Gressenhall workhouse opens new nursing themed exhibition

Gressenhall Farm & Workhouse is reopening its doors for the season with new exhibitions.

Telling the the story of nursing history at the site, the exhibition is the result of a year-long collaboration between Norfolk-based textile artist Connie Flynn and a team of volunteer researchers.

“Making the Rounds” is an exploration into 150 years of local welfare history.

The exhibition shows biographies of nurses who worked at the site, alongside Connie’s responses to these historical findings.

Cllr Margaret Dewsbury, of Norfolk County Council said: “We’re sure visitors will be moved and surprised by the stories which have come to light.”

“The exhibition celebrates the dedication of our museum volunteers and their valuable research demonstrating how history continues to inspire contemporary reflections and responses.”

Also featuring items loaned or donated by family members, the exhibition gives a fascinating insight into the early days of the nursing profession and how it has changed over time.

Rachel Kidd, curator at Gressenhall, said: “It has been an absolute pleasure to work on this project and I am blown away by the amazing stories that have been uncovered.

“We can now understand the different ways that ordinary people were able to access medical care before the NHS. It also sheds light on how these hard-working women, many of whom started life as workhouse inmates, were able to forge careers as nurses at a time when many women did not have careers. The research is a fantastic resource going forward.”

Artist Connie Flynn said: "As a textile artist, it has been fascinating to hear about the lives of the workhouse nurses through the stories found by the museum’s researchers.

"The textile works I have made for this exhibition have been chosen as a tool to represent stories of the workhouse literally held within sheets, bandages and uniforms. As workhouse objects are rare, the nurses have left few objects behind, so the textiles can form a new layer of understanding and meaning."

Dauna Coppin, a volunteer researcher, said: “I have researched more than twenty nurses for this project and found all to be fascinating. It has been very satisfying, just starting with a name and a date, ending up with a comprehensive history of their life.”

Through the exhibition, visitors can explore the amazing stories of women who dedicated their lives to caring for some of the poorest people in rural Norfolk and find out about the pioneering careers they forged for themselves. As a thank you to the present-day NHS workforce, the museum is offering NHS workers 50% admission to Gressenhall until May 31 2024.

Highlights of the calendar at Gressenhall include:

Free entry for all mums on Mothers’ Day (Sunday, March 10)

• Easter holidays ‘Ready Steady Grow!’ activities (March 28 - April 14)

• Earth Day (Friday, April 14)

• May half term activities (May 25 - June 2)

• Blossom Day (Monday, May 27)

• For further information and to book tickets visit their website.