Landscape Nov

Vintage hats, lingerie, corsetry and
hosiery make up part of the collection
in the haberdashery store.
“Old fashions please me best; I am not so nice
To change true rules for odd inventions”
William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew
selection of John Deeres and Massey
Fergusons. For many years, this remained
a private hobby for Keith. “Then one day, a
friend suggested letting the public see the
tractors,” he says. “We had a farm shop, so
people were regularly walking past the
barn. I thought: ‘Why not?’ and was
amazed at how interested people were in
what my family thought were a lot of old
tractors. They seemed to evoke fond
memories.”
None of Keith’s three daughters
wanted to take on the future running of
the farm, so he stopped farming in 2006,
instead leasing out much of his land. It
was then, 12 years ago, that the public’s
interest in his agricultural memorabilia
sparked the idea to create a museum of
vintage artefacts, which would transport
visitors back to a more gentle age.
To widen the appeal, he knew he
needed to exhibit not just farming
machinery, but everyday items too. “A
friend heard about a private collection of
retail items available nearby,” he says. “The
owner no longer wanted it, but didn’t want
the collection split up and sold at auction,
so I offered to buy it in its entirety. Seventy
per cent of what you see here today came
from that job lot.”
Informal display
Following that purchase in 2006, it took
two years to unpack and rehouse the
collection with the help of both Keith’s
family and his former farmhands. As the
boxes were unpacked one by one, the
contents were revealed for the first time,
bringing back memories of the past. “It
was exciting. None of the boxes had been
labelled, so each one was like a lucky dip,”
he recalls. “And there were seemingly
thousands of them. Amazingly, nothing
arrived broken. We photographed every
item to create a sort of log, but it was very
informal. I sketched plans of where to
display everything on scraps of paper.”
Somehow, the haphazard nature of his
planning worked. In 2008, Oakham
Treasures opened its doors, with the
collection housed in four former barns.
Since then, the collection has
continued to grow. At first, Keith sourced
additional items from car boot sales,
antiques markets and auctions. Now he is
more selective. “There’d be parcels arriving
almost every day,” he says. “I don’t buy as
much as I used to because we’re limited by
space.” He admits the collection has grown
so big that he has no idea how many pieces
of memorabilia there are. “I couldn’t even
hazard a guess. But there’s a lot.”
Two years ago, a fifth shed was
converted for use in the museum. Like the
others, it was fitted with air conditioning
and artificial lighting. “We find it helps to
preserve the collection, but it also
somehow keeps the dust down,” he says.
Use of space
The farm shop, too, has had a change of
purpose, and it now houses a bustling café
which serves hot food and cakes. Even
here, none of the space is wasted. “Those ›
A FARMING HISTORY
The 60 tractors in Keith Sherrell’s collection are lined up like prized cars. The oldest, dating from the
early 1900s, sit, like champions, on wooden blocks. There is a 1948 John Deere, shiny green with yellow
wheels; a bright red 1946 Case; and an impressive 1917 gunmetal grey Titan. “Each tractor was driven
into position, so we know they all work,” says Keith.
Other items include a 500-strong collection of cast iron tractor seats with the UK’s oldest example
taking pride of place. Tools are displayed like artworks on wooden boards. In addition to the tractors,
there is a range of agricultural machinery and accessories. These include a hand-powered sheep
shearing device and a potato harvester. “I’m always surprised by how much the women love this part of
the collection,” he says. “But then, during the war, they were the ones in charge of the land.”
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