Bagshaw Museum

16/10/2026

Lead talented teams. Deliver meaningful change. Create lasting legacy.

We're looking for an experienced museum professional to lead our curatorial team deliver the care, development and interpretation of Kirklees' diverse collections.

From collections management and conservation to exhibitions and strategic development, this role offers the chance to influence how our collections are cared for and shared for years to come. We're seeking a confident and people-focused leader who can bring energy, vision and enthusiasm to a talented curatorial team.

Join us at a defining moment as we deliver ambitious collections, exhibitions, and transformation projects, including development of a new museum and gallery in Huddersfield as part of Our Cultural Heart.

Closing date: 28th October, 11:55pm
Apply here: https://tal.pulse.ly/jwvl9iphiw

13/10/2026

October Half Term at Bagshaw Museum!

Looking for things to do with the family this October half term? Join us at Bagshaw Museum for two creative activities to enjoy!

Paid Children’s Crafts:
Autumnal or spooky – it’s up to you! Come along and get creative with a range of crafts, including:
- Tealight lanterns
- Wreaths
- Mobiles
- Leaf printmaking
Plus, there’ll be colouring for our younger crafters!
📅 Dates: Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 October
🕙 Times: 10:00am–12:00pm and 1:00pm–3:00pm
🎟 Booking: Drop in
💷 Cost: £4 per child
⭐ Suitable for: Ages 3+

Pay As You Feel Children’s Crafts:
Get involved and get crafty! Make your own autumnal or spooky hanging decorations to take home. There’ll also be colouring activities for our younger crafters.
📅 Dates: Saturday 24, Sunday 25, Tuesday 27, Wednesday 28, Thursday 29 and Saturday 31 October, and Sunday 1 November
🕙 When: During museum opening hours
🎟️ Booking: Drop in
💷 Cost: Pay As You Feel
👧 Suitable for: Ages 3+

Visitor Art Mural:
Wrap up warm and get creative with our autumnal art mural! Get involved by adding your own contribution. Choose something seasonal or spooky – it’s completely up to you!
🕙 When: During museum opening hours
🎟️ Booking: Drop in
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Suitable for: All ages

Bring the family, get creative and enjoy some autumn half-term fun at Bagshaw Museum. We look forward to seeing you!

09/10/2026

💰Nowadays £5 might buy you a coffee and a cake. But back in 1909 it bought an entire Museum…

The Sheard family lived in what you now know as Bagshaw Museum until George Sheard's death in 1902, when the house was put up for sale at £3,000. It attracted no interest, possibly because its interior was too unusual and the site was comparatively isolated. Tastes had changed rapidly during the Victorian era and what was once the height of fashion was now seen as gaudy.

The house remained empty for several years until 25 March 1909, when The Woodlands was bought by Batley Corporation for just £5.

It was planned that the estate would become a public park. The Earl of Wilton gave an extra 29 acres to the council to form the basis of Batley's public park, named Wilton Park. In 1909, local Justice of the Peace Walter Bagshaw agreed to furnish one room in The Woodlands as a museum.

Walter Bagshaw had run the family firm of J. Bagshaw & Sons from 1875. His cultural interests were many, he travelled widely, was the author of a book on photomicrography, and gave lantern lectures on natural history. It was Walter's ambition to bring the world to Batley using objects and stories collected whilst travelling.

With the assistance and generosity of local people, who gave many objects to the new Wilton Park Museum, he completed three rooms with displays of textiles, biblical history, and natural history.

The museum opened to the public on 4 October 1911 with Walter Bagshaw, now retired from business, as Honorary Curator. By 1924, the museum comprised 12 public rooms and had become the main source of recreation for the people of Batley and Birstall. Over the years these collections have helped to bridge the gap between cultures and local communities through discovery and understanding.

08/10/2026

Help shape the future of museums in Kirklees.

We're recruiting a Curatorial & Technical Manager to join us at a pivotal moment, leading collections, exhibitions and our skilled curatorial team while helping deliver an ambitious programme of transformation and investment. You'll be an ambitious and inspiring leader, motivated by developing others, driving professional excellence and excited about the future of our museum service.

