Diss Museum

23/12/2022

Merry Christmas from all at Diss Museum

14/12/2022

As part of Diss Museum's project on the old Picture House, we discovered that there was someone who remembered the silent films.
Denis Clarke, born January 1926, used to walk from Thrandeston with his sisters to the original cinema.
He remembers a sister reading the captions to him when he was very young.
Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Laurel & Hardy were among his favourites.
He used to write to film stars; and the family still has a collection of signed photos that he received.
Denis remembers the impact of the Talkies, with Jessie Matthews in Evergreen, the first film at the New Picture House in 1934.
He continued to go to films until the late 1940s, when he helped to found the local Assembly of God Church, who did not then approve of films.
Denis is pictured here (centre), with Basil Abbott, as Laurel & Hardy, and Denis' wife Josephine, in a cloche hat, as silent film pianist Ethel Rumsby.

14/12/2022

As part of Diss Museum's project on the old Picture House, we discovered that there was someone who remembered the silent films.
Denis Clarke, born January 1926, used to walk from Thrandeston with his sisters to the original cinema.
He remembers a sister reading the captions to him when he was very young.
Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Laurel & Hardy were among his favourites.
He used to write to film stars; and the family still has a collection of signed photos that he received.
Denis remembers the impact of the Talkies, with Jessie Matthews in Evergreen, the first film at the New Picture House in 1934.
He continued to go to films until the late 1940s, when he helped to found the local Assembly of God Church, who did not then approve of films.
Denis is pictured here (centre), with Basil Abbott, as Laurel & Hardy, and Denis' wife Josephine, in a cloche hat, as silent film pianist Ethel Rumsby.

12/12/2022

Looking back on 2022 and forward to 2023.

05/12/2022

Canon Manning addressed the 41 Club Christmas evening with tales of his family and Diss history. Speaking around the time of the Mere skating carnival, he gave out hats and masks to the company and led them in carols to sing on the ice.

03/12/2022

Two King Herods, in shifts, at the Utd Reformed Church, on Christmas Lights Day for a Nativity Trail- the Revd. David Ely and Diss Museum Manager Basil Abbott.

27/10/2022

21/10/2022

Carry On at Diss Museum

As the season comes to an end, Diss Museum is already preparing for next year.
Manager Basil Abbott is leading a commemoration of Diss Picture House, on the 50th anniversary of its closure.
Gathering anecdotes about the old days, he was pleased to hear from 88 year old Maurice King.
In 1963 Mr. King was General Manager of W.D. Chitty Ltd when they received a message from Fords that the film Carry on Cabby was on general release, and it featured their newest car, the Cortina.
In one scene Hattie Jacques went into a Ford dealer and shocked them by buying 20 new cars. Fords thought that their dealers ought to get some publicity from this film.
The Managing Director of Chitty’s agreed and gave Maurice the job.
He decided to take over the Picture House for the evening for a private free showing to invited customers and guests, preceded by drinks in the Chitty premises.
“It did of course involve negotiating with Jack Jones for the hire of his cinema for the complete evening,” said Maurice, “but luckily he proved very enthusiastic!”
In the film the new taxi Cortinas were driven by attractive young ladies wearing uniforms with short (for those days) skirts, caps and boots.
After a number of phone calls to various departments in the film industry, Maurice managed to borrow enough of the original uniforms to fit out the girls to act as waitresses at the drinks party and then usherettes for the film. But where to find the girls?
He then had a brainwave and talked to Ivan Underwood, the photographer, who produced names and addresses of young ladies he had recently photographed. They jumped at the chance of wearing real film uniforms and were a great success.
“And the whole evening proved a talking point for months to come!” Maurice said.

14/10/2022

https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/FRWV0N/
The town of Diss had a Picture House from the silent movie days to 1973. The cinema building still stands – it is now the Hughes Electrical Store on Victoria Road. We would like to commemorate the cinema's history with a community celebration including events where people can share memories of the Picture House, a parade of 'film stars' through Diss, film shows, a concert of music from the films and an exhibition in Diss Museum.
Diss Museum are aiming to collect support for the project to go ahead in Spring 2023, the 50 year anniversary of the closure of the Picture House. Please let friends know about the survey and help us commemorate this much-loved institution.
Thank you for agreeing to help with our research into the Diss Picture House project.

