BAFM MEMBERS NEWS - 2
Back to the Forties
Friends of Erewash Museum
What a day! What a remarkable experience! It was action all the way. ‘Victory Belle’ an excellent all-singing, all dancing duo presented songs from the Glenn Miller period to the delight of their audience. The admirable Festival Swing Dance Society danced to recorded authentic music in the courtyard and held a large crowd enthralled. The Rt. Hon. Winston Churchill, repeated some of his stirring speeches, and offended nobody with his V-sign. Still the crowds rolled in by the hundred, and stayed.
Jeeps and other period vehicles were displayed. Machine guns and small arms were demonstrated, (quietly, because a tent was occupied by a sleeping Air Raid Warden, and another by the Land Girls). Indoors, Sophie ruled the wartime schoolroom. The sweetshop sold out, as you would expect under rationing. The limitations of Food Rationing had to be explained and demonstrated. There was a hands-on demonstration of rug-pegging, a craft which had a revival during Austerity. A sale of vintage clothes and other items proved very hard to photograph, as there were always too many people in the way.
Teas in the Hayloft proved popular, although not completely authentic as some ingredients were modern and rather better - does anyone remember the taste of wartime margarine?
There were military uniforms from all the Services including ARP Wardens, Land Girls and the National Fire Service plus a small US contingent, followed by a few very shady-looking spivs and black-marketeers.
It all ended on a serious note, with a brief, but moving Remembrance Ceremony, in which the Ilkeston and Long Eaton British Legions, paraded their Colours.
The museum was awarded the title of ‘Best Event’ for their ‘Swing Back to the Forties’ function which was attended by over 1,100 people! The judges congratulated the museum for using the event to encourage local pride, promote the museum’s role within the community and were impressed by the enthusiasm of both the museum’s staff and volunteers. The museum also gained the title of ‘Museum of the Year’ - quite a coup for such a small museum when there are more than sixty in county!
[Spring 2012]
‘HELP FOR HEROES’
FRIENDS OF BUSHEY MUSEUM
Friends of Bushey Museum held a special event in May to support the marvellous ‘Help for Heroes’ Charity Appeal. A stall selling cards and dinosaur eggs did a roaring trade in the Rose Garden, whilst the Watford Band provided some wonderful entertainment. There was a great atmosphere in the lovely surroundings, and even the weather managed to stay friendly. So the Friends send a big “thank you” to all those who came along to visit and support them in this important cause.
[Autumn 2011]
A HAND OVER WELL DONE
THE FRIENDS OF WESTON-SUPER-MARE MUSEUM
North Somerset Museum was handed over to Weston-super-Mare Town Council on Friday 1st April. There was an Opening Ceremony at the museum on 2nd April. The museum will now have some refurbishment, will open longer hours and the entrance fee will be reduced.
Volunteers will play a greater part in the running of the museum. The Friends are looking forward to a long and happy partnership with Weston-super-Mare Town Council. This is the culmination of a long battle to keep the museum open after North Somerset Council threatened closure nearly two years ago.
TEDDY BEAR’S PICNIC
IZAAK WALTON’S COTTAGE CHAPTER
The Annual Teddy Bears’ Tea Party was a great success this year. The weather was glorious and, owing partly to some excellent promotion of the event by Stone Borough Council in the preceding days, the official attendance was a very respectable 388. However, because it was a free event, many attendees slipped in without being counted. I believe that the true figure was over 400. The car park overflowed rapidly and the owners of Halfhead Farm, kindly gave us permission to use a second field, before things got out of hand. So thank you, Mr and Mrs Hopley.
There was some later feedback from the visitors, many of whom had not been to the Cottage before. It was especially encouraging to see so many people enjoying a stroll around the gardens, as well as the Cottage and the event. Our fund-raising fishing game was, once again, a great success. We decided to expand the number of prize-winners, by entering all the competitors into a free raffle for a couple of hand-knitted teddy bears that had been kindly donated for the occasion. We believe that this encouraged more children to take part and, more importantly, to learn a little about the joys of fishing.
The members of Izaak Walton’s Cottage Chapter are delighted that the Judge Tobin Chapter Award has been awarded to Bob Guiver for his efforts as Newsletter Editor and his contribution to the League, through his series of articles on Walton and his library legacy (see photo above).
