History Talk: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
2pm Wednesday 17 December A talk by Professor Mark Connelly on the development of the English Christmas, 1820-1930. During the nineteenth century the nature of the Christmas we know today emerged. Not so much invented by the Victorians, as rediscovered, Christmas became a focal point in the year for a society dealing with the effects […]
Great Estates
The landed gentry once dominated Sevenoaks. Many people worked in the mansion houses and surrounding grounds. Significant central Sevenoaks estates in the late 18th century were Knole, Montreal, Wildernesse, Kippington, Bradbourne and Greatness. Montreal House was built for Jeffrey Amherst after his return from war in 1764, on an existing family estate. It had 27 […]
William Harold House photograph collection
Last year, the museum was given a collection of photographs taken by the late William Harold House. There are some 300 monochrome prints and glass plate negatives, predominantly portraits. The pictures display the breadth of Sevenoaks society in the early 1900s, from dusty chimney sweeps and laughing policemen to impeccable court judges and stern aristocratic […]
New Acquisition
An interesting item, just three centimetres in length, recently found its way to the museum through the Treasure process. This cast silver hook is engraved with decoration in the Trewhiddle Anglo Saxon style, appearing to show a bird in downward flight. It is inlaid with niello (a black mixture, usually of sulphur, copper, silver, and […]
New Acquisition
Three model trains hand made by local man William George Baigent. ‘Bill’ was born 11 January 1910 at the Mount Cottages, Knockholt near Sevenoaks. He served in the army and later returned to Sevenoaks where he worked in the TV and Radio repair business and had a shop in St Johns, Sevenoaks for several years. […]
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
From the humble envelope to elaborate wax seals, this post will walk you through the art and etiquette of letter sealing, using examples from the Sevenoaks collection. The above is a circular medieval seal found on St Botolph’s Road. A seal matrix is used for making an impression on a wax seal, to authenticate a […]
Recollecting the Collector
Michael de Koningh grew up in the Bat and Ball area of Sevenoaks in the 1960s and 70s, and never moved far from the area after leaving his childhood home and getting married. When Michael sadly passed away in 2016, he left behind a multifaceted legacy and a large collection of stuff to go with […]
Door to the Past
In this post we are talking about all things Doors, so ‘break on through to the other side’ and get a sneak peek of some interesting objects from the collection store… Miniature picture frame A quaint souvenir of Sevenoaks past, made from a piece of the oak door sill from 90 High Street. The frame […]