New gallery to open at Deal museum
Two feeding troughs for mules which hauled shells to the
heavy guns during the First World War have been revealed during
clearance work in the stable block of Deal Maritime and Local
History Museum.
The find, which had lain hidden for almost a century, was made as
part of work to establish a new gallery in the block at the rear of
the museum, in St George’s Road.
Used as a store room since the museum charity took over the site,
the stable block has had a major overhaul by volunteers for the
opening of the new gallery, which will be on May 4.
Clearance work revealed the troughs, which the animals used when
they weren’t taking shells to the guns which were stationed at the
north of the town during the war.
The walls and windows also had to be made watertight and one wall
has been clad in high quality, 18th century timber, while the other
walls have been painted white.
Dr Deryck Murray, chairman of the museum charity, said: “A number
of volunteers have put in a lot of work over the cold winter months
to bring the whole of the ground floor of the stable block into use
for a new display. We can now display our wood working and boat
building tools. This will help to explain how Deal’s boats were
constructed.”
The new gallery, which will be open to the public whenever the
museum is open, is the first step in a planned series of
improvements at the museum.
07/03/13
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