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  The
history of the Abbey Museum is also the story of its
remarkable founder, Rev. John. S. M. Ward (1885-1949).
A pioneer of new concepts in museology and education,
Ward founded Britain's first social history museum - the
Abbey Folk Park at New Barnet, north of London, in 1934.
Born in British Honduras, the son of an Anglican
clergyman, Ward was educated at Cambridge and became a
school teacher in England and Burma and leading
Freemason historian. |
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During World War 1, he was a member of the intelligence
section of the Federation of British Industries. In
1929, as a result of a profound spiritual experience, he
formed a mixed monastic community whose philosophy
sought to blend the spiritual teachings of both East and
West. The community followed a tradition of the medieval
Christian abbeys, adopting a programme of education, the
preservation of heritage and the dispensing of spiritual
values. As a boy, Ward had been an enthusiastic
collector of prehistoric flints and Roman pottery. In
1934 he founded Britain's first outdoor museum, the
Abbey Folk Park, near Barnet, based on Sweden’s famous
folk art museum, Skansen. Rather than display his
collection in dusty glass cases, Ward carefully
reconstructed a series of prehistoric and medieval
dwellings, where a wealth of antiquities, culled from
building sites and salesrooms, were displayed.
His aim was to preserve the traditional heritage of
England rapidly disappearing in the wake of
industrialisation and change. By 1940 he had amassed
over 90,000 items and salvaged some thirty significant
historical buildings from demolition. A medieval tithe
barn, filled with valuable stained glass, paintings and
sculpture served as a church for his community. The new
museum captured the imagination of thousands of
visitors. H.M. Queen Mary gave several items and a
number of well known collectors donated valuable
antiquities. Ward opened a reconstructed African
Village and the Gaumont Film Company made a motion
picture of the Folk Park.
The bombing of London in 1940 forced the closure of the
Folk Park. A court case sapped Ward's health and in
1945 he emigrated with some of his community to Cyprus.
Most of his huge collection was dispersed and the
remaining 4500 pieces crated away. In 1949, Ward died
at Limassol.
Within a few years, the outbreak of terrorism by EOKA
guerrillas demanding union of Cyprus with Greece forced
the community to leave the island. They travelled to
Australia via Egypt and Sri Lanka, arriving virtually
penniless in Sydney in 1956. Ten years later, the
community moved to a permanent home at Caboolture in
southeast Queensland.
 In
1978 a decision was made to resurrect the museum and
make the remaining collections available to the public.
A governing body was formed and the first director,
Michael Strong, appointed. Building commenced in 1983
with funds from various foundations, supplemented by two
government employment programmes. A number of
institutions assisted in the design and construction of
a modern building, and provided technical assistance in
mounting the displays. The total cost of the project
was almost one million
dollars. The completed museum was opened in June 1986
by Sir Gordon Chalk. An additional gallery, the R.R.
Stephens Manuscript Gallery, commemorates the
involvement of Professor Richard Stephens (Chairman,
1993-2003). In 1994, Edith Cuffe became the Museum’s
first executive officer.
After a dormancy of 40 years, Ward's significant
collections are once more providing pleasure and
education for many thousands of national and
international visitors who come to the Abbey Museum.
In 1988 the first Medieval Tournament was held to raise
funds for the Museum. It has grown into Australia's
largest medieval festival, with more than 18,500 patrons
over the week in 2007. The Medieval Festival helps
generates funds and publicity for the Museum.
The Museum Board is currently working on two new
exciting projects: the design of a new Art Gallery to
house the priceless collections of Old Master paintings,
and the development of a permanent venue for the
Medieval Festival. When these come to fruition, John
Ward's vision of a Folk Park will have come full circle.
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John
Ward in a 17th century reconstruction of a
Witch’s Cottage at the Abbey Folk Park, New
Barnet, (1934-1945) |
Highlight of Ward’s Abbey Folk Park at New
Barnet was a series of life-size reconstructions
of prehistoric huts |
The
Abbey Church at the Folk Park was filled with
paintings and furniture, some of which survived
the move to Australia |
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