Folktales of the Garden Blog
As Head Gardener at Quex, my role involves much more than just tending to the horticultural tasks and general maintenance. I am constantly planning for a variety of factors in…
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Our roof replacement project – update number 6
Have you visited us since we opened for the 2025 season? Hopefully, you have noticed the wonderful changes to Galleries 1, 2 and 3. From a fresh coat of paint,…
Opening Weekend – Saturday 15th February
And what an amazing opening weekend it was! The opening event was the culmination of so much prep, planning, and hard work by the entire Powell-Cotton Museum & Gardens team. The day…
We are recruiting Trustees to join the Powell-Cotton Trust
The Powell-Cotton Trust (PCT) is looking to recruit new trustees with one or more of the following specific skills: business finance and/or charity fundraising; property and/or investment management; gardens and…
Behind the Scenes at the Museum
A lot has been happening behind the scenes at the Museum over the winter, and with our re-opening on Saturday, 15th February, just around the corner, it's all hands on…
Exhibition Opening Weekend 2025
Exciting things have been happening at the Museum over the winter as we prepare to welcome visitors from 15th February. The opening weekend will be a big milestone for us…
Our roof replacement Part 5
We’re excited to report that the roof and skylight over Gallery 1 has been repaired and is fully watertight. The printed banner that once hung over the front of the…
Preparing for our roof replacement Part 4
There has been more visible progress this week. The scaffolding build for phase 1 is now complete including the temporary roof covering which will allow works to continue in most…
Preparing for our roof replacement Part 3
This week the scaffolders and our Maintenance Officer have begun preparations for the temporary roof covering that will sit above the worksite. This is to ensure that work can continue…
Important Notice for Schools: Disruptions to School Visits Due to Roof Repair Project
Dear Teachers and Educators, We want to inform you that our museum is undergoing essential roof repairs as part of the MEND Roof Project, which will be taking place…
What's On at Powell-Cotton Museum
Visit us by attending one of our special events and open days, partnering with local and national organisations, projects and schemes. We’re listing new events regularly. Find out more…
What’s On
Museum Team Member Daiz is back with another fascinating behind the scenes look at the conservation work we do here at the museum.
This time, they are repairing 100 year old curtains in Quex House.
#MuseumConservation #BehindTheScenes #MuseumLife #CurtainRestoration #MuseumTeam
Museum Team Member Daiz is back with another fascinating behind the scenes look at the conservation work we do here at the museum.
This time, they are repairing 100 year old curtains in Quex House.
#MuseumConservation #BehindTheScenes #MuseumLife #CurtainRestoration #MuseumTeam
The museum refurbishment works have revealed another clue to those who helped make the museum!
Whilst stripping wallpaper in Gallery 1 (the largest diorama gallery), the decorator noticed a pencil print on the paper. We think it reads:
"G.A. Smith P.H. [paper hanger?] June 15th 1936"
Do you know who G.A Smith is? Can we make a connection with the past through the signature he left? Share this post and help us solve the puzzle.
#behindthescenes #museummakers #museummystery #signature #heritage #MuseumRefurbishment #HistoricalClue #MuseumHistory
The museum refurbishment works have revealed another clue to those who helped make the museum!
Whilst stripping wallpaper in Gallery 1 (the largest diorama gallery), the decorator noticed a pencil print on the paper. We think it reads:
"G.A. Smith P.H. [paper hanger?] June 15th 1936"
Do you know who G.A Smith is? Can we make a connection with the past through the signature he left? Share this post and help us solve the puzzle.
#behindthescenes #museummakers #museummystery #signature #heritage #MuseumRefurbishment #HistoricalClue #MuseumHistory
Welcome back to another day in the life with Museum Team Member, Daiz!
Today Daiz shares that their day included helping to move a huge taxidermy elephant`s head, pest trapping, moving specimens into the big freezer to kill potential pests and a spot of curtain repairing! What does a typical workday involve for you?
#MuseumLife #BehindTheScenes #MuseumTeam #Taxidermy #CuratorialWork
Welcome back to another day in the life with Museum Team Member, Daiz!
