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STOKE BRUERNE Canal Museum on the Grand Union Canal, scooped top honours in two categories at the Northamptonshire Heritage Awards, winning Best Event and The People's Choice Award.
 The two awards, which are supported by Renaissance East Midlands, are a celebration of the work taking place in the county's museums, heritage sites and historic houses. The winners were announced at a high profile ceremony at Kelmarsh House last night, Thursday 23rd July.
As part of the awards, members of the public were invited to vote for their favourite museum, historic house or heritage centre, with the Canal Museum winning this coveted accolade.
Village at War
The Museum also won the hotly contested Best Event award for its popular ‘Village at War' event.
 Organised by the Friends of the Canal Museum, the popular period event is now a firm fixture in the East Midlands calendar. Over the first weekend in October, the canal-side village is transported back to the 1940s with period re-enactments, tea dances, Lindy Hop dance demonstrations, vintage canal boats and displays of World War II military vehicles. The photograph shows Churchill walking along the towpath with his minister (David Blagrove) during the enactment.
Louise Stockwin, Assistant Museum Manager, enthused:
"We are absolutely delighted to win these two awards. Winning the People's Choice Award is especially rewarding as it is fantastic recognition of the hard work put in by both the Friends of the Museum and staff towards making the Canal Museum a lively, attractive and interesting place to visit. We are so pleased that so many people have enjoyed their visit to the Museum and Stoke Bruerne."
David Blagrove, Chairman of The Friends of the Canal Museum related:
"Winning two such prestigious awards is testimony to all the effort put in by volunteers and staff and is especially welcome after gaining a runner-up placing in the Community category of the Waterways Renaissance Awards earlier this year. We are delighted that so many people voted for the Museum, demonstrating that it is indeed a popular visitor attraction for all the family."
Make the effort
Anyone cruising the Grand Union Canal at Stoke Bruerne, should make the effort to enjoy this well appointed museum, which is located in a restored corn mill by the side of the waterway.
The museum tells the story of our inland waterways and the people who worked on them. The insight into the transport system which was fundamental to the industrial revolution in Britain is complemented by the ‘living canal' with its flight of locks, boats and historic Blisworth Tunnel.
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