About
Harborough Museum tells the rich and varied story of the Harborough district — a sweep of south Leicestershire countryside centred on the historic market town of Market Harborough. From prehistoric settlers to Civil War battles, from corset-makers to glove-stitchers, the museum brings together the objects, documents, and images that illuminate centuries of life in this distinctive corner of the English Midlands.
Market Harborough itself has a fascinating history as a planned medieval market town, laid out in the thirteenth century to exploit its position on important trade routes. The town's distinctive vernacular architecture — including the Old Grammar School building standing on wooden stilts in the market square — reflects its long history as a commercial centre. The museum explores the town's development, its markets and fairs, and the trades and industries that sustained its communities across the centuries.
One of the district's most significant historical moments came in June 1645, when the Battle of Naseby was fought just a few miles to the south. This decisive engagement, in which the Parliamentarian New Model Army crushed the Royalist forces of King Charles I, proved a turning point in the English Civil War. On the eve of the battle, Charles I slept at an inn in Market Harborough — the last time he would spend a night in a position of confidence. The museum's Civil War collections and displays bring this pivotal moment in English history vividly to life, drawing on artefacts recovered from the battlefield and documents of the period.
The district's industrial heritage is another important thread running through the collections. Market Harborough and the surrounding villages developed notable specialisms in corsetry manufacture and glove-making during the Victorian period, with factories and outworkers producing goods exported across the British Empire. The museum holds tools, equipment, finished garments, and business records relating to these now-vanished industries.
Archaeological material from across the Harborough district — spanning Bronze Age metalwork, Iron Age settlements, Roman finds, and medieval artefacts — provides deep time depth to the museum's story. Natural history collections document the varied wildlife and landscapes of south Leicestershire's rolling countryside and river valleys.
Categories:
Highlights
Battle of Naseby Civil War Displays
One of the most significant battles of the English Civil War was fought at Naseby, just a few miles from Market Harborough, in June 1645. The Parliamentarian New Model Army, under Fairfax and Cromwell, decisively defeated the Royalist forces of King Charles I — a defeat from which the Royalist cause never recovered.
The night before the battle, Charles I stayed in Market Harborough.
The museum's Civil War galleries bring this dramatic episode to life with artefacts recovered from the battlefield, musket balls, weapons, personal equipment, documents, and detailed interpretation of the campaign and its consequences for English history.
Archaeological Collections from the Harborough District
Thousands of years of human activity in south Leicestershire are represented in the museum's archaeological collections, assembled over decades from excavations, fieldwalking surveys, and metal-detecting finds reported under the Portable Antiquities Scheme. Bronze Age metalwork, Iron Age pottery and personal ornaments, Roman coins, brooches, and pottery, and medieval artefacts all feature.
These objects document the deep history of settlement and land use in the Harborough district long before the medieval market town was established, providing a compelling counterpoint to the museum's more recent historical displays.
Corsetry and Glove-Making Industry Heritage
During the Victorian and Edwardian periods, Market Harborough and the surrounding villages became important centres for corsetry manufacture and glove-making. Factories and outworkers produced thousands of garments and accessories that were exported across the British Empire. The museum holds a significant collection relating to these industries: tools, sewing machines, lasts, finished corsets and gloves, trade catalogues, business records, and photographs of factory workers.
These displays commemorate a largely forgotten industrial heritage that shaped the livelihoods of many local families for generations and transformed the town's economy.
Market Harborough Town History
Market Harborough was deliberately founded as a planned market town in the thirteenth century, and the museum traces its development from those medieval origins to the present day. Displays cover the granting of the market charter, the role of the town's markets and fairs in the regional economy, the development of its distinctive streetscape, and the social life of its communities across the centuries.
The iconic Old Grammar School — built on stilts over the street in the late seventeenth century — features prominently, as do records of the families, businesses, and institutions that shaped the town's character.
Collections
The Harborough Story: Prehistory to Present
Permanent galleries tracing the human story of the Harborough district from prehistoric settlements through Roman occupation, medieval town development, Civil War conflict, industrial transformation, and modern community life.
Naseby and the Civil War
Dedicated Civil War displays exploring the Battle of Naseby (1645) and its significance, with original artefacts from the battlefield and the surrounding campaign.
Made in Harborough: Industry and Trade
Displays covering the district's industrial heritage in corsetry, glove-making, and other local trades and crafts.
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.