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Places to see pewter in the UK and Ireland
Harvard House
High Street, Stratford-upon Avon, Warwickshire
For details or further information telephone 01789 204016.
On display: The Neish Pewter Collection.
Put together over many years by Alex Neish, the collection is the finest and most diverse of its kind, comprising well over eleven hundred pieces ranging from Roman times to the nineteenth century. Many are outstanding examples of their type. The museum also houses examples of twentieth century pewter.
Harvard House is one of Stratford-upon Avon's best known historic buildings. Built in 1596, its half-timbered frontage is the most elaborately carved in the town, and the interior contains many fine architectural features. In the eighteenth century pewter was sold there and the rooms now make an appropriate setting for the the collection.
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
Since 1991the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has been responsible for maintaining and managing Harvard House.
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Website http://www.shakespeare.org.uk
Arlington Court
Arlington, near Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 4LP
For details or further information telephone 01271 850296 or email arlingtoncourt@nationaltrust.org.uk
On display: The Chichester collection of pewter; a large and varied collection representing a cross section of pewter that caught the eye and wallet of the pewter collectors of the first decades of the 20th century. Some candlesticks, flagons, porringers and spoons are of particular interest. The section of measures is especially large and includes English, Scottish, Irish and also many examples from the Channel Islands. A notable specialist group is the collection of small boxes. Some highly important foreign pieces from France, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands also form part of the collection which was identified and listed by the Society in 2000.
Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon
The Square, Barnstaple, Devon EX32 8LN
For details or further information telephone 01271 346747 or email museum@northdevon.gov.uk
On display: The Stanley E Thomas pewter collection. The collection includes over 100 pieces, with an emphasis on Devon and West Country pewter. The collection is very varied and includes a number of flagons, three of the finest being locally-made 17th century 'beefeaters', 17th and early 18th century chargers, dishes and plates, three being decorated with wrigglework, two examples of footed plates, a rare Stuart candlestick, a dome-lidded tankard from Exeter, a set of 'harvester' measures and a variety of other measures and mugs. Most of the pewter is on display in period room settings. Catalogues of the collection, compiled by the Society, are for sale at the Museum.
American Museum & Gardens
Claverton Manor, Bath
For details or further information telephone 01225 460503 or email info@americanmuseum.org
The museum shows, mainly in period room settings, the development of American Decorative Arts from 17th century New England to 19th century New Orleans and New Mexico. A selection of 50 quilts are always on display. Additional displays are devoted to Folk Art, Native American Art, Silver and Pewter. The extensive grounds contain a replica of part of the garden at George Washington's Virginia home, and an Arboretum of North American trees and shrubs.
Bewdley Museum
Load St, Bewdley, Worcestershire, DY12 2AE
For details or further information telephone 01299 403573 or email bewdley.museum@wyreforestdc.gov.uk
Bewdley was one of the most important centres of pewter manufacture in Britain in the eighteenth century. The museum has a gallery explaining the manufacture and history of pewter, with many items on display.
Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum
Clarence St., Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 3JT
For further details or information, telephone 01242 237431 or e-mail artgallery@cheltenham.gov.uk
On display: The A.T.Isher pewter bequest. Now the subject of a book & catalogue by Jan Gadd and published by the Pewter Society, the Isher bequest consists mainly of 17th century items including important pieces such as church flagons, flat-lid tankards, wrigglework plates and measures.
The National Museum of Scotland
Chambers St., Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
For further details and information, telephone 0131 247 4442 or e-mail info@nms.ac.uk
On display: several pieces of Scottish pewter in a variety of settings arranged mostly by use. Museum staff will assist in dierctions.
The Smith Art Gallery & Museum
Dumbarton Rd., Stirling, FK8 2RQ
For further details and information, telephone 01786 471917 or e-mail museum@smithartgallery.demon.co.uk
On display: an extensive collection of Scottish pewter
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
Kelvingrove, G3 8AG
For details or further information telephone 0141 287 2699 or email museums@cls.glasgow.gov.uk
The Museum of London
London Wall, London EC2Y 5HN
For details or further information telephone 0207 6003699 or email info@museumoflondon.org.uk
The Museum's pewter collection, especially of 16th & 17th century pieces, is unparalleled for provenanced examples with specific local associations. (See 'Pewter A Handbook of selected Tudor and Stuart pieces' published by The Pewter Society, which is a compilation from the Museum of London collections.) The museum also has an extensive collection of mediaeval pewter items - recent finds, mostly by mudlarks, of more than 600 pewter pilgrim badges and souvenirs and small secular badges, have been added to a collection already totalling about 250 in 1975. A further 500 or so of these are included in the Archaeological Archive.
Strangers Hall Museum
Charing Cross, Norwich NR2 4AL
For details or further information telephone 01603 667229 or email helen.renton@norfolk.gov.uk
A number of items of domestic pewterware usually on display as part of room settings or features on rural life. Check or details before visiting.
Weston Park Museum
(formerly the City Museum and Mappin Art Gallery), Weston Park, Sheffield, S10 2TP
For details or further information telephone 0114 278 2600.
Houses the city's collections of cutlery, Sheffield metalwork, ceramics, coins, archaeology and ethnography, natural history and fine art.
The Mary Rose
H M Naval Base, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO1 3LX
For details or further information telephone 02392 812931 or email mail@maryrose.org
`Men of Wealth and Taste' is the title of a new display of pewter at the Museum. The largest display of 16th century pewter anywhere in the world, the collection reveals the world of the officers and gentlemen on board. With many items on display for the first time, the case contains over 80 pieces of pewter so respected in Tudor times as a sign of wealth and taste amongst the aspiring middle classes (from Mary Rose Trust Spring (2000) Newsletter).
One of three historic ships based in Portsmouth, The Mary Rose is the only 16th century warship on display anywhere in the world. Built between 1509 and 1511, she was one of the first ships able to fire a broadside, and was a firm favourite of King Henry VIII. After a long and successful career, she sank accidentally during an engagement with the French fleet in 1545. Her rediscovery and raising were seminal events in the history of nautical archaeology. Seventy four pieces of pewter are cataloged in the sites on-line Artefact Database [from Museum webpage, 2000].
The Royal Cornwall Museum
River Street, Truro , TR1 2SJ, UK
For details or further information telephone 0872 272205 or email enquiries@royalcornwallmuseum.org.uk
A number of items of domestic pewterware usually on display as part of room settings or features on rural life. Houses a small display of Cornish flatware and also within the reserve a large part of the collection of Major Richardson donated in the 1930s. All enquiries should be made in advance to the museum.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL
For details or further information telephone 020 7942 2000 or email vanda@vam.ac.uk
They have a small pewter exhibit (in room 116) consisting of two cases with English, French and German pewter. Check for details before visiting.
The National Museum of Ireland
Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7
Archaeology & History Dept., Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Ireland
For details or further information telephone +353 1 6777444 or email marketing@museum.ie
A number of items of Irish pewterware are usually on display at both of these venues. Check for details before visiting