We’d like to welcome our very first set of Punch and Judy dolls into the history collection at TWAM.

Just some of the puppets from Adam’s Punch and Judy collection

These are not just any Punch and Judy dolls. They were given to the museum by Ann Small, the puppets belonged to her father Adam Miller. Adam ran the Punch and Judy show in Whitley Bay after 1945 seven days a week during the summer months

Punch and Judy at Whitley Bay

The dolls were hand carved from wood and Adam’s wife Florence made the costumes from old scraps of clothes. In the winter Adam performed the Punch and Judy show at the Christmas parties of local firms like Swan Hunters.

The stars of the show: Punch and Judy

Now it’s up to our volunteers to begin the task of adding all the details of the Punch and Judy collection to our computer system and packing them up in the store. Hopefully we will have the chance to use them in an exhibition in the not too distant future.

In the meantime I wonder if many people in the North East remember seeing the show?