A museum in Norfolk is hosting a special event to launch new displays about Victorian life and community wellbeing.

Dereham Museum is having an opening ceremony performed by George Freeman MP, town mayor Hugh King with the Rector Rev Canon Paul Cubitt at 10am on Friday, May 3.

The museum, located in the seventeenth-century Bishop Bonner’s Cottages at the bottom end of Church Street, is run by the Dereham Heritage Trust.

The chairman of the trust, Dr Peter Wade-Martins, said: “The displays will celebrate Life in Victorian Dereham. If you lived in Dereham then, where would you buy your hats? How would you advertise for a domestic servant?

Dereham Times: Peter Wade-Martins, chair of Dereham Heritage Trust, with a Victorian period costume being prepared for the displays.Peter Wade-Martins, chair of Dereham Heritage Trust, with a Victorian period costume being prepared for the displays. (Image: Dereham Heritage Trust)

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“Where would you send your children to school? How would you find a cure for your ailments? Where would you go to the loo? Where would get your water from?"

The exhibit will tell the stories of local characters of the time, their businesses and trades and the many changes which Dereham has seen over the past 150 years.

"These displays have been organised by one of our brilliant volunteers, Jane Heyburn”, Dr Wade-Martins said.

There will also be box of items especially selected which children will be able to handle and guess what they are.

Also new for this year is a community wellbeing art exhibition organised by Katie Goodman.

It is called John Craske: Picturing Peace inspired by the story of Dereham’s most famous artist.

It celebrates the therapeutic value of art as championed by John Craske, who died in 1943, and it features reproductions of Craske’s work.

Ms Goodman said: “In combining the art of John Craske with the community’s Pictures of Peace, we hope to highlight the timelessness of John’s story.

“Despite this project’s historical interest, art continues to be a means of relief and personal therapy for people.”

After the ceremony there will be refreshments in the church by invitation of the Rector.

This year the museum will be open on Friday mornings, 10am to 1pm and on Saturdays 10am to 4pm.