December 2024: Object of The Month ‘Model Workshop’

Object of the Month for December looks at a fascinating model workshop features in a brand new exhibition at Museum & Art Swindon, called Un/Common People.   The exhibition is a celebration of folk culture in Wessex and is full of both traditional and non-traditional examples of that culture.  The wealth of handmade objects and crafts on display includes this model workshop from the STEAM collection.

The model was hand-made between 1880 and 1900 by three generations of the Jewell family, all of whom worked in the workshops of the Army and Navy Stores, and were skilled motor mechanics.  The workshop is portrayed in intricate detail with a wooden work bench, metal lathe, an anvil, brazier and tiny tools.  The quality of workmanship in creating this unique model is outstanding.

Un/Common People: Folk Culture in Wessex is open at Museum & Art Swindon until March 2025.