
The success and educational impact of one of the smallest domestic museums in the country was celebrated in an awards ceremony at one of the country’s highest-profile royal palaces.
Mrs Smith’s Cottage – recently re-imagined as a window on the past celebrating a bygone way of life – received the 2024 Sandford Award in recognition of its approach towards heritage education in line with curriculum learning.
It was one of 37 to receive the prestigious recognition at Kensington Palace, alongside the All England Tennis Club, Mary Rose Trust, Whitby Abbey, Royal Collections Trust and M&S Archive.
It joins just 500 heritage locations nationwide to have been awarded over 40 years – including another of North Kesteven District Council’s visitor sites Cranwell Aviation Heritage Museum which was awarded in 2019.
The Sandford Award is an independently judged, quality-assured assessment of education programmes at heritage sites, museums, archives and collections across the British Isles. It focuses on formal, curriculum-linked education opportunities offered to schools by heritage sites, but can include informal learning such as family programmes.
In their citation, Sandford describes Mrs Smith’s Cottage as ‘a tiny gem sat almost inconspicuously in the centre Navenby’ and says that all those who work there are ‘passionate about ensuring Mrs Smith’s story and legacy continue to capture the imagination of generations to come’.
“Schools enjoy visiting and come time and time again knowing that the service they receive will fully meet their needs. Care is taken to ensure the pupils have a memorable visit that will complement classroom learning. The learning team, under the guidance of the Heritage Tourism Assistant, deliver an excellent offer to schools and are clearly excited about developing the programme into the future.”
In the past year the cottage also achieved an outstanding VisitEngland assessment, with a score of 91% for its superb presentation, social history exhibitions, well-regarded community-based education programme, characterful gardens, high standard of cleanliness and the very strong performance of staff and volunteers.
“Having invested significantly through our own and Heritage Lottery Fund resources in recent years to restore the building and re-imagine the visitor experience at Mrs Smith’s Cottage it’s gratifying that the fruits of that work are being appreciated, acknowledged and awarded by people experiencing it from an educational perspective,” said Council Leader Cllr Richard Wright.
“Whether it’s learning about washing days in the early 19th century, cooking on a coal-fired range and living without running water, indoor toilet and eventually just a single electrical socket, or reflecting on ways to be more sustainable in our modern lives by learning a thrifty trick or two from Mrs Smith, Mrs Smith’s Cottage really does offer a window on the past that is relevant to the future.
“With a dedicated education centre, engaging learning activities and interactive experiences we offer a diverse range of activities which meets the needs of any school and bring the past to life for all ages groups.”
Locally the International Bomber Command Centre at Canwick, Lincoln’s Castle, Cathedral. Museum of Lincolnshire Life and The Collection and Newark’s Civil War Museum all hold the Sandford Award too.