Our Collections

Have you ever seen a pygmy shrew or felt a fox’s brush?

What did the Tudors eat and just where did they go to the toilet?

What is it really like to live in a 15th century building?

Here at the John Moore Museum you can find answers to all of these questions and many more. The museum is made up of two buildings set into one of the finest rows of 15th century timber framed buildings in the country.

The first building is home to an extensive Natural History collection featuring specimens of the mammals and birds native to our countryside, including farmlands, woodlands and wetlands.

Just a few doors down the street is the Merchant’s House.  Here you will find a shop and home, fully restored to the Tudor period. Here you can explore the realities of life for a middle class family living in Tudor Tewkesbury.

Find out more about the exciting displays and resources that we have to offer by clicking on the links above.

Please Note: Our natural history displays are made up of modern taxidermy specimens and, in case you were wondering (as many do), all our furred and feathered guests died of natural causes or from misadventure.

Alan Jack Sculptures

Have you ever noticed some special sculptures at our museum? These sculptures were all made by Alan Jack. Alan Jack (1940 – 2006) was a British sculptor, born in the Midlands. He first became interested in machinery during his childhood. Despite having no formal art background, he learned metalworking abilities through a tool-making apprenticeship, which was followed by service as an aircraft fitter in the Royal Air Force.

Alan loved using metal materials to create creatures. He used old engineering components taken out of abandoned agricultural machinery to create brand new things, giving these scrap metals new life, which is a fantastic way of recycling.

He believed that we are going into a plastic age, and in a few years, the currently neglected iron element will disappear. That’s why he was committed to using waste metals. These scrap metals will no longer be useful after people have used them. Sometimes, Alan took tools from family or craftsmen, and turned those scraps into “memory” sculptures, giving them a longer life.

Alan did not like the original colour of these metals. People might even predict the provenance of these waste metals based on their original colours. Moreover, the colour of those scrap metals will destroy the integrity of his artworks. Therefore, he preferred to paint them, usually red, blue, buff and peacock.

Most of his works seem weird, but you can always feel a touch of humour in them. His artworks are full of imagination and artistry. Alan had no blueprint or draft when he was creating his works. Alan’s art came from his heart. The love of machinery and the deep love of nature became the original driving force of his creations. Alan was a conservationist. He especially loved birds and insects, which are the themes that he often expressed in his sculptures.

Producing these sculptures always took a long time and required a lot of precision. The development of an individual work was depended on the selection and application of components by the artist. Each plays an important part in determining the outcome of the completed sculpture.

As a youngster, he used to make pushbikes out of scraps, just because he couldn’t afford to buy a new one. Sometimes he used gears to make bird wings, an old beautiful forged hook for a head. Some springs originally used for holding railway rails in position have been used as animal eyes or necks. Alan was full of creativity. He could always use these scraps in a fantastic way that you would never expect.

There are seven incredible sculptures at our museum and within the gardens. Some of them are on sale now. Here are pictures and sketches of these sculptures drawn by our museum placement student, Shuhua. She tried to use her own method to make these sculptures look lovelier. The vigorous rooster is one of her favourite sculptures. It is standing in the museum garden, welcoming all the visitors as they walk up the garden path. Also, there is a clever owl hiding behind plants, which is waiting for you to spot him.