GENERAL NEWS - 2
Red Carpet Treatment For Rare Anglo-Saxon Jewel
Esther Cameron, Curator of Archaeology, Oxfordshire Museums Service
In August 2009, twelve hundred metal-detecting enthusiasts descended on the small village of West Hanney, Oxfordshire, for a week-end rally on nearby farmland. The Portable Antiquities Scheme had been notified of the event and a small team of Finds Liaison Officers headed by Anni Byard was on hand to assist in recording the finds. Despite these preparations, the appearance of a rare 7th century composite disc-brooch and report of human bones at the find-spot took everyone by surprise. The area was immediately cordoned off and a controlled excavation by Anni revealed the skeleton of a female aged about 25, with two small pots, two fragments of glass, a spindle-whorl and an iron object which may be a knife. A green stain on the left collar-bone indicated the position of the brooch.
The brooch is one of twenty such finds in the UK, distributed across south-east England, of which this is the most westerly example. They are dated to the period 610-660AD and were worn as status symbols by wealthy and influential women. A strong feature of their decoration is the use of dark red garnets, each stone held in an individual cloison or cell, and panels of gold filigree. The cruciform design on all the brooches may have been a reference to Christianity at a time when adherence to paganism still remained strong in some areas. Although the West Hanney brooch has suffered some plough damage, there is no doubt that it was originally magnificent in appearance and spectacularly expensive.
As it is made predominantly of non-precious metals the brooch did not qualify as ‘treasure’ in portable antiquities terms, which means it could have been sold by the finder on the open market. Fortunately, the County Museums Service was able to purchase it with grants from the MLA / V&A Purchase Fund, the Headley Trust and Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum. But this is just the beginning of the story for a discovery of this kind. The brooch requires expert conservation to investigate, stabilise and clean it. As the cost of this work is expected to exceed its initial purchase price, the Friends have launched a fund-raising campaign to raise £5,500 which will continue for several months. Any donation which readers might wish to make should be sent to: The Treasurer, The Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock. OX20 1SN
Before it is conserved, the brooch requires scientific investigation as there is much to be learnt about its materials and construction. For example, the brooch’s structure can be examined by radiography and all its metal and non-metal components analysed so they can be compared with those of other composite brooches. It would be particularly exciting to learn the source of the garnets which could have come from as far away as Sri Lanka. The analysis will be handled by a team at the Forensic Institute, Cranfield University, Shrivenham, under the watchful eyes of a Curator and Conservator from the Museums Service and an academic advisor from Oxford University.
As this work will enable the brooch to be displayed in an informed and interesting way and as our knowledge of Anglo-Saxons in Oxfordshire will be increased, it will all have been worth while. Plans for displaying the brooch are being shaped up; it will be temporarily displayed at Wantage, Abingdon and Oxford before finally coming to rest at the Museum of Oxfordshire, Woodstock in 2013.
[Spring 2012]
Friends Celebrate Success
The last edition of the BAFM Journal (Summer 20110 reported that the Friends of Lancaster City Museum were opposing the City Council’s plans to move the market into the ground floor of the Museum. The Friends are now celebrating the success of their campaign.
On 26th July the Council accepted a recommendation and decided against converting the museum to accommodate the market. “A victory for common sense,” was how the decision was hailed by Chairman Alan Sandham on behalf of the Friends. He added that, “Everyone concerned will be relieved that the consultants and the City Council have recognised the great strength of feeling against the idea,” and “The Friends are extremely grateful for all the support they received from the community in helping to mount such vigorous opposition to the suggestion.” Alan said, “The Friends were glad that the consultants had not only recognised that it was incompatible to run the museum and indoor market together, but also believed it was not possible to improve the museum and run the market in the same building.”
He pointed out that the museum’s 53,000 visitors a year were described by the consultants as substantial for a small museum. Other improvements proposed in the consultant’s report, have been welcomed by the Friends but a further study will be needed into the long-term plan to build an extension, which could also re-house the Visitor Information Centre.
[Autumn 2011]
The Fan Museum - Celebrating 20 Years
In its twenty years of existence, The Fan Museum in Greenwich has staged 55 exhibitions ranging over a wide variety of themes: from ethnic to advertising fans and from fans with a military flavour to those from the 19th century that are unashamedly romantic. Just a glance at the long list of titles reveals how many different faces there are to a fan and how much can be learnt from them in terms of social history, the tastes and fashions of different periods and their varying uses and functions around the world.
The museum first opened its doors in May 1991, but its establishment goes around five years further back than that since, by that time, its founders, Hélène and the late A. V. (Dicky) Alexander, and the charitable foundation which supports the museum, had overseen the complete refurbishment of the two houses in the Georgian terrace where the museum is housed. Meanwhile the internationally significant collection of fans, fan leaves and associated material already amassed by Hélène Alexander was being increased by gifts, bequests and the occasional exceptional purchase – to make a collection that now comprises something over 4,000 objects.
