Desborough Heritage Centre

About the museum

Desborough Heritage Centre is an independent museum run by volunteers and a registered charity, with free admission. It presents the story of Desborough in Northamptonshire from its earliest settlement through to the 19th and 20th centuries. Remains from the Stone Age, about 10,000 years ago, have been found in the area, and finds record people living here from about 2,000 BC to the 7th century AD.

Two famous local discoveries, the Desborough Mirror and the Desborough Necklace, are the museum's best-known stories. The bronze mirror is described as the most beautiful Iron Age mirror found in Britain and dates from the 1st century BC. The gold necklace of coiled wire beads with garnet pendants and a central cross was found in the grave of an early Christian Saxon woman. The original finds are in the British Museum, and the centre shows a specially commissioned replica of the mirror.

The Boot and Shoe Room explains an industry that gave the town 29 factories from 1868, among them Cheaney's, founded in 1886. Another eye-catching exhibit is a hand-drawn hearse of 1899 built by William Pass of Kettering, which Desborough Civic Society rescued from the cemetery chapel and conserved. The centre is an Arts Council England accredited museum and has won a number of local and national awards, including Museum of the Year in 2010.

Highlights

• Replica of the Iron Age Desborough Mirror
• Desborough Necklace, a Saxon gold and garnet find
• Boot and Shoe Room on the local shoemaking industry
• Hand-drawn hearse of 1899
• Award-winning volunteer-run museum with free entry

Permanent exhibitions

• Desborough Mirror and Desborough Necklace – A replica of the Iron Age bronze mirror and the story of the Saxon gold necklace, whose originals are in the British Museum.
• Boot and Shoe Room – A room on the town's shoemaking industry, its factories, people and processes since 1868.

Founded

2003

Operated by

Desborough Civic Society and Heritage Centre (registered charity 1086882)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum has easy wheelchair access from the front of the building, and the exhibits are arranged for easy movement by wheelchair. Talking monitor screens support some displays. Toilets with easy access are in the Revive Coffee Shop opposite the centre.

Kids & families

The centre welcomes school visits and has won an award for its work with children and young people.

Getting there & parking

The contact page describes routes to the centre on foot, by public transport and by car.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Museum shop

A small gift shop sells heritage toys, bags, handmade cards, local history books and local crafts, including blown-glass items. The Revive Coffee Shop opposite the centre has toilets. The centre also holds a coffee morning on the first Saturday of the month.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit