06/06/2026
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in the leadup to a new exhibition opening?
Here we have a perfect example of the essential conservation work that forms one part of the process.
These images show the wheel from a bathing machine, a wheeled changing room often used at the seaside in the 18th and 19th centuries to help bathers to maintain their modesty. The user would enter on land, change in private, and the device would be wheeled into the water, usually under horsepower, allowing them to exit directly into the water away from the view of other beachgoers.
This example here is being prepared for display in our upcoming exhibition at Central Museum. Our skilled conservators are using specialist materials to fill cracks around the wheel spokes, and carefully colour matching to the original paint colour.
This is just one of the many objects that need specialist, individual care before being made ready to go on display. A time intensive process that happens for every exhibition!
Central Museum is open 11am-5pm Wednesday to Sunday and is free to visit. Our new exhibition will open in early July, with more details to follow soon.
