The Museum of Gloucester's new exhibition, 1980s Britain: Money Changes Everything, will be arriving in the city on Saturday, 22 October and running until Sunday, 8 January.

The 1980s were bold, brash and contradictory times. An age of boom and bust, of greed, spending and charitable giving, when hair was big and shoulder pads bigger!

The decade of dandies swaggering in frills and flounces, while keep-fit fanatics lunged in LYCRA® and legwarmers. It was an action-packed decade of new technology and momentous historic events that shaped our modern world.

This exhibition aims to show how 1980s Britain was changed for good, in the decade some say taste forgot...

Subjects explored by the exhibition include the changes to our attitude and relationships with (and towards) money, politics, fashion, music, TV and film and much more.

The exhibition includes a selection of eye-catching information panels, together with a sizeable collection of 1980s artefacts addressing significant cultural events, including the nation's preoccupation with "Who Shot J.R.Ewing?", fears of nuclear attack at Greenham Common and lampooning leading politicians and public figures via Spitting Image puppets.

This selection of genuine artefacts from the '80s will be on display with highlights including:

• Toys, including Roland Rat Superstar, a Cabbage Patch Doll, Care Bear, My Little Pony and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle!
• Technology, including a Walkman II with headphones and Casio 4000 Digital Diary
• Items honouring major events including a Falkland Islands commemorative plate and Charles and Diana wedding souvenir mug
• Games, including a 1980s Rubik's cube, Game Boy, Blockbusters and Only Fools and Horses 'Trotters Trading' board games and 'Neighbours' collectors' cards
• Music and popular culture, including Thriller record album and Flashdance and Jane Fonda Workout videos

View a selection of other exhibits online..

The exhibition will also feature local connections to the city's communities, giving a personal resonance to the exhibition for local residents. Activities for children and families, alongside a supporting events programme, will also accompany this exhibition.

Cllr Andrew Lewis, cabinet member for culture, said: "I am delighted that a new and exciting exhibition will soon be making its way to the museum, showcasing such a nostalgic trip down memory lane (I was in my twenties in that decade).

"This is an interesting and diverse new type of programming that the museum has not previously exhibited and this collection of genuine artefacts and memories of local communities, alongside supplementary activities, will allow visitors of all ages to both discover and relive the decade to discover something new and exciting this autumn!"

Exhibition information

Exhibition duration: Saturday 22 October 2022 to Sunday 8 January 2023

Opening times:

Peak season (until end of October half-term) | Tuesday-Saturday | 10am-5pm and Sunday | 11am-4pm

Off-peak season (end October half-term to exhibition closed date) | Tuesday-Saturday | 10am-4pm and Sunday | 11am-3pm

The exhibition will be open selected Mondays during school holiday periods

Address: The Museum of Gloucester, Brunswick Road, Gloucester, GL1 1HP

Visitor enquiries: Please contact: museum@gloucester.gov.uk  or 01452 396131

For further information including pricing and how to book, visit: museumofgloucester.co.uk/events/1980s-britain-money-changes-everything