TAVISTOCK Museum has appealed to volunteer skilled craftsmen in the area to contact them with a view to helping restore a mystery piece of antique memorabilia. The museum owns a large wooden shop front, which, it is believed, originates from a Tavistock business. But the shop front is in need of skilled restoration and museum volunteers are hoping someone with the talent and interest to bring the old wood back to life will contact them. Geoff Bassington, Tavistock Museum committee member and chairman of the town?s history society, said: ?Exactly where the shop front came from at the moment is still a bit of a mystery, but we believe it?s either Victorian or Edwardian and was obviously rescued from somewhere. ?We have the whole of the door frame and the side glass panels, but there are a couple of pieces that would have to be made to make the whole thing complete.? Geoff said the shop front has been in the possession of the museum for some time and the committee would love to see it restored and mounted on the wall in the new premises at Court Gate. ?We are still trying to find out where it came from ? it?s a number 58,? said Geoff. ?We thought it would be nice for visitors to the museum to see what shop fronts were like before everying was all glass and chrome.? Ken Cook, museum committee spokesman, said since its move to Court Gate, more than 2,000 visits have been made by people eager to see the artifacts and historical displays contained in the newly-named Robin Fenner Room, plus the popular photographic exhibitions in the Sue Davis Room. ?Besides local residents finding interest in the story of their town, people from further afield, including overseas visitors, are often keen to learn something of the place where their family once lived,? said Ken. The coming year will be a busy one for the museum and its volunteers. Tavistock is due to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the granting of its market charter next year ? plus the 700th anniversary of its being made a stannary town. Both anniversaries will be marked by the museum, which will host exhibitions in connection with its market and stannary history and its once-thriving iron foundries. There will also be further exhibitions of photos from the huge Jim Thorington collection, which have already proved enormously popular with visitors. The museum has also recently passed a significant milestone ? its registration has been confirmed, which makes it eligible to apply for funding. The museum is due to re-open for the summer season at Easter, when it will be open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, plus extra days if enough volunteer stewards are available. Anyone who would like to donate a few hours of time to this valuable town archive should call Sue Davis on 01822 612546.
