Volunteers help protect historic house in Birmingham saved by Cadbury visited by thousands
Volunteers are helping clean an historic manor house saved by chocolate-maker George Cadbury, after it welcomed over 23,000 visitors last year.
Selly Manor in Bournville, Birmingham, was rescued from destruction and rebuilt by chocolate-maker and philanthropist George Cadbury, before opening as a museum in 1916.
Every year, the award-winning museum welcomes thousands of visitors including hundreds of schools from across the West Midlands.
To protect and preserve its wonderful collection, the museum set up a Collections Club of volunteers who have helped to carefully clean objects dating back to the 16th century.
On Monday, January 12, the museum will close for the day to carry out a deep clean and minor fixes and repairs so it can continue to bring heritage to life for visitors.
Daniel Callicott, Heritage Manager at Bournville Village Trust, which manages the museum, said: “We are the custodians of some amazing history so it’s important that we care for the historically valued objects in the museum.
“An annual deep clean gives us chance to get into the nooks and crannies we can’t usually reach and pay much closer attention to the museum’s objects, with each item carefully scrutinised to make sure there’s no damage or need for conservation works.
“Volunteers in our Collections Club have made a huge difference to our efforts, and recently cleaned 16th century carvings using just cotton buds and deionised water!”
Rachel Chiverton, who volunteers at the museum, said: “I look forward to participating in volunteering as it gives me a great sense of accomplishment and everyone is always so grateful for my help!”
Selly Manor Museum is made up of two distinct beautiful buildings and lies in the heart of Bournville garden village in Birmingham.
A museum since 1916, Selly Manor has welcomed thousands of visitors and schools, giving people of all ages to chance to immerse themselves in its, and Bournville’s history. It is managed by charity Bournville Village Trust.
Bournville Village Trust was founded by George Cadbury in 1900 and is one of the Midlands longest-serving independent trusts and manages estates, provides homes, delivers community-support services and commercial activities.
