'Free'dom

It's always a good day in my world when I have an unexpected free day. These gaps in my work are precious to me, so I want to try and do something positive with them. We've had an expensive month so far, so whatever I was going to be doing on Thursday needed to be in the cheap/free category. The newly opened dinosaur exhibition at our museum seemed to fit the bill. However, although I enjoyed it it would really only be of interest if you're a local yokel. However, I did have a poke about whilst I was there to see if there was anything new to catch my eye. Turns out there was......

These running shoes belonged to a chap called Alfred Shrubb. He was born in 1879 and by the end of the century was working as a labourer until a fire in a nearby village changed the course of his life. At the time the fire engine was still horse drawn so one of his workmates asked him if he could run there to help out. This he did across the fields still in his workboots at remarkable speed and on the back of this he was invited to join a running club. From there on he went on to represent his country and hold many world records at middle and long distance. In one race he even went up against a horse which only beat him by 10 yards. Few could catch him and the running manual he wrote later in life went on to inspire the likes of Roger Bannister amongst others. Weirdly Shrubb was largely forgotten until fairly recently round here. It seems that there was some kerfuffle over prize money he'd accepted which forced him to turn professional and he moved over to Canada where he is much better remembered. Nowadays his legacy has been recognised and there's an annual five mile Alf Shrubb race run in his honour.

This rather exotic piece of 17th century wallpaper [c1700] was discovered when some renovation was done on one of the houses which stand in the same street where the museum is located. The peacocks are rather fun and its lucky survival gives us a glimpse into the decor taste of the past.

Sussex is known as the land of the South Saxons. Our Saxon heritage is a huge part of the county's story and we were the last place to be converted to Christianity. These rather wonderful glass Saxon beads were found around here.

It's amazing that this tiny little scrap of paper has made it down through the centuries in such good condition. The peace dinner held on 11th August 1814 was to celebrate the capture of Napoleon Bonaparte. Unfortuately it turned out to be rather premature as Old Boney managed to escape and remained undefeated until the Battle of Waterloo on 18th June 1815.

This type of bisque doll was mass produced during the Victorian era. She came in a multitude of sizes ranging from 1" to 18". The smallest ones were sometimes called 'Penny Dolls' due to their price and affordability. I've seen several mudlarkers get very excited when they find one [usually the tiny ones] and they're usually called a Frozen Charlotte. The story goes that their name is based upon an American folk ballad which tells of a young lady who declined to wear any warmer clothing to a party she was attending and supposedly froze to death as a result. There is a male counterpart called a Frozen Charlie, but they seem to be less common.

With all these little curios I found this one has to be the best and thus I have saved it to last. This is....wait for it.....a potato flask. Who knew😂 It was a new on me too! This one is metal, but others were ceramic. There seems to be very little written about them, but the suggestion was that it was a way of disguising that you were having a few sneaky nips of an alcoholic beverage when you were out in working in the fields. That's one theory anyway. The only information provided about this example was that it dates from the late 19th century. Social history just constantly fascinates and surprised me in equal measure.

Not a bad haul for a bitterly cold and very grey afternoon eh.

Arilx