VISITORS to Felixstowe Museum will have a double bonus this weekend – free admission and longer hours.The museum is taking part in Local History Week, which aims to encourage people to explore Britain's past and try out its many historical attractions.

By Richard Cornwell

VISITORS to Felixstowe Museum will have a double bonus this weekend – free admission and longer hours.

The museum is taking part in Local History Week, which aims to encourage people to explore Britain's past and try out its many historical attractions.

On Saturday and Sunday the museum – which is housed in the Ravelin Block of Landguard Fort and run by volunteers of the Felixstowe History and Museum Society – will be open from 11am to 5.30pm.

Archivist Sue Tod said: "Entry will be free and we hope this and the longer hours will encourage people to come along and see what the museum has on display and learn more about Felixstowe's fascinating history.

"We will have more than 1,000 local photographs and the 1969 dock model and early dock photographs on show in addition to the usual display rooms.

"Working with us will be the Felixstowe Family History Society, which will be bringing its computerised records.

"The 1881 census and Those who Died in the Great War will be available on CD rom, births and marriages on microfiche, and transcripts of local census returns will be available. Volunteers from the Society will be on hand to answer queries."

The afternoon will also feature homemade cakes with teas and coffee will be available. Each visitor will receive a numbered ticket for a lucky prize draw.

Local History Week is promoted by the Historical Association to bring together a wide range of local and national organisations to celebrate a week of events.

Attractions all over the country take part to encourage people's interest in history and explore museums, castles, forts and other venues.

Felixstowe Museum has 12 display rooms including one on life in the 1950s to mark the Coronation in this golden jubilee year – packed with the treasures of the town's past and is visited by increasing numbers of people, as well as school visits, and people using its records library for research.

The exhibits, artefacts, and precious documents and information at the museum tell of Felixstowe's rich and well-documented history, from Roman settlement to clifftop hamlet, from its important role in two world wars to the development of the modern port and resort.

WEBLINK: www.history.org.uk