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A Walk With Snooks

A Walk with Snooks

A family trail around Old Aldeburgh

Aldeburgh Museum has compiled a short walking trail suitable for families and for young and old around Old Aldeburgh.  The walk features Aldeburgh’s all-time favourite dog, Snooks, who takes you on an engaging and child-friendly walk around various landmarks in the town.   Discover what is buried under the North Lookout, look for ships from the Town Steps and investigate the secret Smuggler’s Passage.

A Walk with Snooks takes about 1 hour and is FREE and available from the museum shop during museum opening times. Normal admission applies.

FREE prizes from Wag & Bone in Aldeburgh High Street over our launch week 15th – 23rd August whilst stocks last.

 

Snooks was a dog owned by Nora and Robin Acheson who were both doctors in Aldeburgh,with Robin caring for the community between 1931 and 1959.  He would often attend house visits around Aldeburgh and was a common site trotting down Aldeburgh High Street.  The origin of his name, Snooks, is from the tinned snook (fish) which the family ate during the war.

The Snooks statue was unveiled in 1961 to commemorate Dr Robin Acheson’s life and work in Aldeburgh.  His wife, Nora, was added to the plinth in 1981.

Having spent many years sitting quietly by the Aldeburgh boat pond, tragedy struck in February 2003 when Snooks was stolen from his site and completely disappeared.  The town were so outraged, that a fundraising effort began and Snooks was replaced by an exact replica.

Almost ten years after the theft of Snooks, the original was returned home by antiques dealer, John O’Connor who found the lost statue at a fair in Lincoln.  He found the name of the dog on the collar of the statue and investigating further, realised that he had been stolen and returned him back to Aldeburgh.

As the replica Snooks takes pride of place at the boating pond,  the original snooks statue was given to Aldeburgh  Hospital in July 2013 where he now sits in the garden – and is enjoyed by both visitors and residents of the hospital and the local community.

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Guided Tour Booking Form
Using our online virtual tour, one of our expert volunteers will guide your group around the Museum, sharing their detailed knowledge of the collection and the Moot Hall. Tours will be conducted using Zoom and last approximately 1 hour.
Tickets start at £4.95 per person, minimum 5 people in a group.

To help us select the best tour guide for your group, please complete the short
form below. A member of our team will be in touch shortly.

Please provide your contact details below.

Do I have to wear a face covering?

No.  This is now optional (but subject to change).

Can I go into the museum if I just turn up?

Yes please do. We no longer have a pre booking system in place. An admission ticket will be issued on entry.

How do I get a ticket for entry?

Please just turn up and purchase an admission ticket on arrival.

When will you be open?

Are opening times are always from 1pm to 4pm. From April to the end of October we are open every day (except when the building is needed for civic events).  From November through to the end of March, we are open weekends only plus additional days in school holidays/half-terms.

How accessible is the museum?

The museum has worked hard to ensure that everyone is welcome and is able to access the displays and enjoy themselves when they visit us.

Access for visitors with physical disabilities
The Moot Hall is a grade one listed building and the exhibits are on two floors, with the main entrance on the first floor and the exit on the ground floor. For those with limited mobility who cannot climb the stairs, there is access through the ground floor, where you can look around the museum room and its exhibits. Tablet computers will provide support for those unable to climb the stairs (coming soon). Our front-of-house staff are ready to assist when you arrive.

We are sorry but the museum is not wheelchair accessible but it is possible that access could be possible for small wheelchairs through the ground floor. Please let us know your requirements.

Access for visitors with visual impairments includes:
Tablet support (coming soon) and a handling collection and items to touch. Access dogs are welcome.

Access for deaf or hard-of-hearing visitors includes:
Subtitles for spoken word film material. Assistance dogs are welcome.

Access for visitors who have a learning disability, dementia or are on the autistic spectrum includes:
An experienced member of staff.  In due course, we expect to have SEN backpacks and a sensory map.

If you have any additional needs please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you.

What is there for children?

Whether you have tiny tots or teenagers, there’s plenty to do with the family. There is dressing up as a mini mayor, games and challenges, trails and more.

Whether that’s seeing our exhibitions or taking part in one of our workshops, we want you to feel at home here.

We have special activities in school holidays/half-terms.

 

What is included in my admission ticket?

Your admission ticket includes entry to all our temporary exhibitions and permanent collection displays.  Your ticket enables you to visit multiple times over a one year period though does not cover special events.