THE work of classifying the exhibits in the new Corinium Museum at Cirencester being so far advanced as is possible until the delivery of the exhibition cases to be provided by the grant of the Cargenie Trust, the Museum was formally opened last Friday afternoon by professor George M Trevelyan of Cambridge.

Professor Trevelyan having opened the door with a silver gilt key presented to him by Eric Cole the architect, the company entered the building where Mr Matthews chairman of the Urban District Council presided over the subsequent proceedings.

Supporting the chairman on the platform were Earl and Countess Bathurst and Sir Fredrick Cripps donors of the site and of the collections, Viscount and Viscountess Bledisloe, Lord Apsley Professor Trevelyan, Dr and Mrs St Clair Baddeley, Mr Edward C Sewell (20 years honorary curator of the old museum) and Mrs Sewell, Mr and Mrs W A Chester-Master, Mr W J Croome, Mr R W Ellett, and Mr Eric Cole and others.

Professor Trevelyan said that the building in which they were assembled had been erected by Cirencester Urban District Council and it stood on the site given by Lord and Lady Bathurst and Sir Frederick Cripps. It housed collections of the Romano-British antiquities discovered in and around ancient Corinium – Roman Cirencester – and the principal part of these collections came from the collections made by the fourth Earl Bathurst which his successor had most generously handed over to the town to be placed in the new museum. Another most important collection came from Sir Frederick Cripps it having been collected by his predecessors.

There were also smaller collections represented there given in time past and recently by various god citizens and countrymen.

Mr Matthews unveiled a bronze tablet commemorating the donors of the Roman collection and of the site of the new museum and said it as a great honour to do this. He went on to say that the Museum had been erected by the Urban District Council at a cost of nearly £4,000, It was 100 feet long and 40 feet wide. They decided to have it made large enough so that the collections of remains could be properly houses.

After an inspection of the exhibits the company were entertained to tea at Cirencester Park by Countess Bathurst.

November 5, 1938