A BRAND new exhibition at The Commandery will transport visitors back to 1890 and shed light on living conditions in Victorian Worcester.
The exhibition brings to life another significant period in The Commandery’s history when it was a school for blind boys. The wing where the new exhibition can be found was used by many different individual traders including a bootmakers.
The industrial boom that propelled Victorian England to the forefront of international politics created an Empire of the likes never seen before and garnered unprecedented wealth for some sectors of society.
The exhibition uncovers what life was like for the residents of fictitious Wyldgate Lane and explores if they enjoyed the benefits of newfound wealth or experienced the misery of those not touched by good fortune.
While wandering Wyldgate Lane visitors can explore the darker corners of Victorian life, from birth and childhood to the funeral parlour and all the trials and tribulations faced in between. They can dress up in Victorian costume, try their hand at being a chimney sweep and pull a pint in the Victorian ‘Angel’ pub.
On display are original items from the museum collections such as Police uniform including truncheons and handcuffs, chemist’s medicine bottles, a funeral bier and original pub beer pumps.
Wyldgate Lane is imaginary but draws on the accounts and experiences of those living in the streets, lanes and back alleys immediately around The Commandery.
To celebrate the opening, on Saturday February 1, visitors to The Commandery can meet the Victorian surgeon and hear all about Victorian illnesses and diseases, cures and remedies. He will demonstrate how Victorians made medicines, along with a display of Victorian medical and surgical equipment, quack cures and dental instruments.
Commandery manager Rachel Robinson said: “Thanks to Towns Fund funding we are really pleased to be able to bring to life more amazing stories from The Commandery’s history. We hope visitors will enjoy this new exhibition shedding light on the conditions of those living in Victorian Worcester.”
Entry to the exhibition is included with usual admission.
For more information visit www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk
