British Association of Friends of Museums

BAFM AREA REPORTS:

NORTH EAST

NORTH WEST

YORKSHIRE & HUMBERSIDE

SOUTH EAST - SOUTHERN

SOUTH EAST - LONDON & MIDDLESEX

NORTHERN IRELAND

SCOTLAND

WALES

BAFM NORTH WEST AREA

NORTH WEST AREA REP: BERNARD ROSTRON

After training as an engineering designer, Bernard moved through management until eventually becoming Managing Director of a steel forging company. He then ‘opted out’ and started his own business marketing mechanical handling equipment. A lifetime’s involvement in industry ran parallel with a love of its history and archaeology. His particular historical interests include the Industrial Revolution, the economic/political reasons why, how and when it happened, and the resulting rise of the ‘Arts and Craft’ and the Pre-Raphaelite movements. Helmshore Textile Museum is a natural haven for such interests, and after joining the Friends he served as Treasurer for nine years and Chairman for a further five years. He is currently their special projects organiser. Involvement with the Heritage Sector continued through his work as a Director and Chairman of the Ellenroad Steam Museum, Vice Chairman of its Trustees and as a Trustee of The Higher Mill Museum. As a Co-ordinator, Bernard hopes that his passion for hard work and organisation will compensate for an inadequate knowledge of the finer arts..

Regional Conference 2011

9th April at Astley Hall Museum & Gallery

A glorious day greeted the delegates as they arrived at Astley Hall in Chorley, Lancashire, for the Conference on 9th April this year. The venue, set in parkland, is a Grade I listed building featured in Simon Jenkins’ list of Britain’s 1,000 Best Houses. After coffee in the Tudor Courtyard, Bernard Rostron, the area’s BAFM Co-ordinator, welcomed everyone but apologised for the fact that places had to be restricted to 65 and several members could not be accommodated. He introduced the host for the day Councillor Marion Lowe, the Chairman of the Friends of Astley Hall, who gave a brief history of the Hall, mentioning that the Park had been given to the people of Chorley as a memorial to the fallen of WWI.

Speakers Pam Wookey and Emily Cooke are both Museum Assistants. In the absence of a Curator since December 2010 they have been running the Hall, with Pam at the helm. She told the meeting how the financial constraints and the reduction in staff was affecting the work, but added that a new Curator will soon be appointed. She moved on to talk about the restoration of the 18th century Stable Block, which is a Grade II listed building in its own right. It had previously housed the public toilets and was in a dreadful state of disrepair. The renovation and restoration has been sensitively done with the new work blending imaginatively with the old. Thanks to a HLF grant it now houses a cafe, two meeting rooms and an exhibition gallery. With the incorporation of a high standard cafe, a secure and sustainable future is assured. The complex has breathed new life into both the Park and the Hall. To the side of the restored buildings is the former Council Depot which has been transformed into a lovely walled garden.

Emily Cooke gave the meeting an outline of the day-to-day work in which she is involved. The collections are being reviewed, with information stored on a database. Many visitors want access to the artefacts that they and relatives have donated, so this development will greatly ease locating them. It will also provide a great teaching aid and social history resource. The whole collection is also being revalued, a task that has not been undertaken for over fourteen years. It was clear that we were witnessing the start of a new era in the history of Astley Hall and Art Gallery.

Finally the speakers paid tribute to the Friends who had generously financed many of the gilded panels surrounding the Great Hall. Remaining panels will be completed as funds become available. ‘Flowers for Susannah’ was the title of a talk by Elaine Taylor, a respected garden historian and Chairman of the Lancashire Gardens Trust. Elaine had been approached by the Friends of Astley Park to give advice on the late 18th century planting and flowers for the Stable Yard. She took us through the fashionable planting styles of many influential Houses of the period. Foreign exploration also meant that new species were being introduced. She concluded by indicating how important Friends’ groups are as a source of information, energy and financial support.

A generous period was set aside for lunch, conversation, renewing friendships, viewing the park or inspecting the hall and gallery. To help, fully costumed members of the local Friends’ group were in each room to answer questions. The afternoon session started with an Open Forum; the panel included Mr Bruce Jackson, the Lancashire County Heritage Manager. Time was spent debating the recent restructuring of the museums, libraries, galleries and archives services in the County and how they will be affected by the current financial crisis. Other subjects visited included public liability and accident insurance provided by local authorities and BAFM.

The final speaker was Steve Williams, and ‘Not Just a Statue’ was the title of his talk. Steve has worked for many years to get a proper memorial to ‘The Chorley Pals’ many of whom were killed at the Somme during WWI. He explained the philosophy of ‘The Pals Companies’ and how they differed from all the other volunteers. BAE Systems donated £30,000 for the plinth and an anonymous donor gave £65,000 whilst £107,000 came from a wide range of other sources. On 28th February 2010 a handsome monument was unveiled by Sister Frances, aged 95, whose father died at Ypres. The next step is to inscribe the names of the fallen comrades on the memorial.
The day, which had surveyed the great benefits to be gained from working together, ended still bathed in glorious sunshine.