Established | 1896 |
---|---|
Location | Birchington, Kent, CT7 United Kingdom |
Coordinates | 51°22′1″N1°18′51″E / 51.36694°N 1.31417°E |
Type | Natural history and anthropology museum |
Director | Catriona West |
Website | powell-cottonmuseum |
The Powell-Cotton Museum is situated in Quex Park, Birchington, Kent [1] and houses the diverse personal collections of hunter and explorer Percy Powell-Cotton. The museum also contains the collections of Powell-Cotton's two daughters, Antoinette and Diana Powell-Cotton, who shared their father's passion for collecting.
The museum, which links to the ground floor of Quex House, now comprises nine galleries dedicated not only to the extensive collection of large mammals, but to many artefacts representing the cultures and traditions of the locations Powell-Cotton visited. [2] [3]
Commencing as a single-room collection in 1896, Percy Powell-Cotton gave the go-ahead to have a pavilion erected in the gardens of Quex House, overseen by his brother, Gerald. Percy enlisted the help of Rowland Ward, renowned in the field of taxidermy at the time, to prepare the animals for display. The former Fusilier had acquired thousands of artefacts through his hunting and conservation expeditions.
Following Percy Powell-Cotton's death in 1940, his son Christopher constructed more galleries to incorporate the family collections of archaeology (Antoinette Powell-Cotton), anthropology (Diana Powell-Cotton), ceramics and weaponry.
Houses 3 natural history dioramas, most notably a collection of African monkeys and apes can be found directly opposite the entrance to the gallery. [4] In reference to the primate diorama, it is yet to be equalled in Europe in regard to size and natural diversity. The total number of specimens nearly reaches 2000 in entirety. [5]
The original pavilion, contains a vast collection of mounted big game heads from Africa and Asia. On the other side of the room, is another large diorama, which depicts the mammals of the Himalayas. To obtain the specific specimens in winter coats, Powell-Cotton had to brave the bitterest of the cold weather season in camp. [4] This is known to be the oldest, unchanged, room-sized Natural History Diorama.
Dominated by the centre piece in the room depicting the fight between a lion and a buffalo. The lion is the actual animal that attacked and nearly killed Powell-Cotton in 1906, whereas the buffalo is the type specimen of a subspecies named after the hunter/explorer. Additionally in Gallery 3, is another large diorama, this time depicting a scene from Sub-Saharan Africa in which the animals appear to be venturing down to drink at a pool. [4]
A predominantly media-orientated gallery, including footage shot by the Powell-Cotton sisters showing a typical day in the life of a Kwanyama family. [4] In fact, the museum houses an extensive filmography shot by Percy Powell-Cotton and his two daughters Diana and Antoinette.
Along with Gallery 6, Gallery 5 contains the ethnographical collections from Africa, focussing on tribal craft such as stools and combs, and items for dress and body decoration. Gallery 6 also displays many field photographs that illustrate the utilisation of the artefacts on show. [4]
With direct links to Gallery 5, Gallery 6 houses more ethnographical artefacts and includes a model of a farmstead of the Kuanyama people of Angola, along with items of recreation and carefully crafted weaponry. [4]
Has an archaeological focussed theme and displays the tools of the Paleolithic in east Kent, along with early pottery of the Neolithic. This gallery also documents the Cotton family’s influence in the 18th century China trade. [4]
Gallery 8 incorporates a collection of Chinese imperial porcelain, ranging from 1662 to 1908. The majority of the collection was bought by Powell-Cotton in 1910. [4]
Displays a variety of firearms and cutting weapons with origins as far as Malaysia, India and Indonesia, along with a display of a development of military firearms. [6]
The museum promotes educational visits for schools, families and academics and houses a conference room to aid with learning and research in natural and social sciences. Guided tours are also provided by staff with appropriate notice. The Powell-Cotton Museum works under the objective of "in trust for the enjoyment of visitors and the benefit of students", in relation to the legacy of founder. [7]
The wide range of specimens and artefacts housed in the museum serve as an important stop for academics and researchers in the field of natural and social science, with opportunities for study available upon appointment. [7] The museum regularly works with The Natural History Museum, London and attracts students from around the world. [6]
The Powell-Cotton Museum is located within Quex Park in Birchington, Kent, 12 miles from Canterbury.
