Visitor Visual Story www.prestonparkmuseum.co.uk
Preston Park Museum Opening Times Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Closed 10am - 4pm 10am - 4pm 10am - 4pm 10am - 4pm 10am - 4pm 10am - 4pm Last admission 3.30pm Closed Mondays except Bank Holidays and during Stockton school holidays Contact information: Telephone: 01642 527375 Email: museum@stockton.gov.uk Visitor Visual Story 2
Museum Entrance If you arrive by car or bus, you will park in our car park. To reach the museum there is a long path to walk down where you will pass a large field, skate park and play area. Visitor Visual Story 3
Reception As you walk into the museum, you will be greeted by our Visitor Service Assistant(s) behind a reception desk. The reception is where you will buy your ticket for the museum. There is also a gift shop here where you can buy souvenirs of your visit. Visitor Visual Story 4
Staff Visitor Service Assistants Our Visitor Service Assistants wear either bright green or navy blue t-shirts and in cold weather, a navy jacket or body warmer. These all have the Preston Park Museum and Grounds logo on. You can ask them questions about the museum and your visit. They can also help you to buy your ticket and items from the gift shop. Visitor Visual Story 5
Staff (continued) Volunteers We also have many volunteers. Some are casually dressed, some in navy or green uniform with a green lanyard with Preston Park Museum & Grounds logos on and others in Victorian costume, usually working in the shops. The volunteers will be happy to help you with any questions. Non-Uniformed Staff Other staff working in the museum will be smart but casually dressed and usually wear a green lanyard with an identification badge and Preston Park Museum & Grounds logos on it. You can ask them for help, such as directions and timings of events, etc. Visitor Visual Story 6
Function Room These are rooms which you may be able to go in to during your visit. They are used for various events in the museum including weddings, conferences, dance classes, temporary exhibitions and on some occasions school workshops. Sometimes you may not be able to enter these rooms, if they are pre-booked for a function such as a wedding or a conference for example. If you are unsure whether you can go in these rooms, ask one of the Visitor Services Assistants. Winter Garden Billiard Room Music Room Visitor Visual Story 7
Galleries We have four galleries over two floors. The galleries are coloured green and purple downstairs, and blue and orange upstairs. Green Gallery - The Hall and its People Explore the history and discover the stories of the two families that made the Hall what it is today- the Fowlers (Georgian era) and the Ropners (Victorian era). Things you may hear: The Locomotion wall display Sir Robert Ropner s talking portrait Visitor Visual Story 8
Purple Gallery - Collectors and Collecting Celebrating the museum s exciting and varied collection, highlights include Colonel Spence s Weapons Explosion display, plus items donated from the Clephan and Ions families. Things you may hear: Recordings of voices from exhibits Things to be aware of: This gallery has no through way, so you will have to turn around when you get to the end. The lighting level is low in this gallery. Visitor Visual Story 9
The Staircase We have stairs leading to our upstairs galleries. A handrail is available. The galleries can also be accessed by lift. First Floor - Orange Gallery - Clocking Off Second Floor - Blue Gallery - The River Tees Temporary Exhibition Gallery and Demonstration Kitchen. Visitor Visual Story 10
Blue Gallery - The River Tees The River Tees has defined the lives of people of the borough for centuries discover how people came to settle, and the trades and skills they brought with them. Things you may hear: The Locomotion model train above your head Visitor Visual Story 11
Temporary Exhibition Gallery This space often changes and exhibits different artworks and photography throughout the year. Sometimes there are multisensory elements within these exhibitions. For example, sounds and smells to enhance the exhibition. To see what our latest exhibition is, check our website: www.prestonparkmuseum.co.uk Visitor Visual Story 12
Orange Gallery - Clocking Off Find out what life would have been like outside of work over the last 200 years. Things you may hear: Recordings of musical instruments and singing Clocking off machine Recordings of a voice singing from the shower over the bath Visitor Visual Story 13
Demonstration Kitchen This room is used for food demonstrations and community groups. On occasions, school workshops take place in this room. Things you may smell: Food being cooked Things you may hear: Adults and children s voices Visitor Visual Story 14
