Cemetery Guns

[Old Boggy]

Seeing Ditchman`s newish profile of `From Sandringham : Land of the Resurrectionists`, reminded me of a fairly recent visit to The Cotton Powell Museum in Birchington, Kent, accompanied by two of my younger Grandsons. The museum holds a fine collection of dioramas depicting mainly African animals set in their natural surroundings illustrating taxidermy at its best along with many artifacts of African tribes, etc. One such now famous exhibit is of a lion attacking a buffalo showing the very fine taxidermy of Roland Ward. Both the lion and the buffalo were shot by Percy Powell-Cotton as indeed were all of the animals, but also on show is the the tattered claw marked coat of Powell-Cotton where the lion almost got the better of the hunter.

One of the exhibits was one of the fearsome cemetery guns (see photo) among many guns and I explained to the boys, the use of these against the `Body Snatchers` of past days. This was met by a combination of fascination and horror by the two boys. 

For anyone likely to be visiting this part of East Kent in the near future, I can fully recommend a few hours spent at the museum, which houses many exhibits of a bygone era. Probably not particularly PC these days, but nevertheless still most interesting and educational.

[nobbyathome]

thank you old boggy  for informing us of the cotton powell museum  it is a place  i have driven past many times  but never been in there that will change

[Feltwad]

What is known has a trip wire gun  became illegal in 1824  used by gamekeepers and has stated in grave yards against grave robbers . These  guns were mostly set at a height of 3 ft off the ground with 3 trip wires set at different angle  which when pulled the gun swung too that position  and fire, . Most did not kill but either maimed the person with most dying from gangrene .

Feltwad

[enfieldspares]

Thank you for that as I had feared it had shot down well before covid as being not PC. So it hasn't?

[Old Boggy]

14 hours ago, nobbyathome said:

thank you old boggy  for informing us of the cotton powell museum  it is a place  i have driven past many times  but never been in there that will change

There is a small cafe called Felicity’s (closed on Mondays) adjacent to the museum which has a good selection of sandwiches, salads, cakes etc. Lovely to sit outside in the summer and enjoy the peace of the surrounding parkland. You will no doubt hear the odd distinctive call of a ring necked parakeet, a large colony of which has made residence in the park.

Also within Quex Park there something for all ages, a farm shop with butchers, greengrocers, cafe and restaurant, crazy golf, a craft centre, a maize maze in mid to late summer and a small nursery selling a good range of reasonably priced plants.

I’m sure that if you did visit, you wouldn’t be disappointed.

OB

[Old Boggy]

12 hours ago, enfieldspares said:

Thank you for that as I had feared it had shot down well before covid as being not PC. So it hasn't?

It had shut down, but only because of Covid, but is now open again.

They have updated it to provide educational areas for visiting schools and colleges, so it is no longer merely loads of stuffed animals. I understand that there are still as many exhibits in the basements yet to be fully identified, labelled and put on show, so it is always being updated.

OB

[theshootist]

I shall certainly take my children to see, thank you.