Today Daiz shares that their day included helping to move a huge taxidermy elephant`s head, pest trapping, moving specimens into the big freezer to kill potential pests and a spot of curtain repairing! What does a typical workday involve for you?
#MuseumLife #BehindTheScenes #MuseumTeam #Taxidermy #CuratorialWork
Progress and Developments in Collections Management
On Tuesday, 3rd December, two of our Collections team visited Canterbury Cathedral to meet with their Archives team. They use the same Collections Management System (CMS) we’ve recently adopted. It was a fantastic opportunity to see how they manage their diverse collections—objects, library materials, and archives—and gain insights into how this powerful system works in practice.
Highlights of the day included:
- A tour of the Cathedral’s archives and library.
- Exploring the awe-inspiring Cathedral itself.
- Valuable discussions about best practices, potential challenges, and handy tips.
This CMS is a major upgrade from spreadsheets, enabling us to more effectively catalogue, care for, and share our collections. Eventually, we will have an online catalogue that can be accessed worldwide. It’s a long-term project (years in the making!), but learning from others makes the process less daunting and more inspiring.
In a time of challenges across the sector, collaboration and knowledge-sharing are more important than ever. A big thank you to the team at Canterbury Cathedral for their hospitality and insights!
Canterbury Cathedral Visit Kent Museums Association #BestPractices
#CollectionsManagement #MuseumLife #BehindTheScenes #Collaboration
Progress and Developments in Collections Management
On Tuesday, 3rd December, two of our Collections team visited Canterbury Cathedral to meet with their Archives team. They use the same Collections Management System (CMS) we’ve recently adopted. It was a fantastic opportunity to see how they manage their diverse collections—objects, library materials, and archives—and gain insights into how this powerful system works in practice.
Highlights of the day included:
- A tour of the Cathedral’s archives and library.
- Exploring the awe-inspiring Cathedral itself.
- Valuable discussions about best practices, potential challenges, and handy tips.
This CMS is a major upgrade from spreadsheets, enabling us to more effectively catalogue, care for, and share our collections. Eventually, we will have an online catalogue that can be accessed worldwide. It’s a long-term project (years in the making!), but learning from others makes the process less daunting and more inspiring.
In a time of challenges across the sector, collaboration and knowledge-sharing are more important than ever. A big thank you to the team at Canterbury Cathedral for their hospitality and insights!
Canterbury Cathedral Visit Kent Museums Association #BestPractices
#CollectionsManagement #MuseumLife #BehindTheScenes #Collaboration
Behind the scenes discovery!
During our gallery redecoration works, one of the workmen found a sheet of paper hidden behind a display case in gallery 3! The document appears to be handwirtten by Hannah Powell-Cotton (blue writing) and her son Christopher (black writing).
From the text which we have been able to read, we can tell it is a written plan of where different objects will be displayed in the museum. It seems Hannah`s text suggests plans and ideas for where new display cases will go; "could they make a case in Hall - passage when this is built" and how to display the objects; "could in some cases illustrate a whole. <unreadable section> if a case - in others, it could have to illustrate a single object. as many as sensible (?) i.e. not taking up too much room".
Christopher`s notes appear to respond to Hannah`s; " Yes - but we have insufficient storage room to afford to show only a few selected specimens - otherwise agreed in principle".
Historic buildings often hold secrets that are only discovered when building works take place so this is very exciting. This precious note will now be accessioned into our archive and form part of the story of our museum.
#BehindTheScenes #MuseumLife #HistoricFind #MuseumExhibits #MuseumDiscovery #MuseumArchiving #MuseumStories #Archives
Behind the scenes discovery!
During our gallery redecoration works, one of the workmen found a sheet of paper hidden behind a display case in gallery 3! The document appears to be handwirtten by Hannah Powell-Cotton (blue writing) and her son Christopher (black writing).
From the text which we have been able to read, we can tell it is a written plan of where different objects will be displayed in the museum. It seems Hannah`s text suggests plans and ideas for where new display cases will go; "could they make a case in Hall - passage when this is built" and how to display the objects; "could in some cases illustrate a whole. <unreadable section> if a case - in others, it could have to illustrate a single object. as many as sensible (?) i.e. not taking up too much room".