This is a unique opportunity to lead professional practice across Kirklees Museums & Galleries while contributing to major collections, and capital transformation projects.

Closing date: 28th October, 11:55pm
Apply here: https://tal.pulse.ly/fbg5o5nuin

05/10/2026

🏰 Bring the Bayeux Tapestry to your classroom.

Take your pupils on a journey back to 1066 with our Medieval Museum in a Box! 📜⚔️

Packed with objects and activities, the box gives pupils the opportunity to explore medieval life and discover what objects can tell us about the people who lived through this fascinating period. From people and homes to work, warfare, and everyday life.

⚔️ Explore medieval life
🔎 Investigate objects
📚 Bring history to life

Ready to open the box? Find out more and loan our Medieval Museum in a Box for your class: https://kirklees.pulse.ly/ounx5ewzeq

23/09/2026

17/09/2026

Who was George Sheard?
Learn about the first owner of the house⬇️

George Sheard was the fifth of six sons born to Michael Sheard and his wife Sarah Newsome. Like his father and grandfather before him, and three of his brothers, George became a manufacturer of woollen cloth.

Richard, the youngest brother, went into cotton. Michael (1833-1911) was the only brother not to go into cloth manufacture. He was an architect (he designed the Central Methodist Church in Batley Market Place and laid out Batley Cemetery) and land agent to the Earl of Wilton.

As well as the woollen mill, George had interests in coal mining and also became director of the West Yorkshire Banking Company, the Economic Fire Insurance Co and the Yorkshire Boiler Insurance Co, and Chairman of the Dewsbury and Batley Tramways Co. In addition, he was a Borough Magistrate and Governor of Batley Grammar School.

By 1869 he, his wife Ann Whitworth, and their five children (F***y, Charles, Michael, Percy and Florence) were living in some style at Oakwell House, an 18th-century mansion on the outskirts of Birstall. However, in 1875, he decided that he needed something larger and still more splendid, and resolved to build it for himself. Keeping it in the family, George took a plot from the Wilton Estate on a 999-year lease and commissioned Michael's firm, Sheard and Hanstock, to design and build him a house that reflected the elevated social position he had attained.

10/09/2026

What if your next school trip could take you thousands of years back in time?

At Bagshaw Museum, pupils can step into the world of Ancient Egypt through real objects, archaeology and hands-on activities...

✍️ Try writing in hieroglyphs
🏺 Handle objects from the past
⚱️ Discover Ancient Egyptian beliefs
🔎 Become archaeologists for the day
👑 Explore the story of Osiris

From Abydos to Batley, pupils can discover the fascinating stories behind the museum's Egyptian collections at Bagshaw Museum.

Years from now, they might not remember every fact they learned... but they might remember holding an ancient object, creating their own hieroglyphs, or exploring Ancient Egypt and its connection to Kirklees.

Make your next school trip one they'll remember.
👉 Find out more: https://kirklees.pulse.ly/sj1meeyrlz

07/09/2026

🏛️ Discover history at Bagshaw Museum this Heritage Open Days

Heritage Open Days are back this September, and Bagshaw Museum is open weekends 12pm - 5pm for you to come along and explore.

Discover more about the history of our local area, as well as stories, objects and collections from around the world. Whether you’re a regular visitor or have never been before, there’s always something new to uncover.

And if you’ve been meaning to visit, this is a great opportunity, with free entry it's a perfect day out!

Come along, take a look around and discover a little more about the world and the place we call home.

07/09/2026

In August we were delighted to have a visit from the Hapy Egyptology Society to Bagshaw Museum.

They took a look at this faience ring in our collection and translated the inscription. It reads ‘Great Beloved Mother’ or possibly The Mother is Greatly Beloved. They didn’t have Mother’s Day 2000 years ago, so maybe it was a birthday gift.

Faience is a brightly coloured, glass-like material made by the ancient Egyptians, often used for beads, amulets and ornaments.

Hapy Egyptology Society