- American Museum in Britain
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Coordinates: 51°22′36″N 2°18′40″W / 51.3768°N 2.3110°W
American Museum in Britain 
The American Museum
Location within Somerset and the United KingdomEstablished July 1, 1961 Location Claverton, Bath, England Website American Museum The American Museum in Britain[1] is based at Claverton Manor, near Bath, England, in a house, designed by Jeffry Wyatville and built in the 1820s[2] on the site of a manor bought by Ralph Allen in 1758.[3] It is now a Grade I listed building.[4]
The museum was founded by two antique collectors, an American, Dallas Pratt (August 21, 1914 – May 20, 1994)[5] and a Briton, John Judkyn (1913 – July 27, 1963)[6] and opened to the public for the first time on July 1, 1961.
The exhibits cover every period of American history. Because John Judkyn was a peace-loving Quaker, the museum contains no militaria. Included are 200 quilts and coverlets, and several pieces of Shaker furniture.
Garden
The garden is set into the valley of the River Avon and has fine views over the valley and the Kennet and Avon Canal. The American Museum employed Lanning Roper to design a mixed border. There is a Colonial Herb Garden and a Mount Vernon Garden, which is a re-creation of George Washington's garden. The arboretum has a collection of American trees.[2]
Artists in the collection
The collection of portraits includes works by John Brewster, Jr., Ammi Phillips and William Matthew Prior. There are also carved eagles by Wilhelm Schimmel and Frederick Myrick.[7]
References
- ^ American Museum in Britain website
- ^ a b Garden Visit website
- ^ Scott, Shane (1995). The hidden places of Somerset. Aldermaston: Travel Publishing Ltd. pp. 16–17. ISBN 1-902007-01-8.
- ^ "Claverton Manor (The American Museum)". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?pid=2&id=399485. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
- ^ Biographical notes on Dallas Pratt
- ^ Personal recollections of John Judkyn by Dallas Pratt
- ^ "Folk Art". American Museum in Britain. http://www.americanmuseum.org/default.cfm/loadindex.89. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
Categories:- Grade I listed buildings in Somerset
- Grade I listed museum buildings
- Grade I listed houses
- Museums established in 1961
- Museums in Somerset
- History museums in Somerset
- Decorative arts museums in the United Kingdom
- Folk art museums and galleries
- Textile museums in the United Kingdom
- Cultural history of the United States
- Gardens in Somerset
- Country houses in Somerset
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