Christopher`s notes appear to respond to Hannah`s; " Yes - but we have insufficient storage room to afford to show only a few selected specimens - otherwise agreed in principle".
Historic buildings often hold secrets that are only discovered when building works take place so this is very exciting. This precious note will now be accessioned into our archive and form part of the story of our museum.
#BehindTheScenes #MuseumLife #HistoricFind #MuseumExhibits #MuseumDiscovery #MuseumArchiving #MuseumStories #Archives
Join us for a day in the life with Museum Team Member, Daiz, as they show you the kind of work they do behind the scenes.
Kids in MuseumsVisit Thanet- Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate
#museumwork #museumjobs #behindthescenes #dayinthelife
Join us for a day in the life with Museum Team Member, Daiz, as they show you the kind of work they do behind the scenes.
Kids in MuseumsVisit Thanet- Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate
#museumwork #museumjobs #behindthescenes #dayinthelife
#BehindTheScenes #MuseumMonday
We are now in the second phase of our thorough conservation work with our stored collections. This work is part of a large storage project which will move collections from storage conditions suffering water ingress and pest infestation to more suitable areas.
Part of the process is unpacking and repacking collections with fresh materials, in correctly sized boxes.
Currently we are working with our very precious primate collection which is regularly requested by researchers.
This particular specimen is a male Agile Monkey.
@visitkent @visitthanet @kentattractions
#Reimaginingthemuseum #conservation #museum #powellcottonmuseum
#BehindTheScenes #MuseumMonday
We are now in the second phase of our thorough conservation work with our stored collections. This work is part of a large storage project which will move collections from storage conditions suffering water ingress and pest infestation to more suitable areas.
Part of the process is unpacking and repacking collections with fresh materials, in correctly sized boxes.
Currently we are working with our very precious primate collection which is regularly requested by researchers.
This particular specimen is a male Agile Monkey.
@visitkent @visitthanet @kentattractions
#Reimaginingthemuseum #conservation #museum #powellcottonmuseum
“A Confession
Time was that I
Was gayest of the gay;
I passed my days
In mirth and joy.
But now my heart is sad
Because I love
But dare not my love.
Secrecy”
Celebrating St. Valentine`s day today by sharing our charming collection of Valentine`s cards, each associated with Henry Horace Powell Cotton (1830-1994), Percy Powell-Cotton’s father.
All the cards are very intricate and highly decorated. Each one has a thin paper front, of lacelike appearance. Almost veil like, perhaps to hide the emotions held by the sender. Usually decorated with colourful flowers, one also has the image of a locket and printed words ‘My heart with love is beating’.
Another of the cards is in an envelope addressed to Horace Powell Cotton Esqr. Quakes, Ramsgate. It is stamped with a ‘Penny Red’ stamp and contains the verse above written within. In 1865 Horace, as he was known, married Matilda Christina Gordon (1841-1916). She was from a Scottish family and was living in Scotland in her early years so it is
unlikely this card came from her, but some of the others may well have.
Happy Valentine`s Day to all our staff, volunteers and visitors - We hope you enjoyed learning about this special collection today!
#behindthescenes #objectinfocus #fromthearchives #quexhouseandgardens #powellcottonmuseum #museumobject #valentines #valentinesday
@visitkent @visitthanet @kentattractions
“A Confession
Time was that I
Was gayest of the gay;
I passed my days
In mirth and joy.
But now my heart is sad
Because I love
But dare not my love.
Secrecy”
Celebrating St. Valentine`s day today by sharing our charming collection of Valentine`s cards, each associated with Henry Horace Powell Cotton (1830-1994), Percy Powell-Cotton’s father.
All the cards are very intricate and highly decorated. Each one has a thin paper front, of lacelike appearance. Almost veil like, perhaps to hide the emotions held by the sender. Usually decorated with colourful flowers, one also has the image of a locket and printed words ‘My heart with love is beating’.
