6.5 Tiverton Museum of Mid Devon Life, and history societiesTiverton Museum has become one of the largest and
most successful regional museums in the South West. It is housed in a former early Victorian National School building on St. Andrew Street (1841), with a mill wheel marking the former entrance. Refurbishment at the end of the twentieth century dramatically improved the display facilities, and provided a new entrance from the Beck Square side of the museum and a new museum shop and toilet facilities. The museum’s highlight for visitors is
the Tivvy Bumper gallery, housing the engine that steamed up and down the Exe Valley until the Beeching axe fell in 1963, together with other railway paraphernalia. The museum has an excellent website, used globally, particularly for educational purposes. The Victorian webpage is widely acclaimed.
6.5.1 Tiverton and Mid Devon Museum Trust are responsible for the management of Tiverton Museum, and employ a professional curator to take responsibility for the displays and to provide professional advice about the strategic plan for the museum 6.5.2 Friends of the Tiverton Museum help with fundraising to support the Museum Trust, and with events at the Museum. Various types of membership of the Museum are possible.
6.5.3 Local history societies are found at Bampton, Burlescombe, Silverton, Thorverton and Tiverton.
6.5.4 The Tiverton War Memorial Trust commissioned an excellent history of Tiverton to mark the centenary year, which was written by local historian Mike Sampson and published in 2004.
6.5.5 Tiverton Archaeological Group is very active, and members have produced publications about lost buildings in the area, such as the Watermills of Tiverton (by Barbara Keene).
6.6 Festivals, and the visual and performing arts
6.6.1 Tiverton and some of the villages in the area stage a number of festival events that have deep roots
in history and are part of the annual calendar in the area. Among these are the Proclamation of the Mayor
of Tiverton (mid May), Bampton Fair (last Thursday in October), Mid Devon Show (last Saturday in July - see 10), Silverton Street Market (first Saturday in August), Westexe Flower Show (see 14.4.2), and Tiverton Carnival (late November).
6.6.2 The ceremony of ‘Beating the Leat’, which dates back to the twelfth century, occurs every seven years.
6.6.3 There are a number of arts and crafts groups across the area. Rainbow Crafts and Recreation help
people with disabilities. Tiverton Arts Society is well established and well subscribed and holds annual
exhibitions of members’ work. Suitable premises for good displays are sought. The groups range from two-dimensional visual arts (drawing, painting, photography) to three-dimensional visual arts (flower arranging, kitework, knitting, crochet, tapestry and crochet, sculpture).
6 . 6 . 4 There are some large, very popular and successful performing arts groups in the area. Most rent storage and rehearsal place, and have been obliged to move from time to time due to changed needs or charging policies of their landlords. Some find performance venues of a large enough size difficult to find. The large and very successful groups include the Willow Tree Dance Company (which teaches children in the area to a high standard, some going on to national ballet and dance schools and careers in the performing arts), East Devon Choral Society, and the Signpost Club (Christmas pantomime) in Tiverton.
6 . 6 . 5 Smaller clubs in Tiverton include the Ballroom Dancers Club, dance clubs held at the community centres and Heathcoat Social Club, the Keyboard Organ club, and smaller singing groups. Heathcoat Social Club is unexpectedly closing, and these groups are searching for new accommodation.
6.6.6 There are successful drama and arts groups based in the villages. Among these are the Thorverton Art Group and Thorverton Amateur Dramatic Society, the Bampton Players, the Cadeleigh Players, Halberton Singers, Pennymoor Singaround, and Sampford Peverell Young Singers.
6.6.7 Bellringing (church and handbell) is popular in the area. A number of the local churches have bell-ringing groups.
The Exe Valley Plan -