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Dad's Army Museum

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Coordinates: 52°24′47″N 0°45′02″E / 52.412934°N 0.750606°E / 52.412934; 0.750606
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Dad's Army Museum
Map
Established2007
LocationCage Lane in Thetford, Norfolk
Coordinates52°24′47″N 0°45′02″E / 52.412934°N 0.750606°E / 52.412934; 0.750606
TypeDad's Army
Websitehttp://dadsarmythetford.org.uk/

The Dad's Army Museum is a museum located in Cage Lane in Thetford in Norfolk[1] dedicated to the popular BBC comedy series Dad's Army, many of the outdoor locations for which were filmed in the local area. The museum is housed in the old fire station at the rear of Thetford Guildhall, which itself stood-in for Walmington-on-Sea Town Hall in several of the episodes. It is run by a dedicated team of volunteers who, throughout the year, attend many 1940s events in East Anglia with Jones' van.

History

The exterior of the Dad's Army Museum

Thetford Guildhall, where the museum is based, featured in the 1972 episode Time On My Hands of Dad's Army, in which a German Luftwaffe pilot dangled from the clock tower when his parachute became caught in the clock's hands. The Guildhall was also used in the 1974 episode The Captain's Car.

The Dad's Army Museum opened in December 2007 and includes a reconstruction of Captain Mainwaring's church hall office, several display areas, a shop and the Marigold Tea Room.[2] The museum displays many unique photographs (many from the collection of the Dad's Army Appreciation Society) along with other memorabilia and items connected with the series. Uniforms on display include a replica of the red bemedalled tunic worn by Lance-Corporal Jones in the series and others worn by the Home Guard.[3]

Jones' van

Jones' van was purchased by the Dad's Army Museum in 2012

In 2012 the museum bought the original Ford BB van used as Jones' butcher's van in the series for £63,100 including the premium.[4][5][6][7] Because of limited space in the Dad's Army Museum, the van went on display at the nearby Charles Burrell Museum in early 2013 after a period of restoration.[8][9]

Opening times

The museum is run by volunteers and is open on each Saturday from Easter until the end of November and on Tuesdays during the Norfolk school summer holidays. Admission is free.

References

  1. ^ The Dad's Army Museum on the Literary Norfolk website
  2. ^ Visit Us- The Dad's Army Museum website
  3. ^ The Dad's Army Museum on the Culture24 website
  4. ^ '£30,000... who do you think you're kidding? Lance Corporal Jones' Dad's Army butcher's van is put up for sale' - Daily Mail 20 September 2012
  5. ^ - 'Dad's Army butcher van goes on sale' - Daily Telegraph 20 September 2012
  6. ^ 'Dad’s Army van is delivered to Thetford' - Eastern Daily Press - 13 December 2012
  7. ^ Jones' van on the Dad's Army Museum website
  8. ^ 'Dad's Army: L/Cpl Jones' butcher's van restored' - BBC News website - 30 March 2013
  9. ^ 'Visitors can “have a butchers” at Jones’s Dad’s Army van' - Norwich Evening News - 3 April 2013
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