A journey through history for care home residents of Watton

A hidden gem in the heart of Watton was the discovery for care home residents David Partridge and Arthur Hazlewood, who visited the Museum 4 Watton located in their local Norfolk town Watton.

The gentleman from Buckingham Lodge Care Home in Watton were both pleasantly surprised by the exhibits in the museum which range from a 500,000-year-old hand axe to an original RAF magnetron astonishingly still in one piece, alongside relics from the Boer War, WW1 and WW2.

“Museums uniting in a divided world” was the theme for National Museum Day (18th May) and despite mobility the gentleman were still able to access via a stair lift the upper floor of the museum, located in the Wayland Hall or Watton Town Hall which was built in 1853 by the renowned Victorian architect Edward Buckton Lamb.

Now used not only as a museum the grade II listed building serves also as the Headquarters for Watton Town Council meetings.

Local Historian and Volunteer Chris Huchings demonstrated his incredible wealth of knowledge about the local history and families including Walter Arthur Nunn from neighbouring Thompson village whose WW2 medals are displayed with in the museum.

Amongst the exhibits are also pieces of artwork sketched by the late infamous gangster Reggie Kray who served time in HMP Wayland which although slightly controversial are part of the history of Watton and surrounding areas.

All in all, a fascinating visit.