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It has long been the policy of Southend Museums Service to lend selected material from the reserve collections to schools.

All the items are held at the Central Museum, and you are asked to collect loans from, and return them to, that building. Because there is a heavy demand on a limited number of items, the loans are restricted to a period of no more than one month; in some cases of particularly heavy demand this may be reduced to two or three weeks per school. There is a small charge of £2.00 per loan selection (two boxes or cases).

It is hoped that we will be able to expand the range and number of items offered for loan. If you have a special project, and your requirements are not met within the normal loan scheme, please do let us know. Even if we cannot lend you material we may be able to arrange a handling & study session at the museum, where a wider range of material is available.

The loans are arranged in two main headings; Human History and Natural History.

Human History

Roman.

Four similar packs are available. Each contains various Roman artefacts, mostly pottery and also including reproduction coins.

Victorian/Edwardian

A loan consists of three items from the following list:
Stoneware bottle, ginger beer. Glass COD bottle. Fish paste jar, Sainsbury's". Flat iron. Marmalade cutter and plunger. Butter press. Butter pats (pair). Candle snuffer/Wick trimmer. Glove stretchers. Button hook. Toasting fork. Stoneware ink container. Hot water bottle, Stoneware. School slate. Copy book. Victorian Interiors:- photographs. Pages from "Victorian Inventions". Small brass oil lamp

World War 2

2 identical packs are available, each containing photocopies of about 35 documents, including: Civil Defence leaflet on gas masks. The Protection of your Home against Air Raids. Page.9 of Southend Standard October 12 1939. Leaflet asking for homes for evacuees. National registration identity card. Etc.

Prehistoric

Some prehistoric material is also available on request.

Natural History

A Natural History loan consists of up to three items from the following list:

Mammals
NSL 1 Six-banded Armadillo
NSL 2 Badger
NSL 3 Badger
NSL 4 Pipstrelle Bat
NSL 5 Polecat
NSL 6 Red Squirrel
NSL 7 Red Deer Antler

Birds
NSL 8 Brent Goose
NSL 9 Chaffinch
NSL 10 Greenfinch
NSL 11 Lesser black-backed Gull
NSL 12 Black-headed Gull in winter plumage
NSL 13 Little Grebe
NSL 14 Mallard, pair
NSL 15 Robin
NSL 16 Quail
NSL 17 Yellow Wagtail, pair with nest and eggs.
NSL 18 Kingfisher, pair

Fish
NSL 19 Puffer Fish

Insects
NSL 20 Case of British Moths
NSL 21 Case of British Butterflies
NSL 22 Case of Tropical Butterflies

Fossils
NSL 23 A selection of fossils
NSL 24 A selection of fossils

Seashore
NSL 25 Case of common seashore animals with pressed plants and seaweeds.

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