The Story At Mount Oswald

Traveling along Money Slack (yes, that is the name of the road) which is part of A177 you will be on the edge of University land of Durham. Money Slack is such a fun name eh?! I read money comes from the Latin term 'moneta' which refers to the Goddess Juno (Hera in Greek Mythology). The Juno Moneta temple in Rome was where coin was minted. Slack is an Old English name for marshland which the Mount Oswald area was. So, in a convoluted way, this is the name of this road.

Anyhow to get back to the task in hand. The Story is a new social history museum, formerly the collection of the Durham History Centre. From the driveway into the free car park, you view the bonzer Georgian Mount Oswald Manor House. It looks majestic and certainly deserves Its Grade II listing (1973).

The large glass building adjacent to the manor house would not have escaped your notice. This is The Story. The museum has been so named because:

'it aims to chart the history of County Durham and its people' (From The Story website).

The architectural company Ryder was commissioned to make plans to refurbish Mount Oswald House, design the museum, and build an archive centre. They also employed the service of Mather & Co.

Mount Oswald house has been refurbished and is essentially a wedding venue (details on their website). This is also the place to come to register births and deaths.

It dates from 1800 and was extended in 1830. The drawing below is from Wikipedia.

From the Ryder website

'The Story Museum in Durham, formerly known as Durham History Centre, features a glass extension for several reasons. The glass pavilion was designed to blend modern architectural elements with the historic Grade II listed manor house [..] This minimalist glass structure serves dual purposes: it houses front-of-house functions like the café, exhibition spaces, and reading rooms, while also providing a visually striking contrast to the restored historic building.'

Near the carpark, there is a monolith of light grey concrete. And there is good reason for it. Ryder explain on their website:

'and a back of house area designed to the highest national standards for archives and storage. The archive, storing six miles and 900 years of history, is designed in contrast to the glass pavilion, with heavy set concrete providing the thermal, fire, security and environmental protection needed.'

The outside wall has murals 'etched' on it, depicting life and times of the area.

The museum contains brief details, photographs, and artifacts, of people from the area or connections to the area. There is no chronological order, so as Forrest Gump said 'You never know what you're going to get'. My favourites are the photos and information from Colditz including a dummy. The beautiful self-portrait card sent home, and the gun. You'll have to visit to find out more.

If you are expecting a Durham Light Infantry (DLI) display, quell that excitement as most of it is in the archives, but you can request to see certain items. There is a rumour that another Museum in Durham will host DLI artifacts for the public to see. From BBC news:

'Durham Light Infantry (DLI) Museum and Art Gallery, which is being built in Aykley Heads, County Durham.'

However you can pop along on the last Thursday of the month between 10:00-14:00 to speak with The Friends of the Durham Light Infantry.

Whilst in the area there are other delights to explore. Have a look at the Fabulous North map.