American Quilt Museum in UK
Bath Museum of The Early Settlers in Britain
Visit the American Museum in Bath, Britain. Displays of Shaker furniture and Early American Quilts. Beautiful gardens and ever-changing exhibitions make it a must.
For the finest collection of American decorative arts outside the States you must visit the American Museum at Claverton Manor, Bath. Claverton Manor is of neo-classical design and is set in 120 acres of beautiful grounds, thirty of which are at present open to the public.
Two walking trails are available through the beautiful gardens, the Lewis & Clark Trail and the Backwoods Trail. There is also a gardens tour which includes the garden inspired by George Washington’s American garden at Mount Vernon and an American Arboretum.
The Museum displays the American way of life with a series of period rooms set out from the colonial 17th century to the 19th century, room sets of daily life and early American furniture.
The Shaker Room has some lovely examples of their original furniture. The Shakers, originally from Manchester, were a religious sect who left for the Americas in 1744, they later became renowned for their simple and elegant furniture.
Some gorgeous glass and folk art is on display and a Gone With The Wind style bedroom, that symbolises the stylish yet simple way of life that the early settlers led.
One of the bigger attractions is the Textiles Room which has part of the largest American quilt collection outside the U.S. Quilts dating from the 18th century are on display, with the age-old patterns like Lone Star, Crazy Patchwork and the Log Cabin there in all their glory.
Intricate Amish quilts and wonderfully colourful Navajo rugs, as well as embroidery samples created by the early settlers are all on display.
The early settler women would join together for companionship and to catch up on local news while working collectively on their quilts. At the Museum the Quilting Bee group meet once afternoon a week on a Tuesday between 12.30 and 4.30. These are members of local quilting groups who gather to demonstrate their craft, show-off their skills and share their knowledge while talking to visitors.
New and temporary exhibitions take place regularly and the museum has started to organise holidays through its friends of the museum membership.
This museum is a unique and fascinating resource set in stunning scenery within an area of outstanding beauty. The grounds itself are worthy of a visit with guided walks and woodland trails, picnic area and café.
The museum is open daily until 4pm, and is signposted from Bath city centre, a ten-minute taxi ride from Bath Spa station.
Please check opening hours before making the trip.
The American Museum, Claverton Manor, Bath, BA2 7BD
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