BAFM MEMBERS NEWS - 4
Dilemma for the Friends of Dilston
The North Pennines Heritage Trust (NPHT), who lease the Historic Dilston site from MENCAP College, has recently gone into administration leaving the Friends in something of a dilemma. The lease for the historic site is now in the hands of the receiver who is looking for a new Trust to take over from NPHT.
The Friends, who in their present form, cannot legally take on the lease are looking into the possibility of forming a Historic Dilston Trust, but this is a daunting business with many legal and financial issues to be addressed.
In the meantime, meetings with college administrators and the receiver will seek the best way forward. Having worked hard for many years, to save the historic site, obtaining grants for its conservation and restoration, the Friends are committed to finding a solution to the problem. Their committee is made up of dedicated people who have gained a specialist knowledge of Dilston, which enables them to run guided tours and provide talks for visitors covering all aspects of its history. Due to the financial demise of the North Pennines Heritage Trust, a number of Friends have actually acted as volunteer custodians to ensure that the site remained open to the public. The Friends of Historic Dilston are hoping that the site will open again on 1st May 2012 and they vow to continue to play a major role.
[Spring 2012]
CORNISH MAGIC
FRIENDS OF MUSEUM OF WITCHCRAFT
The Friends held their Spring Conference entitled ‘Cornish Magic’ at The Wellington Hotel in Boscastle. In the 20th century, three people had a major effect on the world of magic, art and folklore in Cornwall. Kerriann Godwin and Joyce Froome presented ‘Cecil Williamson - Life of an Occultist’. Williamson collected magical artefacts in his now world famous Museum of Witchcraft, which he founded 60 years ago in 1951. The talk looked at his fascinating life before and after the museum’s inception. The Cornish Witchfinder, William Henry Paynter, was discussed by Jason Semmens. Paynter, a folklorist, antiquary and bard of the Cornish Gorsedd, was the last great collector of Cornish folklore and witch-stories during the 1920s and 30s. His writings are said by some to be the last great collection of Cornish Folklore. In the afternoon session Dr Amy Hale (anthropologist) presented Ithell Colquhoun’s ‘Magical Cornwall’. Surrealist artist, poet and essayist, Colquhoun had a passionate relationship with Cornwall which lasted over forty years. They looked at her art, writings and magic to see how her perspectives on Cornwall intersected with wider cultural movements such as Cornish nationalism, the earth mysteries movement and the development of Paganism in the latter half of the 20th century.
[Autumn 2011]
WWII SPITFIRE RETURNS
THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM
The Society are pleased to announce that the life size ‘Airfix’ scale model of a WWII Spitfire has returned to Cosford. Readers may recall that the model was featured in James May’s ‘Toy Stories’ programme on TV. General Manager Alex Medhurst said, “We are pleased that the life size Airfix Spitfire has returned. The Toy Stories programme caught the imagination of viewers and we are constantly asked when it will be on display. Work on the model has ensured that it is strong enough to be displayed for the long term.” James May and his team of engineers, assisted by schoolchildren from Thomas Telford School, visited the Museum in 2009 and built the model Spitfire over a three day period. Work took place in Hanger 1 and involved positioning the wings, propeller and painting it the correct colour scheme. Other episodes in the series featured favourites such as Meccano and Lego.
35TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
FRIENDS OF THE HOLST BIRTHPLACE MUSEUM
As our past Chairman reported in May, this year of 2010 marks the 35th anniversary of the opening of the Birthplace Museum by the Borough Council in 1975, much encouraged at that time by Imogen Holst. This year also marks the tenth anniversary of the Birthplace Trust taking over the responsibility of managing the museum when the Borough Council was no longer able to do so.
Celebrations, and accompanying publicity, are taking various forms throughout this year and none was grander than the special dinner held on an appropriately sunny Sunday evening on 23rd May at the Hotel on the Park.
Trustees and Benefactors were joined by a number of invited guests many of whom have played an important part in the evolving story of the museum, starting with the pioneering work of David Addison, Director of the Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum Service in 1974 and including those who fought hard in the year 2000 and subsequently, to ensure that the museum was able to continue independently. Among the guests were representatives of those with whom the museum has important relationships today; these included the Borough Council, the Cheltenham Music Festival and Willans.