At an early stage in the museum’s life The Friends of The Fan Museum was founded, a very loyal and international body of fan lovers, some of whom also volunteer at the museum. While their financial support has been invaluable over the years, the museum looks on its Friends as an extended family who not only have the opportunity to attend exhibition private views and other public events at the museum itself but also to participate in its trips, both in the UK and abroad, which generally include, amongst a broader itinerary, visits to both private and museum fan collections.
In the second half of this year, the Friends - and the general public - will be treated to two lavish but very different exhibitions. The first, from August to November, will principally feature the work of Sylvain Le Guen, a young contemporary French fan maker whose dynamic and imaginative designs are more than a match for today’s haute couture. The high quality of his work will provide a fitting introduction to the second exhibition (mid November to end February 2012) – that of another French fan maker but one from a former generation. Félix Alexandre was the fan maker favoured by the Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, and his business was so successful that in the mid 1900s he was able to declare himself ‘Eventailliste de leurs Majestés l’Imperatrice des Français, l’Imperatrice de Russie, la Reine d’Angleterre, la Reine d’Espagne’. His magnificent fans have never been shown together before as a body and the exhibition, which will include loans from several royal collections and overseas institutions and private owners, will also draw attention to the extensive archive, now housed in Palais Galliera, the Musée de la Mode et du Costume de la Ville de Paris, which details many of his celebrated commissions.
Perhaps this is the time, if you have not visited before, to make a journey to Greenwich.
For further information, please contact The Fan Museum.
www.fan-museum.org
A New Museum For Sheringham
The Successful Completion of an Exciting Project
In 2006 Sheringham, a small town on the Norfolk coast, was successful in its application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for help in the building of a new museum to replace the one previously housed in some small cottages. Funded by a grant of £799,500 from HLF and by the sale of the original cottages, the new museum took shape and it was finally opened by HRH The Duke of Kent on 25th March this year.
‘The Mo’, as it is known, now has an array of displays and artefacts, including three of the town’s historic lifeboats, all on display in the new galleries.
The new building on the seafront has a viewing tower where, perched above the North Sea, visitors have unparalleled views across the waves, over Sheringham town, to the hills and cliffs beyond. The Museum has, in addition to the lifeboats, fishing boats and a display of local artefacts in galleries which have been designed to evoke a real sense of time and place. The visitor will be fascinated to follow the development of Sheringham from a small fishing village to a fashionable holiday resort in the early 19th century, when the visitors nearly all arrived by train.
Sheringham Museum has many active volunteers; they do valuable work, some doing ‘front of house’ work in the Museum shop, some bringing the Museum and its stories to life as guides or stewards and some supporting the many school and group visits. Other volunteers work behind the scenes, cataloguing and caring for the collections or undertaking research from the archives. Yet others maintain and care for the lifeboats and fishing boats, while much of the housekeeping and decorating the museum has always been in their domain. In these cash-strapped times, as in many museums, the volunteers’ work is invaluable.
There is much of interest for visitors and Sheringham is an ideal destination for Friends’ groups. Come and visit us!
www.sheringhammuseum.co.uk
MUSEUMS, LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES
PRESENTING WALES’ CULTURAL HERITAGE
Our museums, archives and libraries are more than places where cultural artefacts are preserved. They are educational centres where everyone can access information and collections. They are the focus of regeneration for many communities and they explain Wales’ cultural heritage to millions of tourists who visit Wales every year.
Museums allow people to explore collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment. There are more than 80 accredited museums in Wales, which preserve our culture and heritage. These museums range from the internationally recognised Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales – to volunteer-run community museums.
All have a role in presenting and preserving Wales’ cultural heritage. The Welsh Assembly Government recognises the value of museums to Wales. Uniquely in the UK, it has created a government policy division – CyMAL: Museums, Archives and Libraries Wales – which is dedicated to directly supporting and advising both local and national organisations. The Assembly Government provides grants for museums, archives and libraries through CyMAL, whose staff are museum, library and archive professionals.
In 2007, CyMAL published a survey of museums in Wales which showed that 50% of museums were supported by Friends' organisations. The study also showed high levels of partnership between Amgueddfa Cymru and local museums, which the Assembly Government actively supports through its ‘Sharing the Treasures’ grant scheme.
Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones used the opening of the most recent ‘Sharing the Treasures’ project at Abergavenny Museum to announce also the publication of the first Strategy for Museums in Wales, which lays out a future direction for museums and helps them identify how to move forward and improve access to our cultural heritage. Public consultation on the strategy will run until 23rd October and we hope that BAFM members will respond to this.
The Welsh Assembly Government’s principal aims for museums are to develop their potential as educational and community resources, develop collections, services and facilities fit for the 21st Century and increase access to these for all.
Funding was recently announced to restore some of Wales’ historic buildings. The Welsh Assembly Government grants range from £3,600 to £125,000, and have been offered to carry out essential repairs and restoration work to buildings across Wales.
Details of grants for local museums are available from the CyMAL website. The public consultation of ‘A Museums Strategy for Wales’ can also be accessed on the CyMAL website. |