Corinium Museum Cirencester

Corinium MuseumThis week is Twitter’s International Museum Week which celebrates the many museums and galleries across the world that make valuable contributions to the arts, history and culture of so many countries. Corinium Museum is a fantastic multi-award winning museum in Cirencester.  (It won the Cotswolds Tourism Award Small Visitor Attraction of the Year in 2015) The Roman Town of Corinium (which we know today as Cirencester) was the second largest town in Roman Britain and contained a rich collection of Roman antiquities.  Many of these treasures are on show in the museum today.

 

Corinium Museum offers inspiring glimpses into Roman Life.  This is combined with a range of interactive hands on activities which bring history to life.  Visitors can experience life as a Roman, admire stunning mosaics up close and peek through the window of a Roman House.  Corinium Museum also have an award winning app which includes a museum tour, town tour and learning zone. It is a perfect way for visitors to Cirencester to learn more about Roman History.  For more details

 

Corinium Museum lay on a range of Children’s workshops – in April you can choose from mini-mosaics, incredible insects, and a hare on a bag.  Booking is essential for these workshops so do ring ahead!

 

A visit to Corinium Museum is a perfect activity for a day when the weather might not be as sunny as you would like!  The museum is open from 10am – 4pm Monday – Saturday and 2pm – 4pm on Sundays.

Glass making in the Cotswolds

Glass making in the Cotswolds

On our last visit to The New Brewery Arts Centre in Cirencester we had the privilege of watching glass-making in action. LoCo Glass have a studio where you can pop in and see their glass-makers in action. It’s a fantastic opportunity to see skilled craftsmen and women making beautiful objects, using techniques which haven’t changed for hundreds of years. We loved watching the glass being wound around like thick treacle. Sharing this album of photos as sometimes people prefer looking at photos to video!

For more information visit http://www.locoglass.co.uk/

 

   

 

 

Rare Roman Cockerel on display

Rare Roman Cockerel on display

New Roman finds have just gone on display at Cirencester’s Corinium Museum. In 2011 an enamelled cockerel was found during excavations of the western cemetery of Corinium (Roman Cirencester). The cockerel is one of only 9 known cockerel figurines from the Roman world, and is the only one with its tail intact. The cockerel is 12.5cm tall and the breast, wings, eyes and comb are inlaid with enamel, which is now blue and green.

Visitors will also be able to see a selection of beads and bracelets, which would have been high status objects and give a real insight into the people who lived in Corinium. The Tetbury Coin Hoard is also on display – it contains 1437 silver and copper-alloy 3rd Century Roman coins. The remarkably intact pottery vessel which contained them is also on display.

More information and photo credit: http://coriniummuseum.org

Ready to explore Cirencester?

Ready to explore Cirencester?

A walk around Cirencester, following the recently launched ‘Whereat Trail’ will introduce you to many historically significant parts of the town. The trail was set up in commemoration of Norman Whereat, the first person to be awarded the ‘Freeman of Cirencester. He was a long time town councillor and twice mayor. The trail begins at Corinium Museum (the multi award winning museum which has a large collection of locally found Roman artefacts) and continues past the gates of the Bathurst Estate, the west gate of Roman Corinium and the Roman amphitheatre.

To download the trail visit https://aqiva.co.uk/2021/10/23/the-whereat-trail-cirencester/

Photo credit Brian Robert Marshall cc-by-sa/2.0 geograph.org.uk/p/1930978

Cirencester Amphitheatre