Blake Museum is nestled in a little street near the heart of Bridgwater, only a few minutes walk from St. Mary’s Church at 5 Blake Street, Bridgwater, TA6 3NB. This was the home of Admiral Robert Blake (1598-1657) who was one of the most important men from this town. His bust is on display in St. Mary’s Church.
Photo: Andrea Zuvich
Now, I’m sorry to say I wasn’t able to take any photos inside, though it would have been well worth it. They had some amazing 17th century artefacts that would have blown your mind, but that just means you’ll have to visit them yourselves someday 😉
There were Rhenish wine jugs from the 1600s, stoneware tankards, brass skillets, made by Robert & Co.
I took about two pages worth of notes inside the room which is mainly about the English Civil Wars and the Monmouth Rebellion. There were original objects from the Battle of Sedgemoor including:
- head of a halberd
- Plug bayonet (for inserting into the gun barrel).
- Bill hook: an agricultural tool, which may have been carried by a rebel soldier.
- Mortuary sword.
There were also some coins commemorating the defeat of the Rebellion.
One inscribed with:
“Jacobus infelix dix monumenthensis.”
The back of it was:
“Thus his blood was rendered to God.”
Photo: Andrea Zuvich
They had more than 17th century items to see, here were pre-historic displays of fossils and natural history. There were items from the Victorian period, clothing, tools, etc.
It was apparent to me that The Blake Museum is staffed by devoted volunteers who love the museum and its history. Sadly, this was yet another example of how important it is to donate to these charities, that work to keep our heritage alive. According to the leaflet I took from the museum:
“From April, after four years of transitional funding, the Museum will lose £25,000 received each year from Sedgemoor District Council. It costs around £10,000 per year to run the museum, not including the fixed costs of around £25,000 which are not covered by the Town Council. It is vital that income is maximised as much as possible to enable the museum to keep open.”
I spent another £10 here for donation. Will you join me? Please donate: http://www.blakemuseumfriends.org.uk/
Thank you.
What is a mortuary sword? Thanks for this series of reports; I feel like I’ve been to Bridgwater as well. Even the weather seemed to cooperate..
Thanks for your comments, Susan! We were very lucky with the weather, thank goodness. As for mortuary swords, here’s a link which has great photos and information: http://www.royalarmouries.org/learning/online-learning/littlecote-house-module/explore-littlecote-house-without-flash/great-hall-in-littlecote-house/swords-of-the-english-civil-wars
Thank you so much for your kind comments, Its much appreciated.
Follow this link for the museum newsletters. http://www.blakemuseumfriends.org.uk/newsletters.htm
Tony Woolrich, Hon Curator, The Blake Museum
Wow! Thank you so much for having a look at this post! 🙂