Mid Antrim Museum at The Braid
| County: | Co. Antrim |
| Tel: | 028-2565 7161 |
| Fax: | 028-2563 5941 |
| Email: | braid.enquiries@ballymena.gov.uk |
The Mid-Antrim Museum at The Braid is designed to world-class standards, with content and storylines to fascinate local residents and visitors alike. The spectacular entrance atrium features special installations revealing the links between people and place, local history and local identity.
Once inside the galleries the story of Mid-Antrim from earliest times to the present day is told through a mix of state of the art interactive technology and amazing original artefacts. Highlights include an exhibition revealing the turbulent medieval history of the region. This features a range of items on loan from the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin and The National Museums Of Northern Ireland. From Edward Bruce’s expedition in 1315 to the recent Troubles, war and conflict is a recurring theme within the gallery. Living off the land is another key theme. Remarkable family photographs, archive film and objects are combined to evoke rural traditions and folk life.
General Information
| Address: | 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena, Antrim, BT43 5EJ |
|---|---|
| Telephone; | 028-2565 7161 |
| Fax: | 028-2563 5941 |
| Email: | braid.enquiries@ballymena.gov.uk |
| Website: | http://www.thebraid.com/museum.aspx |
| Location: | Ballymena Town Centre |
| Season: | All Year |
| Open Times: | Mon-Fri: 10.00-17.00 Sat: 10.00-16.00 Closed Sunday/Open Most Public Holidays |
| Tours: | Yes. 45 mins, Max: 30 per Guide |
| Booking Contact: | braid.enquiries@ballymena.gov.uk |
| Manager: | Jayne Clarke |
| Average Visit Length: | 1-2 Hours |
| Entrance Fees: | Free Admission |
| Audio Visual: | Yes, Used throughout the Galleries |
| Exhibition: | The History Gallery explores the story of Mid-Antrim from earliest times to the present day, with reference to themes of identity, people and place |
| Restaurant: | Yes, Café serving snacks and light lunches. Group catering organised on request |
| Picnic Area: | No |
| Shop: | Yes |
| Information Guide: | Yes |
| Coach Parking: | Yes |
| Group Booking Necessary: | Yes |
| Car Parking: | Yes |
| Disabled Access/Parking: | Yes |
Conference & Incentive
The Braid complex as a whole includes both a Museum and an Arts Centre. It is a dynamic mix of contemporary architecture alongside an elegant neo-classical Town Hall building that opened in 1928. It incorporates a range of facilities including a 400 seat Theatre (with fly tower), an 80 seat Studio Theatre, an Arts Workshop, a Learning Zone (education room), a Theatre Club (Crush Bar) and Meeting Rooms. The Braid has an Entertainments and Hospitality Licence and has flexible opening hours to include evenings, weekends and public holidays. The complex features a number of specially commissioned artworks from internationally recognised artists
Genealogical collections and services
The Mid-Antrim Museum is developing its genealogical collections and services. Current information that may be of interest to those researching their family tree include graveyard inscription records collected from within the Borough Of Ballymena. Please click on the following link to access these records http://www.thebraid.com/genealogy.aspx. Other sources of interest will be uploaded to our website in due course.
Virtual Visit
Want to take a Virtual Visit of The Braid Museum in the beautiful town of Ballymena? You can see what many attractions are like before visiting with this 360 degree view! Click on the button below to see:
Exhibitions at the Braid
The Photographic Alliance of Great Britain Inter-Federation Print Exhibition
Continues until 23 Feb
Exhibition Gallery
Free admission
This exhibition is made up of 71 monochrome and 81 colour photographs that represent a diversity of both subject matter and style and were selected from 643 photographs submitted by 15 photographic federations, including the Northern Ireland Photographic Association. These Annual Exhibitions are highly prestigious; the Mid-Antrim Museum is one of only 5 venues in the UK, and the only venue in Northern Ireland, hosting this exhibition
Walking the Colours: Banners and Local Parading Traditions Exhibition
16 Jan – 22 Feb 2012
Exhibition Gallery
Free admission
Walking the Colours: Banners and Local Parading Traditions, is an engaging exhibition delivered by Mid-Antrim Museums Service and Causeway Museum Service, funded by the North East PEACE III Partnership. Through local museum collections and material on loan from stakeholder groups, this exhibition explores local community traditions of parades, processions and marches historically and in contemporary times. The aim of this vibrant exhibition is to promote awareness of and understanding between these different traditions.
War Years Remembered Exhibition
5 March – 13 April
Exhibition Gallery
Free admission
One of our most popular exhibitions returns for a 6 week run. The War Years Remembered Organisation brings its vast and unique collection of home front and battlefield artefacts to the museum where they will showcase, amongst other displays, a replica 1940’s living room. Visitors will have a chance to meet with WYR members where older visitors will no doubt have their memory jogged and younger visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about the two world wars.
Schools
The Museum has a number of curriculum-linked programmes that have been designed to creatively meet the needs of the new Northern Ireland curriculum. These involve stimulating hands on sessions that utilise original and replica objects to explore themes of interdependence, Place and Change Over Time within the World Around Us sections of the Curriculum.
Early Man & Materials KS2: A stimulating hands on session using real and replica objects and role play to investigate the lives of Meolithic and Neolithic people in Mid-Antrim.
Innovation and Impact: A new and exciting session that uses Museum objects, photographs and activities to explore the Victorian inventions of electricity and the camera.
Air Raid Alert KS1: Experience the sights and sounds of the Home Front and the effects of rationing in this interactive session
Houses and Homes KS1: This hands on session uses a variety of museum objects and photographs to explore what houses and homes were like in the past compared to today and how everyday, domestic objects have changed over time.
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