Many readers will know that Thorney Abbey was not just a complex of large stone buildings in the medieval period but was also famous for its Scriptorium. In this workshop of scribes, the monks worked to copy out religious books, and also other learned manuscripts. One of those which survives is known as the Thorney Computus. It was made in Thorney, probably around 1110. Until 4th October 2026, it has been lent to an exhibition "Living by the Rule" at the Sainsbury Centre, University of...

At the beginning of May, the Curator (Dorothy) and a valued volunteer (Nina Kemp) were working through our backlog of cataloguing which is needed to allow the Museum to know which items we hold at Thorney Museum which can help us to show our local history. We found a photo of a group of people down on the North Bank. From the clothes and the Morris Minor we guessed early 1960s. The photograph was given to the Museum in 1990 by Mr Ulyett, a former teacher at the Duke of Bedford School. It...

Please forgive us bringing your attention back to the poster (on this blog at the end of last year) advertising the first skating race according to new national rules which was held in 1879 on the Thorney River. This is the conserved and restored poster, including replaced portions, held by Thorney Museum. Speed skating is known back in the Middle Ages in the north of Europe and Scandinavia in particular. Skates made of bone were used first. It seems a Scotsman deigned a skate with an iron...