Discover “one of the most important schools in England” with one of our expert guides.
One-hour tours at 11am and 1.30pm. £5pp includes an Annual Ticket and refreshments.
Sundays 6 October, 3 November and 1 December.
Booking essential by phone (01652) 635172. Bookings close on the preceding Friday.
Our volunteers “cycled” from Barton to Pickwell in Leicestershire, a distance of some 90 miles, to raise funds for further upgrading work in the Joseph Wright Hall, formerly a Victorian Primitive Methodist Chapel.
The Queen Street chapel ceased to be used by the Methodists on Easter Day 1961. The organ, by Forster & Andrews of Hull, was dismantled and sold to Immingham Anglican Church; it is now in the parish church at Pickwell, Leicestershire.
Funds raised from the “ride” will help towards lighting improvements for the Hall’s auditorium. £600 was raised and we’re looking to increase that to £1,000 with your help.
You can sponsor us online via Facebook’s Go Fund Me here: https://gofund.me/45d585c3
Pop in throughout the day on the 6th July to see how we’re doing and lend us your support. Admission is free to see the “cyclists” and buy refreshments in our pop-up café and there’ll be a chance to hear about plans for further refurbishment the Hall.
The Museum is open too – admission is £5 (Adult Annual Ticket), children FREE.
Inclusive guided tours are running today at 11am and 1.30pm included in the admission fee – we ask visitors to pre book if possible (Tel. 01652 635172)
Please share the Go Fund Me link with friends and family, or encourage them to sign our sponsorship form at Reception (Thursdays – Saturdays, 11am – 3pm) to help us reach our goal!
Left: The Chapel organ built by Forster & Andrews of Hull.
Centre: The fluorescent strip lights we want to replace are old, costly to run and not ecofriendly.
Right: Lights, Action! We’ve modified the platform stage, got theatrical lighting and new seats – but the ceiling lights need replacing.
The Church School & Wilderspin Story
Join one of our FREE guided tours to find out why Historic England has described our building as “one of the most important schools in England“. You’ll see the unique Model School designed by Samuel Wilderspin and we’ll explain how his Infant System worked, compare it to a traditional Victorian classroom for older children, then move on to the later story of the Barton Church School which will undoubtedly trigger memories of your own schooldays.
These one-hour tours start at 11am and 1.30pm and require no bookig – just turn up!
Unsuitable for very young children. There’s plenty of seating as you move through the building.
“l learned more than just walking round by myself. It was definitely a worthwhile experience, and l would recommend it to anyone interested in local/social history. Thank you.”
THIS SATURDAY 1 June is our annual Open Day with FREE admission, a chance to look behind the scenes and find out about volunteering opportunities with us and other Barton volunteering projects. And peruse our expanded selection of pre-loved books.
Tours at 11am and 1.30pm. No need to book.
A free event for families to cook and eat together, enjoy a healthy meal, and discover affordable, nutritious options.
4pm – 6.30pm at Wilderspin
22 & 29 April and 13 & 20 May
Learn cooking skills and help reduce food waste to care for the planet.
Have fun and make new friends.
To book – message Slow Circular Earth or text 07875 407997
This newly formed group provides short educational and informative courses for everyone aged 18 year and over.
Sessions are held at Wilderspin in the Joseph Wright Hall.
Maritime Archaeology runs from 17 January until 21 February on Wednesday afternoons between 1.30pm and 3.30pm. Tutor: Simon Tomson. Fee: £60 (six sessions)
Contact 07442 160785 for more details.
The Community fridge is a simple solution to wasting less, through the sharing of good quality food.
A community fridge is a space where everyone can share their surplus food, including donations from local businesses, producers, households and gardens.
Slow Circular Earth is working with Hubbub in collaboration with Coop and Starbucks to help provide 6.8 million meals to people who need them most and to enable local communities to give what they can and take what they need, so that nothing goes to waste.
You can get involved by:
The aim is to reduce food waste and promote sustainable eating habits, with regular workshops to learn how to cook delicious, healthy, and budget-friendly meals using surplus food, and compiling a community cookbook together.
For more information and updates, please visit our website at slowcircularearth.co.uk or follow us on social media at:
Due to rising energy and supply costs the Old School Canteen cafe has ceased trading at the Museum.
But … every cloud as they say …. and we’re pleased to be hosting Slow Circular Earth’s Zero Waste pop up cafe on Fridays between 10.30am and 1.30pm.
They’re also running a Community Fridge – so pop in on Fridays whe it’s all happening!
We’ve mixed things up a bit – combining refreshments with the school museum experience!
We think it’s pretty unique and we are grateful for the support of the Humber Museums Partnership.
And we’re really proud our efforts have been recognised with a “Volunteers for Museum Learning” award by the Marsh Charitable Trust in conjunction with the British Museum. Click here for more details.
Getting everyone chatting was at the heart of it – and to help get conversations going we looked through our store to find some interesting things that rarely get displayed, and have boxed them up for visitors to unpack and chat about.
We’re busy planning our Chatty Cafe sessions for 2024 and will publish the details on the website soon.
If you’d like to know more, click on the YouTube link to watch the video about our project:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgtLH1xw41U&list=PL6l5lP4YK8jSto127N0YPaTZfxQCdm0hQ&index=6
Or click here for a summary: Wilderspin Memory Cafe Project Case Study
Please get in touch by phone (01652) 635172 or email (wilderspinschoolmuseum@gmail.com) if you, someone you know, or a group you’re involved with might like to get involved.
Delve into a Memory Box of things from our store and unpack those childhood memories at the Chatty Table.
If you or someone you know would enjoy a chance to come to the museum and swap stories with others about the past over “a cuppa” we’re scheduling some regular drop-in sessons. Details are just being worked out but we’ll post them here very soon.
One of our first events this summer was with residents from Beech House care home in Barton and children from Barton St. Peter’s Primary School. They swapped stories with each other and had a great time.
If you are a carer or know of a group or someone who would love to meet and chat with youngsters please get in touch so we can arrange it.
Apart from talking about the past we’ve also got a table for crafters, collectors and hobbyists for pop-up displays, demonstrations and sales.
There’s no charge – and the table can be borrowed for a morning, afternoon, day or weekend.
Just so long as it’s a talking point!
Get in touch if you’d like to “set up your stall” in the Chatty Café – on (01652) 635172.
LLaB is a newly formed group which provides short educational and informative courses for everyone aged 18 years and over.
Their latest course is Maritime Archaeology which looks at the archaeological remains of riverine and marine craft from the Bronze Age to the post-Medieval periods.
It runs on Wednesday afternoons at Wilderspin in the Raikes Room (Joseph Wright Halll) from 17 January to 21 February.
£60 for the six sessions.
Wilderspin National School
Queen Street
Barton-upon-Humber
DN18 5QP
The Wilderspin National School has received help and support from the following organisations:
The Wilderspin National School is an independent museum, registered charity no. 1047187 and a Company Limited by Guarantee no. 2844791.