Another of the cards is in an envelope addressed to Horace Powell Cotton Esqr. Quakes, Ramsgate. It is stamped with a ‘Penny Red’ stamp and contains the verse above written within. In 1865 Horace, as he was known, married Matilda Christina Gordon (1841-1916). She was from a Scottish family and was living in Scotland in her early years so it is
unlikely this card came from her, but some of the others may well have.
Happy Valentine`s Day to all our staff, volunteers and visitors - We hope you enjoyed learning about this special collection today!
#behindthescenes #objectinfocus #fromthearchives #quexhouseandgardens #powellcottonmuseum #museumobject #valentines #valentinesday
@visitkent @visitthanet @kentattractions
This week our artist in residence @juliaellenlancaster_ceramics, has been working with local groups as part of the exciting community outreach initiative - The Sunshine Project.
Here we can see Julia teaching the group how to make leaf imprints into the clay as they prepare sculptures for the Spring into the Museum Tree Trail. Look out for the faces in the trees as you discover the trees of #Quexgardens during our Spring into the Museum event next month!
#Behindthescenes #ReimaginingtheMuseum #QuexGardens #Sunshineproject #Learning #thanetcommunity
@visitkent @visitthanet @kentattractions
The Sunshine Project is in receipt of a grant from AIM Connected Communities. AIM Connected Communities is funded by the DCMS Know Your Neighbourhood Fund through Arts Council England.
@Aimuseums, @dcmsgovuk and @aceagrams
https://aim-museums.co.uk/connected-communities-marketing-guidelines/
This week our artist in residence @juliaellenlancaster_ceramics, has been working with local groups as part of the exciting community outreach initiative - The Sunshine Project.
Here we can see Julia teaching the group how to make leaf imprints into the clay as they prepare sculptures for the Spring into the Museum Tree Trail. Look out for the faces in the trees as you discover the trees of #Quexgardens during our Spring into the Museum event next month!
#Behindthescenes #ReimaginingtheMuseum #QuexGardens #Sunshineproject #Learning #thanetcommunity
@visitkent @visitthanet @kentattractions
The Sunshine Project is in receipt of a grant from AIM Connected Communities. AIM Connected Communities is funded by the DCMS Know Your Neighbourhood Fund through Arts Council England.
@Aimuseums, @dcmsgovuk and @aceagrams
https://aim-museums.co.uk/connected-communities-marketing-guidelines/
Museum Discovery!
This book is called ‘Catriona’ by Robert Louis Stevenson...
Our archivist, Hazel, picked it up to inspect it for any conservation needs and opened it to discover what appears to be a self-portrait of Percy Powell Cotton inside the front cover!
What a lovely surprise. (And now we’re wondering if he sketched in any other books!)
#museumdiscovery #powellcottonmuseum #museumkent #visitthanet #FromtheArchives #behindthescenes
Museum Discovery!
This book is called ‘Catriona’ by Robert Louis Stevenson...
Our archivist, Hazel, picked it up to inspect it for any conservation needs and opened it to discover what appears to be a self-portrait of Percy Powell Cotton inside the front cover!
What a lovely surprise. (And now we’re wondering if he sketched in any other books!)
#museumdiscovery #powellcottonmuseum #museumkent #visitthanet #FromtheArchives #behindthescenes
A photograph from the archives...Percy Powell-Cotton enjoying the winter snow in Quex Gardens.
#museumskent #powellcottonmuseum #quexhouseandgardens #visitkent #reimaginingthemuseum #fromthearchives #behindthescenes
A photograph from the archives...Percy Powell-Cotton enjoying the winter snow in Quex Gardens.
#museumskent #powellcottonmuseum #quexhouseandgardens #visitkent #reimaginingthemuseum #fromthearchives #behindthescenes
Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas...
With Season`s Greetings from all the staff and volunteers!
See you all on New Year`s Day!
#visitkent #visitthanet #powellcottonmuseum #kentmuseums #seasonsgreetings #thingstodokent #quexgardens #behindthescenes #learning #reimaginingthemuseum
Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas...
With Season`s Greetings from all the staff and volunteers!
See you all on New Year`s Day!
#visitkent #visitthanet #powellcottonmuseum #kentmuseums #seasonsgreetings #thingstodokent #quexgardens #behindthescenes #learning #reimaginingthemuseum