08/10/2022

06/10/2022

Article in Dirigible magazine (Summer 2022).

07/09/2022

A few of a collection of pictures of old Diss, mainly uncaptioned, that came in recently. They include a great one of the hospital and also one of Dovercourt.

03/09/2022

An Appreciation of Tony Billett, on his retirement.

It makes a change to speak highly of someone who is not dead but merely retiring. Diss Museum owes a debt to the Revd. Canon Tony Billett for the support he has given to our projects.
In the 2004 Skelton Festival, a Diss Community Partnership project, he was supportive and posed for a local magazine cover as the Tudor poet-laureate; but had to decline the role of Skelton in the play Magnificence. He did, however, lead a concert of period music at the back of the church.
At the museum we re-made the John Betjeman film about Diss, on his centenary in 2006, with Tony reading the poem Blame the Vicar, with a relish that made you realise its accuracy.
When we commemorated the Manning rectors in 2011, Tony gave his blessing to a service featuring them and preached a relevant sermon. He later played Himalayan traveller Thomas Manning, as he tried to solve the Louie’s Lane Murder of 1829.
In 2014 we had a World War One event in the Market Place, with period dancers, a fly past, a reading by ‘Herr Flick’ actor Richard Gibson and an address by Tony.
I have always been impressed by how well and heartfelt he spoke, even at the funerals of strangers.
In 2019, when we celebrated the R34, he readily agreed to an airship service, although he was not able to take part. Curate Samuel Thorp officiated.
The partnership between museum, church and Corn Hall for the Manning Festival (Friends in High Places), with those colourful Tibetan monks, was particularly successful.
On a personal level, I am also grateful to Tony for conducting my wedding ceremony so well, in September 2020.

Basil Abbott

25/08/2022

Cuttings from a 1910 Diss Express, including Cupiss (still trading until this year), the circus and the verdict of the Crippen murder case. The involvement of Diss girl Ethel le Neve would provoke banner headlines today; but not then.

06/08/2022

17/07/2022

28/06/2022

20/06/2022

Queen Victoria’s Jubilee (1887)

The Queen expressed her gratitude to the people, much as Queen Elizabeth did in 2022.

"I am anxious to express to my people my warm thanks for the kind & more than kind reception I met with on going to, returning from Westminster Abbey, with all my Children & Grand Children. The enthusiastic reception I met with then as well as on all these eventful days in London as well as in Windsor on the occasion of my Jubilee has touched me most deeply. It has shown that the labour & anxiety of 50 long years – 22 of which I spent in unclouded happiness, shared & cheered by my beloved Husband, while an equal number were full of sorrows & trials, borne without his sheltering arm & wise help have been appreciated by my People. This feeling & the cause of duty towards my dear Country & subjects, who are so inseparably bound up with my life, will encourage me in my task, often a very difficult and arduous one, during the remainder of my life. The wonderful order preserved on this occasion & the good behaviours of the enormous multitudes assembled merits my highest admiration. That God may protect & abundantly bless my Country is my fervent prayer.”

A.E. Coppard’s short story The Presser gives a glimpse of what the Victorian Jubilee was like for schoolchildren.

“That was a day! All the scholars went to school in the morning to pray, to implore God to confound and frustrate certain nameless nations, to receive a china mug with the Queen’s face twice on it, a medal with her face again – in case the mug got broken – and a paper bag containing half a sausage pie and a great piece of cake. Lord, how grand! Then you marched out to the park with flags, and the park was full – millions of kids. There were clowns and jokers and sports, and you had your mug filled with tea from a steam-roller. Hundreds of steam-rollers.”

14/06/2022

Queen Alexandra's Missing Dress Found in an Attic

The royal visit of Edward VII & Queen Alexandra to Diss Museum was a great success. See more about the Queen here.

She was seen as one of the most beautiful and elegantly dressed queens that England ever had, but after the death of Queen Alexandra in 1925, many of her

06/06/2022

Camera Club's Royal Visit Coverage

How the Camera Club depicted the museum's royal return visit.

05/06/2022

Diss Museum updated their business hours.

Diss Museum updated their business hours.

02/06/2022

When the museum re-opened in March, with a royal return visit by Edward VII & Queen Alexandra, the Camera Club covered the event as a project. Their work is exhibited on the museum verandah on Jubilee Friday and Saturday, 11.00am to 3.00pm.