Victorian Street You can enter the Victorian Street through the gift shop. If you enter here, you will pass over a large clock face on the floor covered in glass. Don t worry: you can walk over this and it won t break. You will then go through some powerassisted doors and come to the start of the Victorian Street. To continue forward, you will have to walk through a short, narrow tunnel. The street is mainly cobbles. This may be slippery when wet and strange to walk on. There is lots to see on the Victorian Street. Many of the shops are open for you to go into including the Sweet Shop, Drapers, Chemist and Blacksmith. Some of our shops will have volunteers inside who might be in costume. You will be able to ask them questions if you wish. Visitor Visual Story 15
Victorian Street (continued) Toilets You will find toilets and baby changing facilities on the street, under the archway. Tearoom We have a tearoom on our street, where you can purchase drinks and cakes. Visitor Visual Story 16
Victorian Street (continued) Things you may hear: Automatic doors Metal boules rattling on the cobbles Hoop and stick rattling on the cobbles Children s voices, laughing, chatting Blacksmith s hammer Things you may smell: Coffee from the tea room Burning of coal in the Blacksmiths Carbolic soap Visitor Visual Story 17
The Orchard Our Orchard has various young trees planted and is used for many of our activities and our Mini Beast workshop. This is a booked workshop for school children, where they can explore the garden to find insects and other animals. There is a path and bench where you can sit and enjoy the view. Things you may smell: Grass Flowers Things you may hear: Bees Grass being cut The sound of gravel being walked on Visitor Visual Story 18
Walled Kitchen Garden Our Walled Kitchen Garden is open from April until the end of September. To enter the Walled Kitchen Garden, you follow the gravel path through the Orchard and go through the gate in the wall. Often there are gardeners or volunteers working in the garden and they will be able to answer your questions, or they may have produce for sale. Things you may smell: Scents of flowers in the orchard and garden Manure Things you may hear: Bees Gravel being walked on Visitor Visual Story 19
Toilets and Lifts We have toilets on both floors of the museum next to the lifts as well as toilets in the Victorian Street. Things you may smell: Air freshener in the toilets Things you may hear: Hand dryers in the toilets Air freshener- this is on a timer and you may hear a hiss Visitor Visual Story 20
Group visits If you are visiting as part of a group or a school you may be participating in one of our workshops. Learning Rooms: Workshops are usually delivered in one of our learning rooms at the bottom of the Victorian Street. The room may be set-dressed, depending on your workshop. Visitor Visual Story 21
Group visits (continued) Lunch Cabins Your group leader may have booked you one of our lunch cabins. These are located at the back of the building and are lit naturally and do not have any heating. Therefore, they may be cold and dark in winter months. The cabins are accessed by a road and you will pass a staff car park. Visitor Visual Story 22
Quiet Space If during your stay you would like a quiet space to sit in for a short while, then please speak to a member of staff and we will see what we can arrange that is suitable. Visitor Visual Story 23
Emergency information If you hear a spoken siren, This is a fire alarm. Please leave immediately, by the nearest available exit., calmly leave the building. Follow a member of staff if you are unsure. During a fire alarm, lifts will return to the ground floor and stop working. Automatic doors will not be operational, therefore they may be quite difficult to push or pull. If you are in an organised group, it is important that you stay with your group leaders. Follow them to the nearest exit. The meeting point during a fire alarm is on the grass, in front of the museum. If you are in one of our learning rooms, then you may exit the museum by a back door and meet in the staff car park. Visitor Visual Story 24
The images below can be cut out and used to plan the journey that may be followed on a visit. The path up to museum from car park Play Park Front of the museum Reception Desk Gift Shop Visitor Service Assistants Visitor Visual Story 25
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Volunteers in costume Non-Uniformed Staff Winter Garden Billiard Room Music Room Green Gallery Visitor Visual Story 27
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Talking Sir Robert Ropner portrait in Green Gallery Purple Gallery Staircase Blue Gallery Train overhead in Blue Gallery Temporary Exhibition Gallery Visitor Visual Story 29
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Orange Gallery Victorian Street Clock Victorian Street Shops Toilets in Victorian Street Tea Room Visitor Visual Story 31
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The Orchard Entrance to Walled Kitchen Garden Walled Kitchen Garden Demonstration Kitchen Outside Learning Building Inside Learning Room Visitor Visual Story 33
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Outside Lunch Cabin Inside Lunch Cabin Visitor Visual Story 35