Harborough Museum was opened in 1983 in a former mill building that also houses the Harborough District Council offices and is set in the historic market town of Market Harborough.
The museum celebrates Market Harborough’s history as a centre of industry and trade between Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.
Regular displays include Symington Corsets, including the world famous liberty bodice, Symington Soups, Table Creams and Pea Flour, Harboro Rubber Company, Falkner’s Boot and Shoe Making Workshop, 18th century long case clock made in Harborough, 17th century toys found in the local church, local archaeology finds and many temporary displays. Harborough Museum is managed by Leicestershire County Council and Harborough District Council.
The Museum is accredited by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA).
Harborough Museum reopened in September 2009 after a 11-month redevelopment. This was as part of a £934,000 project to display one of the most significant Iron Age finds in Britain, the Hallaton Treasure. The project included purchasing the finds, conserving the finds, displays at Harborough Museum and at Hallaton Museum, two touring exhibitions, web based resources, workshops for schools and community groups, and events for the public.
The redevelopment was funded with grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, The Art Fund, The Headley Trust, Renaissance East Midlands and local contributions from the Friends of Leicester and Leicestershire Museums, the Leicestershire Museums Archaeological Fieldwork Group, Leicestershire County Council and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport among others.
The treasure was discovered near Hallaton in the Welland valley in 2000 by local community archaeologists and University of Leicester Archaeological Services. The treasure hoard includes over 5000 silver and gold coins, a silver gilt Roman helmet, jewellery and lot of other objects. Most of the items date to around the time of the Roman Conquest of Britain. The site of the treasure proved to be an internationally important ritual site dating mostly to the generations before and after the Roman Conquest of Britain in the 1st century AD.
The Roman Helmet is currently undergoing conservation and research at the British Museum.