Soggy Sandwiches: New exhibition at Saffron Walden Museum evokes memories of British summer holidays

A new exhibition at Saffron Walden Museum that evokes memories of traditional British summer holidays is offering up fun and activities for families.

Soggy Sandwiches: Tales of British Summer is aimed at young visitors and their grown-ups, and runs until October 13.

Craft-making activities are being held on Tuesday August 20, when visitors will be able to make their own sun spinning wheel, and finish with creating pop-up fish and chips sculptures on Wednesday August 28.

All activities cost £2.40, with 30-minute sessions running from 10.10am to 12.40pm and from 2pm to 2.30pm. You can drop in on the day or pre-book your preferred time slot using the museum’s Art Tickets page on its website.

The exhibition provides an insight into how the classic British summer holiday has evolved from the travels of the rich to the wanderings of every person, how society has shaped holidays and how the holiday spirit has changed society.

Simon Hilton-Smith, the exhibition’s curator, said: “We wanted to create a scrapbook-like aesthetic that encourages visitors to engage with the objects on display and the stories they tell. We hope each visitor will interact with the exhibition on a personal level, creating their own unique experience and reminiscing about past holidays.

“The exhibition aims to revive those stories and memories through visual and audio prompts, not to simply be a list of facts about holidays throughout history.”

The display includes a hanging boat, seabirds perched on walls and an installation by artist Laura Joan Smith, whose work combines photographic stills and audio separated not in space, but through time.