Exhibitions 2021 – 2023
Bone Black : a Brief History of Colours
12 November 2022 – 19 March 2023
An exhibition exploring the making, meaning and use of colours from prehistory to the present day
Lost Language of Nature
16 July 2022 – 31 October 2022
Bringing stories of animals and nature from around the world to Saffron Walden Museum. Part of a year-long project to begin to recognise and discuss the global origins of the museum’s taxidermy items and to respect, share and record their international stories through community work and exhibitions. The focus of our community work is to collect both local and international stories and cultural information about our taxidermy specimens from the public.
All Fired Up : a History of Fire Fighting in Essex in Partnership with Essex Fire Museum
2 April 2022 – 3 July 2022
Along with discovering some of the technological developments which have influenced fire-fighting, visitors were able to discover heroic stories of bravery and the human stories behind some of the major incidents which have occurred in the county’s history. The exhibition touched upon some of the more obscure aspects of local fire-fighting history, including a troupe of fire-fighting scouts, a famous fire-fighting vicar and the story of how an obscure family pet caused a local mansion to go up in flames.
Fossilisation: a slice of the Anthropocene
18 September 2021 – 20 March 2022
Fossilisation featured original bronze and mixed media sculpture by acclaimed artist Kabir Hussain. Drawing on the concepts of fossilisation and preservation and accompanied by objects from across the museum collection, Fossilisation: a slice of the Anthropocene questioned what traces of modern society might remain in the fossil and geological record thousands of years from now. Kabir has exhibited at the Sainsbury Centre, Norwich, and completed various residencies across London and the East of England. He is based near Woodbridge, Suffolk, where he combines his art with a career as a professional bronze caster, and educational work for students and emerging artists.
Exhibitions 2019-2021
Man & Beast
March 2020- September 2021
An exhibition exploring the many faces of portraiture. Visitors discovered how portraits have been used through the centuries, from paintings and busts to photos, diaries, death masks and finger prints. The exhibition brought together new objects to create a portrait of Uttlesford now, reflecting the diverse lives of local people in the 21st century.
Please note: The museum was closed due to covid restrictions between March 2020 and May 2021, with the exception of 2 limited opening weeks in December 2020, before re-opening for limited hours from May 2021 onwards.
From Death Masks to Diaries
16 November 2019 – 22 March 2020
An exhibition exploring the many faces of portraiture. Visitors discovered how portraits have been used through the centuries, from paintings and busts to photos, diaries, death masks and finger prints. The exhibition brought together new objects to create a portrait of Uttlesford now, reflecting the diverse lives of local people in the 21st century.
Take Away the Walls
25 May 2019 – 3 November 2019
An exhibition for health, happiness and wildlife.
Living with History
16 February 2019 – 12 May 2019
Discover the ancient origins of Uttlesford’s market towns and other main centres from Roman to medieval times
Exhibitions 2018
Collections Re-Crafted
6 October 2018 – 3 February 2019
40 Textile Artworks by 30 artists, inspired by Saffron Walden
and the Museum’s outstanding collections. The artworks cover a range of themes including the Saffron Crocus, Collecting & Connecting, People & Place, Naturally Inspired and Objects in Time. Bespoke and intricate textile artworks available at affordable prices.
Worlds Under Glass: Adventures in Taxidermy
11 August – 23 September 2018
This exhibition explored the history of Taxidermy from its crude beginnings to its Victorian heyday – science, decline and revival. The exhibition combined examples of taxidermy which could be considered crude in their technique, as well as impressive displays of exotic birds and study skins, to modern examples of taxidermy which captured the character of specimens with incredible accuracy.
From the Hazely Brick Earth: Agriculture in North-West Essex
27 January 2018 – 29 July 2018
A look at rural life and trades in north-west Essex from the past to the present. With thanks to our participants – RAGT Seeds, James Carter, West Essex Saddlery and Great Clerkes Farm Foods – and to Saffron Drones for their support, and to RAGT Seeds and NFU Mutual for their generous sponsorship.
Exhibitions 2017
Life in the Ice Age
12 August 2017 – 12 January 2018
Life in the Ice Age explored the ice ages in Britain and featured a life-size Stone Age man, as well as a sabre-toothed cat and European wolf from the Travelling Natural History Museum.
Completing the Look: 300 Years of Fashion Accessories
28 January – 30 July 2017
Completing the Look featured beautiful accessories dating from the early 1700s to the 1970s, exploring how fashion is affected by social, cultural and political changes.
Exhibitions 2016
Magna Carta
16 July 2016 – 15 January 2017
Magna Carta was a touring exhibition from Castle Hedingham Parish Council, exploring the importance of Magna Carta for in medieval Essex.
Ocean World
20 February – 3 July 2016
Ocean World offered an opportunity to discover giant and tiny sea creatures in a marine exhibition, created with the Travelling Natural History Museum.
Exhibitions 2015
Visions of the World
14 February – 16 August 2015
Visions of the World was a touring exhibition from the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) showcasing some of the most spectacular images taken by travellers, explorers and scientists.
Uttlesford: A Community of Collectors
29 August 2015 – 7 February 2016.
We discovered the collections of ordinary people in our local community in Uttlesford: A Community of Collectors, the result of a special collaborative project between the museum and our community.
Exhibitions 2014
North West Essex at War
2 August – 1 February 2015.
To mark the centenary of World War I, we hosted an exhibition showing how both the First and Second World Wars affected the people of North West Essex.
Secrets from the Stores
8 March – 20 July 2014
We delved into our stores to bring to light some of the many fascinating objects from our Museum stores that are not on display.