Stir Up Sunday – 15th November
Watch Mrs Pearson stir up her Christmas Pudding on ‘Stir Up Sunday’.
Stir-up Sunday is an informal term in Catholic and Anglican churches for the last Sunday before the season of Advent. It gets its name from the beginning of the collect for the day in the Book of Common Prayer, which begins with the words, “Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people”. It is a tradition that dates back to the Victorian era, when families would gather around and ‘stir’ their homemade Christmas pudding five weeks before Christmas. Adding silver coins into plum pudding is a fun Christmas tradition. The notion being that whoever finds the coin will have good luck. The tradition may date as far back as early as the 1300s when several small items like dried peas and chicken wishbones were added to the pudding mixture.
Visit Colne Valley Museum for a unique & fabulous day out.
Visit the exhibition gallery first then step back in time in the Victorian Kitchen which looks like the family has just left.
Mrs Pearson’s Kitchen is the first of three rooms which will give you a flavour of an entire weaving cottage and the people who lived and worked here. Mrs Pearson managed the kitchen and adjacent wash room to ensure her family was fed and kept clean.
Venture into the middle level of the cottage to find out where the Pearson family slept, and where they worked.
The Loom Chamber on the top floor was the hub of the weaving business – large looms fill the room. The long run of windows light the room, and there is a great view of the Colne Valley. There will be demonstrations of weaving on our weaving looms. The Weavers will be delighted to explain how the looms work and show you what they are working on and how life as a loom weaver would be.
In the Spinning room our spinners will be delighted to talk to you about the tools which were used in the weaving industry such as smaller looms, spinning jennies and spinning wheels. Discover the process of making yarn and thread.
Next door is the Edwardian Clog Makers shop. Learn about the history of clogs and Golcar’s long history of clog making. Find out who wore the clogs and the different designs and try some on to see how comfortable they are. Would you like to join the team and learn how to clog? Clogging is on the red list of endangered crafts! We need to train more people in this area to keep the skill of clogging going.
Finish off your visit to Spring Rock Tearoom where there will be delicious homemade cakes, and refreshments then visit our shop for cards, gifts, books, and products unique to Colne Valley Museum.
Colne Valley Museum
Open 12pm-4pm, admission £5, children and members free.
No Booking required.
Become a member for £15 a year and visit as many times as you like.
For more information including contact details for Colne Valley Museum please visit their directory listing –
