As part of the national Heritage Open Day programme, Lowestoft Folk teamed up with Lowestoft Museum, and ran a creative workshop and story telling event – in which the Cabinet of Curiosity took centre stage.
Inspired by the beautiful tap work created by shoemaker, Harry Peck, artist Caitlin Howells invited visitors to make their own tap work mats. This involved hammering tiny pins into cork mats and then winding coloured silk threads around the nails to create a pattern.
Meanwhile, story teller Liam Carroll wheeled the Cabinet of Curiosity outside the Museum and invited passers-by to explore the items concealed within the gold leaf-lined drawers. After telling them some of the stories behind the exhibits, people were then encouraged to go and find out more for themselves inside the Museum.
The Museum is in the Nicholas Everitt park, which is itself a popular location for tourists and local residents, many of whom return regularly to admire the gardens and watch the boats on Oulton Broads.
It turns out, however, that they don’t always visit all the attractions. As one visitor told us, “I’ve been to this Park dozens of times over the years, but I’ve never been inside the Museum. Now I’ve seen this (the Cabinet) I’m going to go inside and see what else is there.”
