Woodhall Spa Cottage Museum

About the museum

The Cottage Museum occupies a rare surviving Boulton and Paul bungalow made of corrugated iron on a timber frame. Prefabricated iron buildings of this kind were mass-produced in the nineteenth century as cheap, portable houses, churches and schools. The bungalow was the home of the Wield family from 1887 until the 1960s, and the building is itself the museum's main exhibit.

John Wield was a keen photographer, and his pictures form a unique record of life in the village around the turn of the twentieth century. When a dentist who lived in the bungalow in the early 1980s was about to move away, he offered Wield's photographs and papers to local people on condition that they were put on public display. After the bungalow came on the market in 1985, a community meeting backed the idea of a museum, a trust was formed in 1986 and the museum opened in 1987.

The displays tell the history of Woodhall Spa, which grew after the discovery of mineral-rich water in a failed coal-mine shaft led to a bath house in 1834, and of the village in the Second World War, when thousands of service personnel were stationed nearby and 617 Squadron flew most of its operations from the area.

The museum is a registered charity and is run by volunteers, supported by a friends group. Visitors can play with a selection of toys and games from the past, and a community room is available to hire.

Highlights

• Edwardian corrugated-iron bungalow, a rare surviving Boulton and Paul building
• Photograph collection of John Wield recording village life
• Toys and games from the past that visitors can play with
• Displays on the spa history of Woodhall Spa
• Displays on wartime Woodhall and 617 Squadron

Permanent exhibitions

• The Wield family bungalow – The Edwardian corrugated-iron home of the Wield family, furnished and displayed as a period house with a grocer's shop display and toys and games.
• John Wield photograph collection – Photographs recording life in Woodhall Spa, which form the basis of the museum's collection.

Founded

1987

Operated by

Woodhall Spa Cottage Museum (registered charity), run by volunteers

Admission & discounts

Free entry for Friends of the Museum and, with ID, for Lincs Heroes (NHS, RAF, Army, Police, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue and LIVES staff). Tickets can be bought online.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• 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 lists an accessible entrance and accessible toilets, and publishes an accessibility guide; questions can be asked by phone. A hearing loop is installed in the community room. Dogs are welcome.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities

Visitors can play with toys and games from the past. School sessions let pupils dress in Victorian costume, play parlour games and visit a grocer's shop display. Baby changing is available.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on Iddesleigh Road; its what3words address is operated.blissful.reefs.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

Free wifi is available. There are baby changing facilities, accessible toilets and bike racks, and the museum has an online shop.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Up to 18 guests.

A heated community room of about 7.3 m by 3.3 m seats up to 18 theatre style or 12 to 14 boardroom style, with tea and coffee making facilities and a hearing loop. Accessible toilets and a courtyard are next to it.

Plan your visit