This building began life as a flatpack, transported to Woodhall Spa railway station and erected somewhere else! It is a corrugated iron building, made by Boulton and Paul of Norwich, who went on to manufacture aeroplanes. In 1887, “the bungalow” was transferred from the moor, which became the Hotchkin Golf Course, to its present site, which was next to the railway line. It became the home of Mr. Thomas Wield, who worked at the Spa Baths and began making donkey and hand drawn bathchairs. These were used to transport patients to the Baths for treatments and also for pleasure trips around the Spa.
Mr. Johnny Wield continued his father`s bathchair business but he did much else besides. Notably, he was a photographer and most of the old photographs in the museum were taken by him on glass plates, which he developed in his dark room in the back garden of the bungalow.
The property has been altered over the years and has accommodated an amazing number of people as the Wield family increased. (Johnny married Asenath Dickinson, sister of the cycle and motor engineer in the village.) At one time the family even took in lodgers!
The bungalow became the property of the Cottage Museum in 1987. Since then, thousands of visitors, both local and from far away, have seen exhibits and photographs and felt the ambience of this unusual property, which was inhabited by the Wield family for over 70 years.
The
Cottage Museum and co-resident Tourist Information Centre can be found just
off The Broadway. The
Museum opened to the public in May 1987 as a community museum run by the Woodhall Spa Cottage Museum Trust.. Its purpose is to preserve the community history of Woodhall Spa and district. There is a wide variety of exhibits which are regularly changed ensuring that no visitor will be disappointed by a visit to this charming collection.They include a wide range of photographs (largely based on the Wielld collection) and memorabilia featuring the activities and development of the Spa.
The Tourist Information Centre provides
comprehensive assistance to visitors to the area. A gift shop and 'What's on' display are included.
Cottage Museum Calendar
The calendar is displayed in the 'Week' view, but you can change the view by selecting the 'Agenda' or 'Month' tab.
Use the forward and back arrows to select the relevant dates.
Click on the event if you would like more details.
Please note: Whilst the webmaster continually strives to ensure the dates and times shown in this diary are kept up to date, they should still only be treated as a guide to Cottage Museum opening times and by no means comprehensive. Always check with Woodhall Spa Tourist Information Centre before travelling.
The
Bungalow
The main
building was manufactured by Boulton & Paul in 1884. It was
erected on the present site in 1887.
Initially,
there were no main supplies to the building. Water was pumped by hand from an underground catchment, lighting was provided by candles and outside earth closets were used.
Additional
out-buildings were erected to accommodate stabling for the donkeys,
a forge and a photographic dark room.
The
Wield Family
Thomas
Wield was born during 1837 in Hampshire and moved to Lincolnshire
in 1875. He and his wife, Mary, started to work at the Spa Baths
in 1880. Between 1884 and 1886, Thomas was responsible for drawing
the water and Mary was in charge of the baths for women. In 1887,
they were given 'The Bungalow' as a home by Stafford Hotchkin
and Dr Boulton. From this site, Thomas started to make donkey
drawn bath chairs and to provide a transport service with them
around the town.
Their
son, John was born in 1877 and later trained as an engineer. He
worked in the family bath chair business, but also developed a
flair for making precision instruments, grinding lenses and making
cameras. He is still remembered in the present village as Johnny
Wield, the photographer, watch repairer and optician.
John married
his wife, Asenath, in 1898 and they lived in 'The Bungalow' with
his parents and later, with their own children, Effie and Cedric.
When he
died in 1965, John Wield left a large collection of photographs
recording the events and people in the history of the Spa.
The
Woodhall Spa Cottage Museum Trust
The Trust
was legally formed in April 1986. It arose out of a community need
and is administered by members of the community. It is not a commercially
based project and, is such, will always need to raise its own finances
by a process of community fund-raising and by seeking support from
accepted institutions.
Press release 2010
Woodhall Spa is well known because of its wartime connections with the R.A.F. 617 Squadron who were responsible for the ‘Dam Buster’ raids and the sinking of the Tirpitz. However, there is an equally compelling story regarding the village’s involvement with the troops of the 1st Air Landing Brigade prior to them being sent to Arnhem to take part in ‘Operation Market Garden’
We are aware that troops involved in ‘Operation Market Garden’ were stationed in and around Woodhall Spa until and after the battle for Arnhem. There were several camps and many houses used to billet soldiers including the 7th Kings Own Scottish Borderers, the 2nd South Staffordshire Regiment and the 1st Battalion Border Regiment. The museum has little archival material relating to this and has recently undertaken the task of researching and developing its collection. We have now managed to produce a small display within the Museum and continue to request local residents to provide us with any information they have.
The Museum's 'team', comprising staff member Jackie Goodall, volunteers Anna & Rico Philips and local police officer Simon Elmer, realised that Woodhall Spa was the only village in the area where troops were billeted not to have a memorial dedicated to the memory of those who fell at Arnhem. We have decided to remedy this and have begun making arrangements to erect a memorial stone in the Museum’s garden.
A Service of Dedication is planned for the morning of Saturday 18th September 2010 in conjunction with other activities/events associated with Arnhem and wartime Britain, including a screening of the 1946 film 'Theirs Is The Glory' , filmed at Arnhem , at the Kinema In The Woods . We hope that several veterans who were stationed here will attend, and we are keen to contact any others and their families to join us. We are also keen to receive information about Polish Army units who were based in Woodhall until their disbandment. These included the Polish Parachute Brigade, returning from occupation duties in Germany, and the 'Pomorski' Infantry Brigade who had served in Italy with the Polish 2nd Corps.
We have now begun to raise funds for the memorial and will be out in force at the Woodhall Spa Christmas Market. Other events are planned, including a 1940s Dance at the Coronation Hall on 11th September 2010. Any reader who would like to contact us with information or support our efforts should contact Jackie Goodall on 01526 352454.
Return to page top to read about the Cottage Museum
The Heritage Trail
Click
on the numbers on the map to visit the next point on the Woodhall Spa Heritage
Trail.
The trail
can be started at any location, but we suggest you also visit the
Cottage Museum to view the photographs taken by John Wield during
the heyday of the Spa and items associated with this
unique Victorian Spa town.
Woodhall Spa is a treasure in itself. To that end, the aim of The Treasure Box Project is to show off to everyone, no matter where they may come from, the community and heritage of this village from the view of those that are the future of Woodhall Spa – the children
Arts
& Crafts
Heritage
Trail Location 1 - The Cottage Museum 
