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Our vibrant summer exhibition by Frances Corlett
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The story of St Neots gallery takes you from the 11th century Benedictine priory to the coming of the railway in 1851.
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Discover what Victorian life was like for our ancestors in the village hall gallery.

What’s on at St Neots Museum

We organise a variety of specialist and family events from walks, talks, one-day festivals, temporary and touring exhibitions.

Anglo-Saxon silver coins

7 February 2019

Two Anglo-Saxon silver pennies of Aethelred II who reigned 978-1016 and minted at Huntingdon by the moneyer, Aelfric. The coins were discovered by a local metal detectorist and purchased through the National Treasure Scheme.

The Bank of St Neots

7 February 2019

A regency banknote issued by the short-lived bank of St Neots in 1824. Donated by a family who owned a pawn shop in Enfield, London, where it is believed the note was given in payment for a property.

John Bellingham at the Old Bailey

7 February 2019

A print of John Bellingham, a merchant who spent part of his childhood in St Neots, and later in life murdered the British Prime Minister, Spencer Percival. The print depicts Bellingham standing in…

Mammoth bone

7 February 2019

Most mammoths become extinct at the end of the last Ice Age, around 10,000 years ago, and this tooth from a full-sized male was discovered in Sandy Heath Quarry in 2003. Mammoths had an incredible 5 to…

The St Neots parish chest

14 April 2018

The St Neots parish chest has been on display in the museum since we opened in 1998 after being restored and preserved is a long-term loan from the parish church.

James Toller, the Eynesbury Giant

7 July 2017

James Toller was born in St Neots in 1798 and by the age of ten was already 5ft 5 inches tall. Sadly James died when he was only 20-years-old but we have some interesting stuff about his life.

Paine’s Brewery and the history of brewing in St Neots

7 July 2017

The first large-scale brewery in St Neots is thought to have been established by Samuel Emery who purchased The Bull Inn on the Market Square and the public house next door so that he could brew in larger quantities.

History of the paper mill, Little Paxton

6 July 2017

There was an active mill on the site in Little Paxton since the monks of St Neots priory owned a water-powered medieval corn-grinding mill called Okestubbe.

The world’s oldest surviving quadruplets

5 July 2017

In St Neots in 1935 something rather unusual happened – in the upstairs bedroom of a council house, four tiny babies were born. We’ve collected together some of their belongings for you to see.

A brief history of the Home Guard

22 July 2020

"Don't panic! Don't panic!" Many of us have fond memories of the popular TV series Dad's Army, but how close was this comical depiction to the REAL Home Guard? Here's a brief look at its history... The…

The story of shopping

26 June 2020

We all love a bit of retail therapy, so with shops finally able to re-open, our curator Liz takes a look at shopping throughout history... Along with many other ‘non-essential’ local shops, St Neots…

Why do we celebrate the Summer Solstice?

19 June 2020

The Summer Solstice is almost upon us! Days are longer, nights are shorter, and the natural world is full of life. But what actually is a solstice, and why do we mark them in the way that we do? Read on…

National Lottery funding for St Neots Museum

10 June 2020

We're thrilled to announce that St Neots Museum has been awarded £14,845 of National Lottery funding by Arts Council England! This comes from ACE's Emergency Response Fund to support the arts and museums…

Historical folk remedies

1 June 2020

St Neots Museum Curator Liz Davies delves into the medical folk remedies recorded in Huntingdonshire In 2020, the current COVID-19 pandemic is a major crisis gripping the world, but since biblical times,…

The history of biscuits

29 May 2020

Munchable, scoffable, dunkable, WONDERFUL biscuits – few things in life are more pleasurable than a mug of tea and your favourite biccy. It just so happens that the 29th May is officially National Biscuit…

The history of English gardens

22 May 2020

Here's a fascinating guest post by one of our volunteers, Emily, who's here to enlighten us all about the history of our beloved gardens... Gardens, we all take them for granted these days don’t we?…

Unfortunate royal epithets

14 May 2020

Ever wondered about the stories behind historical monarchs’ epithets? Here’s 10 royals from the past who gained some rather unfortunate nicknames… It’s tradition for monarchs the world over to…

St Neots VE Day celebrations

30 April 2020

On Friday 8th May, the whole of Europe had intended to commemorate the end of World War II with VE and VJ Day events. The events were to mark the 75th anniversary of the original Victory in Europe and…

Objects

Galleries

First World War

Exhibitions

The Upcycling Crafter

Click here to find out how!

Summer with the Museums

Digital museum

Visit our gallery exhibitions

Visit our gallery exhibitions

What’s on at St Neots Museum

Anglo-Saxon silver coins

The Bank of St Neots

John Bellingham at the Old Bailey

Mammoth bone

The St Neots parish chest

James Toller, the Eynesbury Giant

Paine’s Brewery and the history of brewing in St Neots

History of the paper mill, Little Paxton

The world’s oldest surviving quadruplets

A brief history of the Home Guard

The story of shopping

Why do we celebrate the Summer Solstice?

National Lottery funding for St Neots Museum

Historical folk remedies

The history of biscuits

The history of English gardens

Unfortunate royal epithets

St Neots VE Day celebrations

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St Neots Museum

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