Erewash Museum has won praise from a top travel writer for being packed with fascinating exhibits that charm visitors and make it a great place to check out.
Gavin Haines, who writes for a national newspaper, saluted it in an article that was read around the world after being posted online.
He told of calling in for a look round – and how he got to meet the granddaughter of the woman who founded the theatre group that Ilkeston lad Robert Lindsay attended before becoming a TV superstar.
The travel expert declared in his verdict on the heritage hub near Ilkeston Market Place: “It’s a charming museum housed inside a fine Georgian building and filled with genuinely interesting exhibitions about local history.”
Sophie Tilley – artistic director at the Studio Players – told him as he investigated what Ilkeston has to offer that its now-famous hole-in-the-wall is far from the only attraction.
The hole – a feature in a brick wall beside a cashpoint on Bath Street – continues to make headlines after spoof TripAdvisor reviews saw it voted the No1 thing to see locally.
Sophie, whose gran founded the Studio Players, said of people who mock Ilkeston as dull: “If you know where to look, there’s plenty going on. I say: ‘When was the last time you visited the market or went to the cinema or found out what’s going on at the museum?’”
The travel writer’s article tells how the award-winning museum hosts “community events galore” and even boasts its own “beach” during the summer.
It adds: “From the top floor you can see the iron lattice Bennerley Viaduct, a local landmark, in the distance.”
His review of Ilkeston declares in its headline: “There’s more to this Midlands town than its famous cashpoint.” The article touts Ilkeston’s celebrated annual fair, its independent shops and its “pretty market place”.
The Deputy Leader of Erewash Borough Council, Becca Everett, who is also the Lead Member for Community Engagement, said: "The museum really is a terrific place to spend time – as is Ilkeston as a whole. We’ve always known that but it’s great to now have a leading tourism expert saying so too.”
Erewash Museum is open Thursdays to Saturdays from 11am to 4pm.