"Wouldn't it be great if Ormskirk had a museum" is a conversation we often have whilst out and about at events and talks in the local community. Well now Ormskirk does have a museum. A small but perfectly placed one. A K6 phonebox located next to the clock tower in Ormskirk town centre is being developed into a "Micro Museum" depicting scenes of local historical interest .
Since 2021 the phonebox has been home to a temporary art installation called the "Time Tardis" a collaboration between local artists and individuals severely impacted by the pandemic to create dioramas of points in Ormskirk's past.
After being invited by West Lancashire Borough Council to take over responsibility for the phone box, a team from Ormskirk Heritage Hub have been working hard to bring it back to its former glory. There is still some way to go, but the inside and outside have been cleaned, made watertight and missing glass panels replaced. Not a great task through the winter months! There have also been experiments with lighting to ensure that the displays are visible at night.
Attention has now turned to the content of the box and several new dioramas relating to aspects of Ormskirk history have been created, accompanied by interpretations of the historic scene recreated in miniature. An ingenuous system of small boxes facing the glass panels of the box has been maintained to ensure the sense of wonder experienced by those peering inside is not lost.
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