Tag: Torquay Museum

Email: Torquay Museum – Japanese Battle Kite! (29.8.2023)

At the above link I have added a blog post to our family martial arts website regarding this medieval Japanese battlefield ‘kite’! It resides in the Torquay Museum in South Devon and even when we visited – there was not the usual plaque giving the provenance of this piece – other than a description of what it is. I have written to the Museum to see if I can clear-up the mystery as to the origins of this artefact. As maters stand, this is a bamboo and material device that acts as a ‘kite’ able to lift a grown man of the era into the air whilst carrying a bow and supply of arrows! He is barefoot and stands on a single bamboo pole whilst his body is held in place by two crossed baboo poles in the centre of the device!

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South Devon: Visiting Torquay Museum! (31.8.2018)

We often see various statues of Darwin in the museums in London, but we also enjoy visiting Down House in Kent – his former home. Considering how much research and data we have access to in London, Torquay Museum contains objects that really impressed us, and which were presented in a highly beneficial (and educational) manner, particularly for the children. The museum now has purpose-built learning and play areas for younger explorers, whilst the adult visitors can learn from the historical narratives tactfully covering exploration, imperialism and looting. It is a tricky business presenting this type of information, but we can state that the staff of Torquay Museum have created a very progressive atmosphere that favours ongoing learning over dogmatic versions of history.

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