Many of us enjoy collecting things - but there can’t be many people who have built a museum in their garden.
That is exactly what Charlie Rowberry has done.
Charlie has been collecting uniforms, books and pretty much anything else connected with Scouting for the past two decades.
Most of his finds are housed in a museum in the garden of his home in St Johns, while he has accumulated so many books and uniforms in particular that some are stored in boxes in the loft.
Charlie has been involved in the Scouts for 56 years and started collecting about 20 years ago when a friend told him ‘You should be collecting something. You like Scouts, you’re going to collect Scouts stuff’.
“My starter piece was a buckle, and from there it’s grown and grown,” said Charlie, who went hunting for memorabilia with his wife Margaret until her death two years ago.
“She would spot the things that I missed,” he said. “She supported me doing all of this.”
Charlie continues to acquire items from flea markets, antique shops and from people who know about his hobby.
He spotted a uniform dating back to 1933 on the wall of a shop, picked up a painting of a Scout from a car boot sale and bought three flags from St John’s Church.
Some of the more unusual items in Charlie’s collection include a set of Russian dolls - one of only 72 sets ever made - and a magic lantern, an early type of projector built in 1918, complete with about 200 slides.
Scouting award for St Johns volunteer Charlie
Charlie still volunteers with the 2nd Worcester Scouts in St Johns and later this year will be presented with The Award for Merit.
The medal itself will be familiar to Charlie - his museum houses several, including one of the first Medals of Merit ever struck.
Charlie, who also takes parts in reenactments with the Sealed Knot Society, said it is getting harder to find some items as dealers can make big money selling them in the US.
“It’s not about the value of the objects,” he said. “It’s about all the history that is here. And I just love finding things.”
If you’d like to visit the museum or have an item you think Charlie may be interested in, you can call him on 07798550358.
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