[00:49.59]Good morning everyone, and welcome to the Museum of Farming Life.
[00:54.98]I understand it's your first visit here, so I'd like to give you some background information about the museum and then explain a little about what you can see during your visit.
[01:07.05]So, where we're standing at the moment is the entrance to a large building that was constructed in 1880 as the home of a local businessman, Alfred Palmer, of the Palmer biscuit factory.
[01:22.64]It was later sold and became a hall of residence for students in 1911, and a museum in 1951.
[01:32.69]In 2005, a modern extension was built to accommodate the museum's collections.
[01:40.68]The museum's owned by the university, and apart from two rooms that are our offices, the university uses the main part of the building.
[01:51.64]You may see students going into the building for lessons, but it's not open to museum visitors, I'm afraid.
[01:58.88]It's a shame because the interior architectural features are outstanding, especially the room that used to be the library.
[02:08.54]Luckily, we've managed to keep entry to the museum free.
[02:13.93]This includes access to all the galleries, outdoor areas and the rooms for special exhibitions.
[02:21.92]We run activities for children and students, such as the museum club, for which there's no charge.
[02:30.46]We do have a donation box just over there so feel free to give whatever amount you consider appropriate.
[02:39.56]We do have a cloakroom, if you'd like to leave your coats and bags somewhere.
[02:45.88]Unlike other museums, photography is allowed here, so you might like to keep your cameras with you.
[02:54.24]You might be more comfortable not carrying around heavy rucksacks, though keep your coats and jackets on as it's quite cold in the museum garden today.
[03:50.89]I'd like to tell you about the different areas of the museum.
[03:55.72]Just inside, and outside the main gallery, we have an area called Four Seasons.
[04:02.78]Here you can watch a four-minute animation of a woodland scene.
[04:07.61]It was designed especially for the museum by a group of young people on a film studies course, and it's beautiful.
[04:15.42]Children absolutely love it, but then, so do adults.
[04:20.06]The main gallery's called Town and Country.
[04:23.59]It includes a photographic collection of prize-winning sheep and shepherds.
[04:29.53]Leaving Town and Country, you enter Farmhouse Kitchen, which is ... well, self-explanatory.
[04:37.15]Here we have the oldest collection of equipment for making butter and cheese in the country.
[04:43.65]And this morning, a specialist cheesemaker will be giving demonstrations of how it's produced.
[04:50.34]You may even get to try some.
[04:52.94]After that, you can go in two directions.
[04:57.21]To the right is a staircase that takes you up to a landing from where you can look down on the galleries. To the left is a room called A Year on the Farm.
[05:09.47]There's lots of seating here as sometimes we use the room for school visits, so it's a good place to stop for a rest.
[05:17.64]If you're feeling competitive, you can take our memory test in which you answer questions about things you've seen in the museum.
[05:26.93]The next area's called Wagon Walk.
[05:29.90]This contains farm carts from nearly every part of the country.
[05:35.29]It's surprising how much regional variation there was.
[05:39.75]Beside the carts are display boards with information about each one.
[05:45.14]The carts are old and fragile, so we ask you to keep our children close to you and ensure they don't climb on the carts.
[05:54.80]From Wagon Walk, you can either make your way back to reception or go out into the garden —or even go back to take another look in the galleries.
[06:05.94]In the far corner of the garden is Bees are Magic, but we're redeveloping this area so you can't visit that at the moment.
[06:14.67]You can still buy our honey in the shop, though.
[06:18.39]Finally, there's The Pond, which contains all kinds of interesting wildlife.
[06:24.70]There are baby ducks that are only a few days old. as well as tiny frogs.
[06:30.46]The Pond isn't deep and there's a fence around it, so it's perfectly safe for children.
