22/08/2026
We love looking through new donations that come into the museum and this week we had our work experience student go through a box of memorabilia from White Lodge in Melton. She catalogued everything for the museum and she picked out a family scrap book as one of her favourite items.
“While searching through the memorabilia, the most recognisable name was that of Dr Henry Lewis Barker due to how frequently it appeared. However, aside from mentions in letters and appearances in old photo albums, the pursuits of family and friends were a little harder to find. Interestingly, the album made a few things a little clearer. It primarily belonged to Gladys Davies, the wife of H.R Barker, around 1902 onwards. My favourite thing about it was probably the first page as Gladys had written that whoever read through the album had to add something of their own. Through that, it became a collection of newspaper scraps, poems, wedding invitations, short stories, paintings, illustrations or quotes from various members of her family and friends. To me it was more interesting than certificates or family photos because it showed how people had fun, expressed themselves and chose to interact with one another.”
