Dorking and District Museum
Dorking Museum, The Old Foundry, 62 West Street
One of the many attractive features of the Dorking Museum is its situation. It lies in the historic centre of the town, behind West Street. It was probably near this location that the first market was established. The original name of the Museum site, The Stockhouse, could be well be connected with it. In the 1820's the site became a foundry and it is from this site that manhole covers and gutter grates, that can be seen in Dorking's streets today, were made.
The Museum still contains many reminders of its former occupation. An excellent library and archive to the left of the entrance courtyard originally housed the main office to the old foundry. Today it holds an extensive collection of books and pamphlets relating to the area and its people. It is a treasure-trove of books, maps, newspaper cuttings and ephemera.
In 1940 the machine shop on the right hand side of the courtyard was rebuilt and enlarged when the foundry was in its heyday. This building now houses the museum. It contains an amazing variety of displays from children's toys to agricultural equipment and has an extensive fossil collection, bygones including early radios, vacuum cleaners and sewing machines, a Victorian dolls house and Victorian kitchen and laundry artifacts.
The Museum is financed by the Dorking and District Preservation Society, donations, grants and modest entry charges. Adult entry is £1 and concessions 50 pence. Children are free. Opening times are Wednesdays and Thursdays 2-5 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m.-4p.m.
For more information and details of current exhibition visit www.dorkingmuseum.co.uk
