Down County Museum, Downpatrick
posted in Down, Indoors |Down through Time
This was our second attempt to visit this Museum. They don’t open until 1pm at the weekends so always check the opening times in advance! It is free of charge to enter but the parking was a nightmare on this Monday morning. The chap in the gift shop explained that it was due to the courts, apparently parking is always a nightmare when the courts are on. That explained a lot! You can park down by the Tourist Information Centre and walk up the steps which brings you out directly in front of the Museum, but as it was raining I decided to try and get as near to the Museum. When we were here on Saturday morning, there wasn’t a car in sight! Typical!
We eventually parked up towards the Cathedral and ran for the entrance. We walked straight into the gift shop and were given a guide to show us the way. A couple of exhibitions were closed due to refurbishment but that did not really affect us. We headed up the stairs and were pointed towards a journey through the ages. This was well set up, and easy to follow. Lots of interactive things to touch and get involved with which made it really interesting for the kids. The tour starts 9000 years ago in the Stone Age. A huge flint tool collection impressed my son as we had been hunting for flints at his grandmothers house a couple of weeks before. He has his own flint collection there so this actually made it all a bit more real for him. There were skins of animals which had inhabited the Down countryside back in the day. We were taken through the Bronze Age and again through to the world of the Vikings. In front of us was a real life Viking Helmet which my son put straight on (of course!). Along with the Helmet there were dressing up clothes which transformed him into the genuine article. All he needed was a big axe and he would have been happy. We moved on through to the Norman Knights (no dressing up here) and played with a big medieval castle which had princesses, knights and furniture which could be moved around. Someone had had a bit of a laugh because we found a princess hanging out of a window on the 4th floor! We put them back in the right place with my daughter in charge of the interior design and my son in charge of the war effort.
There are telephones all the way through this museum which give you commentary on what you are seeing.
We moved onto the next exhibition room which took you into the Victorian era. The kids dressed up as victorian children which they both enjoyed. Moving on we came across a number of other interactive activities including making a quilt and playing games in 1940s. There was an opportunity to dress up as a 1940s children as well but we had a school trip hot on our heels so we decided to move on to the dungeons (well, not dungeons as such more like a jail).
My daughter was not too keen to head into the gaol. She can be a bit cautious but my son had no problems running ahead. We ran through the courtyard as it was bucketing down. I tried to explain about the stocks and the Millennium Garden as we sped past but we were all too intent on getting out of the rain. It certainly has potential for exploring in better weather.
We arrived into the next part of the Museum and entered the gaol. As soon as we entered, a recorded commentary started and nearly put my daughter and I through the roof. We were not expecting it at all. The setup was very good and the explanations of the prisoners were excellent. My daughter was a bit worried about the child and the baby in gaol. Again I tried to explain that this was a long long time ago which kind of helped. Another very educational trip. I am actually re-learning a lot too; its really nice to be able to talk about this stuff with the kids knowing they have actually covered it at school.
We headed to the café which is onsite and had a light lunch before swimming. The cafe offers a good range of food and the staff are happy and friendly. Not overpriced even though you are a captive audience. There was an art exhibition on show in the foyer outside the café but we did not time to have a good look round. The facilities are clean and well kept (Ladies only seen).
WOW Overview
Kids Say
6 year old: I liked the Stone Age part where you could touch the skins. My brother looked funny as a Viking and I really enjoyed dressing up as a Victorian child. I think I would need to have servants to dress me in some of the costumes they had to wear. I did not like the dungeons at all.
4 year old: I liked it all. The cavemen and the Vikings. I would shut the doors on the prisoners so they could not get out.
Stress Level 0 (There was very little stress in this Museum. It is well thought out and designed for children. Very impressed.)
Fun Level 3 (This is definitely an educational trip but it is well thought out and very interactive. The kids enjoyed relating their knowledge from school to the exhibits.)
Cost Level 2 (The Museum is free of charge for entry, the cafe is reasonably prices but the gift shop did not really have any souvenirs relating to the actual visit.)