The Museum has free parking for cars and coaches and disabled access to all areas of the museum and surrounding gardens.
The nearest national rail station is Birchington on Sea (1 hour 40 minutes from London Victoria) and is an approximate 20 minute walk from the park. Another nearby station is Margate, which is achievable via the high speed service from London St Pancras in 1 hour 20 minutes. By bus, the number 8 Thanet bus stops at Birchington Square, a half-mile walk from the park. [8]
Weddings at Quex is a family-run wedding and events company based in Quex Park making use of the House and Museum.
Founded in 2005, wedding ceremonies are hosted in one of three distinctive spaces: the historic Quex House, the dining hall, or the gardens under a Victorian-style gazebo. For couples wanting an outdoor celebration, they also host tipi and marquee weddings within the grounds of Quex House.
The dining hall opens directly onto 15 acres of open grounds. The gardens consist of informal wooded parklands, herbaceous borders, ponds, a croquet lawn and generous lawns.
Both the indoor and outdoor ceremony spaces can accommodate up to 120 guests.
Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body by mounting or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word taxidermy describes the process of preserving the animal, but the word is also used to describe the end product, which are called taxidermy mounts or referred to simply as "taxidermy".
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, (CSMVS) originally named Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, is a museum in Mumbai (Bombay) which documents the history of India from prehistoric to modern times.
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Birchington-on-Sea is a village in the Thanet district in Kent, England, with a population of 9,961.
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The National Museum of Ireland – Natural History, sometimes called the Dead Zoo, a branch of the National Museum of Ireland, is housed on Merrion Street in Dublin, Ireland. The museum was built in 1856 for parts of the collection of the Royal Dublin Society and the building and collection were later passed to the State.
Maidstone Museum is a local authority-run museum located in Maidstone, Kent, England, featuring internationally important collections including fine art, natural history, and human history. The museum is one of three operated by Maidstone Borough Council. The building is Grade II* listed.
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The Anniston Museum of Natural History is a museum in Lagarde Park, Anniston, Alabama, exhibiting more than 2,000 natural history items on permanent display, including minerals, fossils, and rare animals in open dioramas.
Booth Museum of Natural History is a charitable trust managed, municipally-owned museum of natural history in the city of Brighton and Hove in the South East of England. Its focus is on Victorian taxidermy, especially of British birds, as well as collections focusing on entomology, chalk fossils, skeletons and botany. It is part of "Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust". Admission to the museum is free.
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Quex Park itself is 250 acres (1.0 km2) of parkland and gardens plus a further 1500 acres of farmed land, with Quex House and other buildings situated just south-east from Birchington-on-Sea near Margate in Kent, England. It houses the Powell-Cotton Museum, and the Waterloo tower, a secular bell tower.
Major Percy Horace Gordon Powell-Cotton, FZS, FRGS, FRAI, JP was an English explorer and hunter. He is most noted for the creation of the Powell-Cotton Museum in the grounds of his home, Quex Park in Birchington-on-Sea, Kent, England. Powell-Cotton is noted for bringing an extraordinary number of animal specimens back from his travels across Africa, potentially creating the largest collection of game ever shot by one man. Despite this, Powell-Cotton was an early conservationist, helping to categorise a wide number of species across the globe. His two daughters, Antoinette Powell-Cotton and Diana Powell-Cotton shared his passion for conservation, and pursued archaeology and anthropology respectively.
Diana Powell-Cotton (1908–1986) and Antoinette Powell-Cotton (1915–1997) were English sisters who worked together as anthropologists.
This is a list of the taxonomic contributions of Major Percy Horace Gordon Powell-Cotton.
The Powell-Cotton ethnographic films is a collection of over 70 ethnographic, documentary and wildlife films made by the Powell-Cotton family between 1922 and 1973. The films relate exclusively to the family's expeditions in Africa during this time. The original films are held in the British Film Institute archives, and the Powell-Cotton Museum own copies contemporaneous with the originals.
The conservation of taxidermy is the ongoing maintenance and preservation of zoological specimens that have been mounted or stuffed for display and study. Taxidermy specimens contain a variety of organic materials, such as fur, bone, feathers, skin, and wood, as well as inorganic materials, such as burlap, glass, and foam. Due to their composite nature, taxidermy specimens require special care and conservation treatments for the different materials.