Kristy Turner - Museum of Dartmoor Life

Pennies from Heaven

In a glass case on the top floor of the Museum of Dartmoor Life is a small wooden collecting box with a sad little picture stuck to it. On the top, around the money slot, it says: ‘Penny Box, please put one penny a week in this box and a small additional offering on...

Dartmoor Wool Walk

Living on Dartmoor, Work & Dartmoor

A group of strangers gathered outside the Princetown tourist information centre on a misty Sunday morning. They had one thing in common, a desire to know more about natural dyes and the history of the woollen industry on Dartmoor. Led by qualified Hill and Moorland...

Colouring Wool on Dartmoor

History, Living on Dartmoor

The history of dyeing wool on Dartmoor is a long and fascinating one. For centuries, the people of Dartmoor have used natural dyes to color their wool, and the results are beautiful and unique. One of the most common dyes used on Dartmoor was woad, which produces a...

What Came First – Trike or Bike?

History

Someone asked me the other day, what came first, tricycles or bicycles? They were looking at the lovely Victorian child’s trike we have on display at the Museum and I have to say I did not know. However, after a little research, I was surprised to find out that it was...

Oral histories

History

Oral histories create a rich world of storytelling around our collections. Interviews are sometimes the only source that is available to remember a certain way of life, place, or person. Oral histories help us to understand how individuals experienced history and they...