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A 200 year old bear, fish in formaldehyde, several monkeys and pots (lots of pots). A year after the fire, ’s weird and wonderful Cuming collection is coming back together.

“It’s peculiar isn’t it?” says Judy, squinting at the strange fish which stares straight back at her from the jar in which it’s resided for more than a century. “It’s not quite natural. Whoever did this has added a couple of details of their own”.

Judy Aitken, one of the heritage managers at Judy is grateful for all the support the museum has Council, is surrounded by examples of received from the local community, Inspire at St Peter’s mysterious Victorian taxidermy. She surveys the church and the museum fraternity. Now the team are collection - boxed, bagged and stacked around her - looking to the future, hoping to secure some display the result of a recovery and restoration operation which space in and putting on a host of exciting has taken her and her team well over a year and which events. These include the intriguingly named Cuming is just reaching its final stages. In one corner there’s a Cabinet of Curiosity presents: Mythical Creatures (see collection of antique monkeys, in another Bert Hardy’s below for more details). original prints, and everywhere there are pots, vases, plates and ceramics of every size and colour. These are "We’re still doing plenty of activities, talks and events just some of the artefacts rescued from the fire which and we don’t want people to forget about us. We may destroyed much of Walworth town hall in March 2012. not have a museum space right now but, as a service, we’re still very much open for business. The Cuming is Judy was working at the Cuming Museum, whose a big part of life in Southwark and we’re determined to collection was displayed in old Walworth town hall, secure its future" says Judy, the tone of her voice when the smoke alarm went off that fateful day. “The sounding every bit as resilient as one of her precious alarm sounded about midday and two hours later vases rescued from the ashes. I was stood in the middle of Walworth Road, thick black smoke billowing down the street, with 400 Cuming Cabinet of Curiosity presents: items from the collection on the pavement in www.southwark.gov.uk/cabinetofcuriosityMythical Creatures front of me” Judy says, shaking her head. Running at a number of locations from In the months after the fire, the museum team 26 July this is a free and creative family along with help from the British workshop where you can learn about Museum, expert conservators, weird and wonderful mythical creatures and later the Museum of and create your own to take home and Archaeology Service managed bring you good luck. For the full to salvage and restore most of programme of activities visit the collection as well as books, www.southwark.gov.uk/cabinetofcuriosity photographs and archive documents. In the end, around 98% of the items on display were retrieved, with only a tiny handful being lost entirely.

For more information on the Cuming museum see www.southwark.gov.uk/cumingmuseum

www.southwark.gov.uk/aylesbury