Image © Tamsin Abbott

Folklore is a vibrant element of 'Britishness' and a living cultural heritage; these beliefs, customs and expressions link the past to the present and help us understand our specific communities and cultures, as well as our shared humanity. Far from being static or an ageing genre, it remains relevant by adapting to new circumstances, with the 'Folk' (people), and the 'lore' (stories) continually informing and influencing each other.

There are many hundreds of recorded events, rites and customs practiced in the UK each year, but folklore is reflected in everything from the names we bear from birth, to the names of our local pub. Folklore is the slang we use, the secret languages of groups, from school children to guilds and masonic groups. It is the shaping of everyday experiences in stories swapped around the kitchen table, or told on blog sites.

Folklore can be a roadside shrine to commemorate a killed pedestrian, or the massive public outpouring of grief when a celebrity or public figure dies. It is scrawled on urban landscapes by graffiti artists or woven into the fabric of churches, mosques and temples. Folklore is community, life and values, artfully expressed in myriad forms and interactions. Universal, diverse and enduring, it enriches the country and makes us a commonwealth of cultures.

Folklore is not only important from a cultural heritage perspective, but also brings real and tangible benefits to communities, including social cohesion, economic regeneration and both intercultural and intergenerational understanding. In decades past, folkloric traditions have often been overlooked, as we instead imported and embraced popular culture from around the world. We are now witnessing a renaissance however, an upsurge of interest in folklore through music, art and dance, and a growing trend and desire for people to reconnect with their communities, heritage and their environment at large.

At the moment there is no dedicated institution within the UK that specifically explores and celebrates our folkloric culture and heritage in its full richness, including all of our annual customs and traditions. This is a sad state of affairs and points towards a yawning gap within the cultural landscape of Britain. It is my aim that within a few years, this situation will be examined and resolved and there will exist a properly funded new national establishment which will not only impart knowledge and stimulate inquiry, but will also provide aesthetic experiences and kindle individual ambition by strengthening community ties and making visitors aware of the richness of our shared folk-culture in all its manifold forms.

In 2009, Simon Costin founded the Museum of British Folklore (MoBF). He created a mobile museum housed in a repurposed Castleton caravan, showcasing a selection of folklore objects. Traveling across the country, his journey aimed to gauge interest in establishing a dedicated centre for exploring and celebrating Britain's folk culture. The public's response was overwhelmingly positive.

In 2011, Costin began collaborating with Mellany Robinson to produce a series of exhibitions and events. In 2023, they worked with Amy de la Haye, the Centre for Fashion Curation at UAL, and Compton Verney to create the first-ever exhibition dedicated to British folk costume.

Together with partners Compton Verney and UAL, MoBF applied to National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) and were awarded  £250k to develop Making Mischief and Making More Mischief, the second iteration of the exhibition which opened at Compton Verney in 2023 and UAL in 2024.

For 2024, 2025 and 2026, MoBF has worked with Wessex Museums to develop and deliver a touring exhibition Un/Common People, touring now in the Wessex Region.