Higgins Art Gallery & Museum

The Higgins Gallery & Museum
(c) Paul Farmer

The Higgins Art Gallery & Museum's mission is to illustrate the geology, archaeology, natural history, and social history of the Bedford area.

Adjoining the Rural Life Gallery is a display of medieval floor tiles recovered from Warden Abbey, a Cistercian house near Old Warden.

Geology and Archaeology Gallery
The gallery displays fossils and geological samples native to the Bedford region. There are remains of marine reptiles, plus bones from woolly mamoths that roamed the area some 160 million years ago. A good deal more modern are the bronze Iron Age mirror and bucket handles in the shape of cow's heads, Roman coins and bronze bowls.

Natural History Gallery
A "natural" favourite with children, this gallery displays native birds and wildlife in recreated habitat settings. Interactive quizzes test your knowledge of butterflies and the food web.

Social History Gallery
This gallery recreates the evolving history of Bedford through exhibits tracing the development of the town, particularly in the late Victorian period. Displays include Weights and Measures, Health Care, Law and Order, and Firefighting.

A lacemaking display shows how the tools of lacemaking are used and exhibits traditional East Midland patterns and bobbins. Further exhibits worth noting highlight the Bedford Yeomanry, the straw-plait industry that once thrived in the Bedford area, and Victorian children's toys, dolls, and games.