From Bombs to Bellbottoms

What was Holst Victorian House like before it was a museum? To celebrate 50 years since it opened its doors to the public, the museum has transformed the Maid’s Sitting Room and Victorian Bedroom into two striking 20th-century room sets as part of a new temporary exhibition, From Bombs to Bellbottoms, which runs until Wednesday, 31st December.See what life was like for the Doxseys in their basement parlour during the Second World War.

Step into a 1970s fashion student’s bedroom and imagine life at the Gloucestershire College of Art and Design on the nearby Pittville Campus.

With objects on loan from Gloucester Museum and The Wilson, together with items lent by the public, the rooms are stimulating portals into the past, rich with memory and conversation points.In addition to the two rooms, the museum is also displaying several labour-saving gadgets from the 1950s and 1960s, which would have been familiar to the Garlick family who lived here at the time.

Spot the 1950s fridge and compare the Victorian mangle with the electrified model.

Marvel at the early tumble dryer - purchased from Cheltenham High Street in 1959 and used until 2004!A specially designed newspaper is on hand to guide visitors around these immersive spaces, and content is also available on the museum’s Bloomberg Connects app, including an interview with 97-year-old Yvonne Ebdon, who lived nearby during the Second World War.