SOMERSET VOICES
FRIENDS OF SOMERSET RURAL LIFE MUSEUM
Ann Heeley has been making recordings for the Oral Archive for many years with the assistance of the Oral Archive Group, and for the past three years Ann, together with Louise and Liz, has been listening to many of the recordings and reading the transcriptions, the result of which is this publication. This book gives a peep into the rural life in the county during the twentieth century using the spoken word in the form of extracts and including many unpublished photographs. The publication is drawn entirely from the Oral Archive, the collection of recordings of Somerset people held by the Somerset Heritage Services. These recordings relate to people talking about their lives in agriculture, rural industries and crafts as well as their memories of social activities and home life. There is a diversity of background and status within the collection, with examples of people living in cottages, farmhouses and manor houses and moving from villages to towns. Those interviewed come from west Somerset, the Brendon Hills, the Quantock villages, the moors and the levels, the coast, central and south Somerset and across the Mendips. The majority of the people were born in Somerset or have lived most of their lives there.
The book is hardback, with 144 pages and 142 illustrations and is selling for only £14.99. It will be on sale from the 16th October at the Somerset Rural Life Museum shop, Glastonbury, and you can also order online from the Friends’ website.
DEVON DOCUMENT DONOR CARD
FRIENDS OF EXETER MUSEUMS and ART GALLERY
The Friends of Exeter Museums and Art Gallery have flagged up the Devon Document Donor Card. The Friends of the Archives have launched this card, which is the first initiative of its kind in Britain aimed at stopping the loss of our historic written heritage. The intention is to end the needless destruction of valuable documents during house clearances, when heirs and executors often do not have sufficient time to read through the great accumulation of papers; some important ones are often unknowingly destroyed. This card aims to pre-empt that process. Details of the card are available from the Devon Record Office and Plymouth and West Devon and North Devon Record Offices, as well as from local libraries.
RESTORATION NEARS COMPLETION
FRIENDS OF STRAWBERRY HILL
Strawberry Hill, the iconic 18th century Gothic castle created by Horace Walpole, will open its doors once again to visitors in September this year, following a multi-million pound restoration. Under the close supervision of Inskip & Jenkins Architects, with funding from The Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage, this will be the most important restoration project to open in 2010.
Prior to the start of the restoration work, which is being carried out by E. Bowman and Sons, every inch of the building was investigated and experts in painted glass, wallpaper, paint and textiles consulted so that a full and detailed schedule of works could be drawn up. During the investigative work all sorts of surprises were revealed – under the floorboards, behind the walls and inside cupboards hidden treasures were unearthed and then carefully measured, recorded, wrapped and labelled by a jolly group of volunteers of the Friends of Strawberry Hill under the guidance of Anna Chalcraft. A fragment of pottery with a beautifully painted auricula in red, yellow and green, a piece of wallpaper showing a red ripe cherry, fragments of blue and white porcelain, a perfectly preserved stoneware inkwell have all been discovered. And THE BONES! Small brittle bones, large limb like bones, knuckles and a vertebra or two add a more sinister note to the cache. They may once have been tasty treats hidden by Walpole’s dog or perhaps . . ?
A small section of Walpole’s original 1760s lime wash render was also discovered sandwiched between the original 17th century house and the Long Gallery extension. The mix has been analysed so that the new render will be historically accurate; and along with the reinstatement of the timber pinnacles to the roof, the 18th century drama will return to Strawberry Hill.
A total of 356 metres of jacquard worsted damask have been woven in Lancashire for the walls of the magnificent Long Gallery. The natural ecru colour of the wool has been dyed crimson to match Walpole’s original colour, creating, once again, a strong contrast to other very monochrome, very Gothic interiors. The 450 pieces of renaissance glass that Walpole had assembled for his windows at Strawberry Hill have all been removed for painstaking restoration. They will return to their original positions to once again dazzle visitors.
With a new cafe housed in what would have been Walpole’s Great Cloister opening onto the restored gardens, a new shop, two fully equipped education rooms and a museum space, Strawberry Hill will once again be able to offer visitors a treat. It will be a splendid location for special events, corporate parties and civil ceremonies. The new Discovery Room will reveal the three centuries of the building’s development and there will be an introductory film documenting the restoration. Guided tours will be available for pre-booked groups in keeping with Walpole’s tradition of showing his ‘little Gothic castle’ to visitors.
|