The Brentor Band of Hope & Total Abstinence Society Banner is an enriching item within the museum collection, hung beautifully inside the Fenner Room, opposite the doors that lead across to the Library.
The banner measures 2m × 1.5m and is made of silk, with beautiful detailed decorative elements added to it. Silk was still quite an important material in the early twentieth century because it was considered to be luxurious and would be used for extravagant furnishings and garments, mainly by the upper classes.
It has been restored by textile conservators at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM) in Exeter.
The Band of Hope Society was originally founded in Leeds in around 1855, with the Brentor division being founded in 1867.
Adult members would pledge to abstain from alcohol and the society would promote these ideals primarily to the children of the congregation (in this case, at the Brentor Bible Christian Chapel).
The banner, thought to be completed in 1900, is an important historical artifact because it links the mining community, through their religious beliefs and social centres, to the methodist chapels that would support them.
Miners faced many economic hardships, such as low wages for extremely dangerous and labour-intensive work, that were further made worse by the long hours and bad conditions, especially in industrial towns/cities.
More information is available at www.tinyurlcom/brentorbanner.