Permanent Collection
Permanent displays in the Museum
Ground Floor
Working on the land in the 19th and early 20th centuries
A section of the main downstairs gallery is devoted to this topic, which focuses on pre-mechanised farming. There is a tableau of a thatcher on a roof over the reception desk, and another of an agricultural labourer surrounded by his tools. There are a large number of artefacts in this display, mainly farming implements, as well as explanatory text panels and photographs.
The Boot and Shoe Industry in Kettering
The process of making footwear is explained in this large downstairs gallery through a number of machines as well as text panels and photographs. This industry, which was key to Kettering's prosperity, is looked at in detail, and visitors can see shoes and boots at different stages of production, and get an idea of what working in a factory was like. Also on display is the only surviving motor car made in the town.
Town Life and the Rise of Kettering
Two large downstairs galleries are given over to the development of Kettering from market to industrial town in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The format of the display cases is thematic, with sections on Housing, Schools, Churches, Shops, Entertainment, Transport, and many more. There is also a section on the Second World War with a tableau of an ARP post, as well as a mock-up of Percival's Old Curiosity Shop, a former local landmark, complete with proprietor. Information is given through artefacts, text and photographs.
First Floor
Prehistoric Kettering
On the first floor landing are two of the museum's iconic specimens: the jaw of a woolly rhinoceros, and a virtually complete ichthyosaur. There are also a number of fossils from different periods.
Ancient Kettering
Implements from all the major ages from Stone Age to Anglo Saxon are displayed. There are Stone Age tools, Bronze Age pots, Iron Age jewellery, and Roman Samian Ware and roof tiles, as well as the tableau of a kiln filled with imperfectly fired pottery. There are also a number of Anglo-Saxon burial urns. The Roots database is available for viewing those items which are too delicate to display.
Medieval and Early Modern Kettering
The next room contains information panels and artefacts connected with the development of the town, as well as life in the surrounding countryside. There is a section on Rockingham Forest, including a poacher's cottage, which leads onto a case containing artefacts on law and order. The wool trade is dealt with, the main industry of the town at this time, as is the Tresham family, connected with the Gunpowder Plot. Various maps, and a model of the market, enable the visitor to measure the growth of Kettering.
Industry in Kettering
This room focuses on the Iron industry-a staple of the area from the earliest times. A model of a Celtic warrior with Iron Age sword, stood behind the actual artefact, is set alongside iron items made in more recent periods, together with information panels explaining the job of quarrying ironstone.