Marjorie Imlah presided over the splendid occasion which was made possible by the generosity and imaginative arrangements of the hotel’s Managing Director, Benjamin Bowen. She extended a warm welcome to the gathering and she was delighted to be able to welcome our President Martyn Brabbins and our very supportive Patron, Patricia Routledge. It was an occasion to be remembered by the gathering of more than forty hosts and guests.
YOUNG FRIENDS
THE FRIENDS OF STRAWBERRY HILL
The Friends of Strawberry Hill held their first meeting of their Young Friends earlier in the year. It was decided that the group would welcome children between the ages of 6 and 15 and would have monthly meetings, of course with refreshments. The members will publish a quarterly newsletter on line. The group have already thought of many wonderful activities, including decorating the house at Christmas and a Halloween ghost walk, with plenty of sweets and treats.
MUSEUM WINS TOP AWARD
THE FRIENDS OF LLANCAIACH
The Friends of Llancaiach Fawr are delighted that their museum has picked up a top award. The Sandford Award was presented for the outstanding quality of the education service offered to pupils and students across the age and ability range. The citation for the award reads:
Llancaiach Fawr provides a fascinating and evocative experience for students. The costumed interpreters are highly skilled, they interact with students whilst helping them to learn the important facts about the period. The Learning Officer has developed the exceptionally well organised education programmes with relevance to the curriculum and learning styles of the students, enabling a high-quality, inspirational learning experience for all.
The judge, Shelley Fielder, said in her report: This is one of the finest pieces of live interpretation I have seen. Thank you for an inspiring day.
Louise Griffin, Learning Officer, said: It was a pleasure to accept the Award on behalf of all the staff, who work so hard to ensure that our young visitors have an experience of the past that lasts them for a lifetime. Children remember the sights and smells, the crackling of the fires and the candlelight that give them an insight into life in the 17th century; you would be surprised how many adults tell us they remember visiting when they were at school and tell us about the day they spent here.
The Friends are proud to be associated with the award-winning Llancaiach Fawr, where they, the volunteers and the professionals work so well together. The picture shows Louise Griffith, together with Head Historic Interpreter, Dorothy Harvey, at Windsor Castle, having accepted the award from the Earl of Wessex at the prestigious ceremony held there.
BANKSY VERSUS BRISTOL MUSEUM
THE FRIENDS OF BRISTOL CITY MUSEUM & ART GALLERY
Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery had never seen anything like it. Over the ten week period of the exhibition an average of 4,700 people visited the show every day. It was the first time in a century that any exhibition there had attracted such a mass of visitors in such a short time and the economic impact on the city was substantial.
Almost immediately, volunteers were drafted in from the Friends of Bristol Museums, Galleries and Archives, donning the uniform black polo shirt of the museum staff and helping to steward the crowds waiting patiently outside - in queues of up to six hours in the final few weeks of the exhibition. It was proof that the graffiti Banksy had committed to walls, pavements, bins and all kinds of other surfaces around the country and abroad had impacted deeply on thousands of people.
The museum was coping with huge pressures on staff, many taken on temporarily for the exhibition, and the volunteers put in many hours, particularly at weekends, helping with attendance surveys and warning about the long wait people might expect in the queue.
Some volunteers were asked specifically to carry out attendance surveys within the museum, finding out from where visitors had come and how long they were staying in Bristol, to try to measure the economic impact of such an influx of visitors to the city. The overwhelming response from those surveyed was that the wait in the queue was well worthwhile. They came because they thought Banksy was brilliant, subversive - and free. Even so, lots of them, especially foreign visitors, were astounded that there was no admission charge. They were encouraged to put a donation in the collection box and some did - raising around £45,000 for the museum.
This was a one-off major exhibition by an artist who remains elusive and anonymous, yet is now one of the most famous of Bristol’s artists. It was a quality show, subversive and funny, featuring such delights as a nest of CCTVs bringing up CCTV chicks, fish fingers swimming in a goldfish bowl, a model of Jerusalem ‘improved’ by 284 toy soldiers, and an escapee from Guantanamo Bay hijacking the Bristol Boxkite hanging from the ceiling in the front hall. Banksy is a terrific draughtsman, model-maker and communicator.
We were glad to help out at a time of huge pressure on the museum.
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