BAFM MEMBERS NEWS - 7
Sir David Attenborough
Opens Dinosaur Gallery
The Friends of the Leicester and Leicestershire Museums
The Friends of the Leicester and Leicestershire Museums were among the staff and special guests to welcome Sir David Attenborough to the Walk Museum and Art Gallery. He was there to open the newly refurbished geology and palaeontology exhibition ‘The Dinosaur Gallery: Exploring Lost Worlds’. The gallery has been over three years in the making and includes well loved favourites and some never before seen specimens. To enhance the exhibition are new artworks, sculptures, CGI, podcasts and interactive features that bring the creatures to life. Mark Evens the Senior Curator of Natural Sciences is the curator for this exhibition and his vision was to show that the specimens are not prehistoric monsters, but were living, breathing plants and animals.
Sir David who grew up in Leicester and visited the museum as a boy, to study fossils, opened the exhibition and spent time talking to children and families. He got ‘up close’ to Charnia which at 560 million years old is the oldest fossil in Britain and amongst the oldest in the world. It was found by Roger Mason and friends in the 1950s and appeared with Sir David in a recent television programme. Over the opening weekend over 5,000 visitors entered the museum.
[Spring 2012]
KING JAMES BIBLE
FRIENDS OF THE ARMITT TRUST
Ambleside Parish Church in the Lake District recently brought their King James Bible to the Armitt Library and Museum for safe keeping. This year is the 400th Anniversary of the publication of the Bible, which is probably the most influential book in the English language. It is absolute serendipity that a first edition, (of which it is believed only fifty were printed) should be placed in the Armitt. Another interesting story is attached to the book. Originally it was used at St Anne’s Chapel before the present parish church was built, but it disappeared during the 18th century. It reappeared in a private collection at the turn of the 20th century and Mary Louisa Armitt, one of the founding sisters of the museum, together with a group of parishioners bought the book and returned it to the church. So it is apt that it has finally come to rest in the Armitt where visitors are fascinated by it’s story and the topicality of its anniversary. The Bible will occupy a display case provided by Friends in the Library’s pride of place.
[Autumn 2011]
CHEQUE PRESENTATION
THE FRIENDS OF BIGGAR MUSEUM
The Friends recently presented the Museum Trustees with a cheque for £5,650 towards the cost of refurbishing Biggar’s Moat Park Museum. This is the largest donation ever made by the Friends. It followed a request for help from the Trustees to support the re-development project, which was originally opened by Princess Anne in 1988. On behalf of the Trustees Ann Matheson said, “We are extremely grateful to the Friends. Our job is to make Moat Park meet the required museum standards. That requires a lot of investment, and this donation really helps.” Neil McKenzie, the Friends’ Chairman, replied that the cheque represented an investment for the Friends. The Trust is to put up a plaque in the finished museum.
ABERDEEN ART GALLERY: 125 YEARS
THE FRIENDS OF ABERDEEN ART GALLERY AND MUSEUMS
The Friends of Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums have been enjoying the events to recognise the 125th anniversary of its establishment. The Gallery, in its handsome granite building was opened in 1885 and has flourished ever since.
The Art Gallery has mounted an exhibition ‘Celebration:125 years of Aberdeen Art Gallery’ and the Friends were very pleased to be able to be present at the viewing and to hold their own celebration there.
They have organised many interesting events; one which provoked great interest was a talk by Jennifer Melville, Keeper of Fine Art at the Art Gallery, on the subject of James McBey (1883 to 1959). This artist was born in quite humble surroundings in Aberdeenshire and first began working as a bank clerk. While still at the bank he began producing the etchings for which he later became famous. In 1910 he set up a studio in Aberdeen and became a full-time artist. Many of his early works were of scenes in his home area, but in 1914 he became an official war artist during the First World War. After that he set up his studio in London, but spent much time travelling in the United States, where he became a US citizen and in North Africa where he bought a house in Tangiers; he died there in 1959. His work, plus his fascinating life, made for an absorbing talk. This was just one of the many and varied events organised by the Friends.
BUYING BACK THE SILVER
THE FRIENDS OF TREDEGAR HOUSE
The Friends of Tredegar House are permanently trying to raise money, much of the time to help buy back objects that were sold or given away by the Lords Tredegar. Death Duties took a great toll on the fortunes of the family and, after the death of Evan, 4th Baron and 2nd Viscount in 1949, the House was sold by John, 6th and last Baron in 1951; he died in 1962. Most of the internal furnishings and possessions were auctioned off, given away or lost. However, when some of these items, sold off many years ago, come back on the market, a great effort is made via a variety of sources to buy them back and restore them to their original setting. Amongst these sources is a very active Friends’ group.
A typical year’s fundraising would consist of Talks, Open Days, Casino Nights, Christmas Pageants, Easter Bunny Hunts and exhibitions, not to mention the recitals and even an Old Time Music Hall! The past year has, however, been particularly busy, with Friends trying to raise funds to, amongst other things, purchase a collection of objects given away half a century ago. Courtney Morgan’s valet, William Sayzeland, and Evan Morgan’s valet, Henry Smith, each received very generous gifts from the two Lords Tredegar; these included a Cartier watch and an antique travel case, as well as many expensive items of silver, cutlery and a number of interesting photographs, including one of Mr Smith’s father with Evan Morgan’s parrot, Blue Boy, which was renowned for its bad language. These items had travelled to Australia with the owners and had, eventually, passed into the hands of the grandson of Mr Smith, whose grandfather was William Sayzeland and whose father was Henry Smith. He contacted Tredegar House, because he felt it was important that these objects should be returned to their rightful place in Newport.
Friends and the staff at the House are very excited that such varied and fascinating items have been returned, enabling the staff, Friends and the visitors to gain a greater awareness of the life and wealth of this important ancient Welsh family. In displaying them within the layout of the House they are able to help all who visit to understand not only the splendour in which the Morgans lived in days gone by, but also the day-to-day lives of the many people who lived there and worked for them, both in their stately home and on the estate.
TURNER AT THE NATIONAL ART GALLERY, SCOTLAND
THE FRIENDS OF THE LAING ART GALLERY
The Friends of the Laing Art Gallery have had something of a Turner theme recently. In January a number of Friends went to the National Art Gallery of Scotland, on what has become an annual pilgrimage, to see the selection of Turner’s watercolours which are put on display only in January.
Turner was one of four 19th century artists, the others being John Martin, Daniel Maclise and Alma-Tadema, who were the subjects of a series of stimulating and entertaining study afternoons by Dr Gail-Nina Anderson. These were complemented by a viewing of the small exhibition gallery at the Laing, which had on display John Martin’s ‘Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah’ and Turner’s ‘Snowstorm: Hannibal Crossing the Alps’. They are placed together as part of the Great British Art Debate: Turner v Martin.
The Friends made a grant towards expenses incurred in securing the loan of the Turner from Tate Britain. A lecture by the author Max Adams on John Martin, the local artist, was warmly received – so much so that Max has been invited to give a talk on another local hero, Admiral Collingwood, as part of the evening of activities accompanying FLAG’s AGM in June.
VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS EXHIBITION
THE FRIENDS OF WITNEY & DISTRICT MUSEUM
The Friends of Witney and District Museum along with Management Committee members, Trustees and volunteer stewards were invited to a preview of the special exhibition of a Victorian Christmas. The local MP, David Cameron, had a look round before he switched on the Christmas lights in Witney. He took away a clothes peg dressed as a fairy for his daughter, and a DVD of the history of Witney. He emphasised the importance of volunteers, without whom the museum could not remain open.
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