Castleton Historical Society is delighted to announce the installation of new cabinets in its Arts Council Accredited Museum, based in the Castleton Visitor Centre. Thanks to a generous award from the Arts Council National Lottery Fund and superb workmanship from Peakcraft Ltd, the Society will now be able to share some of the thousands of artefacts, documents and photographs from its archive that may never, or rarely, have been seen before.
The industrial, social and cultural history of Castleton is incredibly rich and peopled with some amazing characters whose lives and exploits are often unsung. CHS is planning to remedy this with a rolling programme of temporary exhibits the first of which tells the tale of Castleton Hall in the Market Place which many readers will remember as a Youth Hostel. Now once again in private hands, it is gradually revealing its fascinating history.
Other displays are planned, including, in May, little known details about the Castleton Garland Ceremony.
Sadly, the good news about the grant is coupled with anxiety about the future of the Museum and of the CVC. The Peak District National Park Authority recently announced that it is considering closing all its Visitor Centres and, in Castleton, renting the site to generate income for other activities.