Clun Museum

 

Located at the foot of Clun's Market Square the old Clun Town Hall is the home for the Clun Museum, which has been preserving and recording the history of the town and surrounding area since 1931. It was founded by a local shopkeeper and draper, Thomas (Tom) Hamar who was born and brought up in the town, living at various times at Albany Villa on Castle Street, Church Street and High Street. 

1934 Kelly's Directory Thomas Hamar

Thomas was the son of William and Anne Hamar and one of nine children. Following in the same trade as his father, as a draper, Tom married Mary Ann Luther in Clun in 1912 and they ended up living at 29 High Street, next door to what was the New Inn, in days gone by.

1939 Register Thomas & Mary Ann Hamar

In respect of this blog, it is interesting to note that the Hamar and Luther families, both native to Clun, were intrinsically linked to the pub trade in the 1800s. William Luther (b.1809) and his son Henry Joseph Luther ran the Old Talbot for the best part of a century. Mary Ann Luther's father was Richard Luther, a blacksmith who plied his trade on Bridge Street. His father was Thomas Luther whose brother was William, therefore he was Mary's great uncle.

Looking further back, the first ever recorded landlord at the Old Talbot was a George Hamar (b.1791), who was Tom's great great uncle.

Museum of Clun

Town Hall Museum

In writing this blog I have a debt of gratitude to Tom and the current incumbents at the museum, who have assisted in providing me with a significant amount of historical information, most notably the previous work done by Jean Withers, an active local historian, who recorded the following information about Clun's pubs.