Manager, announced the top sales team as the Thursday Titans, who had sold £2309 worth of goods, with the runners up being the Wednesday Wonders with £1755.  The runners up for sales per visitor were the Sunday Saints (£2.28) behind the Thursday Titans.  The best Sales Day, stewarded by Clare Murton and John Oaksford, was Friday 27 September when an amazing £269 worth of goods was sold.  Overall, 2420 individual items were sold in the shop.

The total taken through the till this year, including the online shop, was £13,865 compared to £10,678 last year.

Best sellers were Clive Benney books (£1671), followed by Blue Hills Tin (£1427) and Baileys Bodmin Pewter (£1231).

Roger Radcliffe commented that these were tremendous figures to achieve.  He thanked Mike Furness, Stewards Rota Organiser, John Oaksford, and all the Stewards for their hard work and enthusiasm.