13/05/2022

The museum Trustees need a Secretary and a Treasurer. These are not time-consuming posts, but full of interest and a chance to help in the running of one of the town's best assets.
Email [email protected]

09/04/2022

Royal Return Visit film

A short film, by Clive Davies, of the opening of Diss Museum, featuring a return visit by Edward VII & Queen Alexandra, early in 1910. It really was like a royal visit, plus a party atmosphere. Everyone had a good time. Thanks to the lookalikes, Bernard Thorndyke as the King and Keshar Whitelock as the Queen, Mayor Eric Taylor, Arthur & Ivy who presented the flowers, Chris Mordey who recited the Tennyson poem; and all those who dressed Edwardian. These included: elegant ladies, cute kids, suffragettes, maids, a gamekeeper and airship crew. Thanks also to Jonny Ling for the barrel organ, Ray Russell the piper and Silverline Limousines for the car. The Camera Club covered the event as a project; and the museum will feature their work at the Jubilee weekend. Funding from Diss Community Team is gratefully acknowledged.

31/03/2022

Museum receives special note from the Queen after holding royal event

Museum receives special note from the Queen after holding royal event

The manager of a Norfolk museum has shared his joy on receiving a special letter of thanks from the Queen, after holding an event reenacting a visit from...

21/03/2022

Photos from Diss Town Council's post

18/03/2022

The coverage our opening event received from the Eastern Daily Press, Diss Mercury and Diss Express.

12/03/2022

Re-opening of Diss Museum by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.

01/02/2022

The museum re-opens on Saturday 12 March with a royal re-enactment.

18/11/2021

Diss Railway Station staff c.1910.
The Stationmaster from 1898 to 1915 was Robert Gillingwater. He was well respected and had a staff of: seven clerks, two signalmen, two motor drivers, two horse shunters, two station foremen and some passenger and goods porters.

18/11/2021

10/10/2021

New material has come in about the early days of Diss Secondary (Grammar) School.
This includes: a 1905 cutting announcing a meeting about the new school; a picture showing pupils and the original school buildings; a letter to parents from Headmaster Ernest Thompson when he was going off to war (too faint to include here); a cutting about his death at the Front; a 1910 speech day programme, with prizes presented by King Solomon's Mines author Rider Haggard; and a 1916 concert programme.

03/09/2021

11.00am from the Mere's Mouth, Saturday 18 September. For UEA graduates, their partners and families. Free event, but donations welcome. Book on [email protected] or phone (01379) 673613.

31/08/2021

UEA GRADS MEET WORLDWIDE... AND IN DISS

Calling all UEA graduates. The university is hosting events around the world for its former students.

The many Global Gathering venues include: Moscow, Brazil, Oregon, Canberra and Japan; but the only one in Britain is Diss.

Museum Manager Basil Abbott, who went to UEA, is organizing a history walk, with visits to the church and museum.

It starts from the Mere’s Mouth at 11am on Saturday 18 September. There is no charge, but donations are welcome.

Mr. Abbott said, “After working with the University of Suffolk, on the R34 airship project, it is good to create links with the University of East Anglia. We hope to see a good turn-out of UEA alumni with their partners and families.”

Book on [email protected] or (01379) 673613.

17/08/2021

In a recent sermon it was pointed out that, although Diss church is dedicated to St. Mary, there are hardly any depictions of her. She is shown on the east window, which dates from about 1857, and among the medieval fragments (below) in the south-west window. Did they come from the St. Nicholas Chapel that stood where Weavers Restaurant is now? The fragments may have been deliberately placed opposite the alley, Drapers’ Row, that led up to that spot. The depredations in the times of Henry VIII and the Puritans may have seen the disappearance of statues and images of the Virgin Mary. The wall posts, high up on the chancel walls, have been thoroughly defaced. At the east end, angel figures were added when the church was extended in the time of the Revd. Charles Robertson Manning.

12/08/2021

People already ask where the Grammar School used to be. It was opposite where the chip shop is now on Shelfanger Road and was originally called the Secondary School. This picture is from a wartime prospectus when Mr. Faiers was headmaster and Miss Downing, later Mrs. Ives, was Assistant.