Journal · 2019-04-16 · journal! georgia wedgwood mayne editor 3 bafm conference 2017: meet your hosts, the friends of london transport museum 12 meet your editors 12 the garden

The British Association of Friends of Museums

ISSUE 119 – SPRING 2017

Journal

2 For more information visit www.bafm.org.uk

British Association of Friends of Museums

Dear Friends,

As I am new to the role ofeditor I thought I wouldtake this opportunity tosay hello and thank you allfor the numerous highquality submissions Ireceived for this edition. Iam, however, aware that

there has been some degree of confusion overwhere to send submissions and would like toapologise to any groups whose articles aremissing from the journal, having never made it tome. The correct contact details can be found inthe ‘Meet Your Editors’ article in this edition, andalso on the BAfM website. If an article you werehoping to see is missing, please do resubmit it tothe correct address in time for the next issue ofthe journal.

I am very excited to have had the opportunity toput this edition of the journal together and hopeyou enjoy reading it! Please do feel free tocontact me with any advice, concerns orsuggestions.

I would also like to encourage any Friends groupswho have yet to submit an article for publicationto consider doing so for the next issue – the morediversity the better! If you do not feel you havetime to write an article from scratch, you canalways submit copies of your Friends group’snewsletter for myself and Beverley to peruse andselect articles from.

And finally, congratulations to the many Friendsgroups and museums who have won awards andfunding in the last few months! It was lovely tohave so much good news to include in thejournal!

Georgia Wedgwood MayneEditor

3 BAFM CONFERENCE 2017: MEET YOUR HOSTS, THE FRIENDS

OF LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM

12 MEET YOUR EDITORS

12 THE GARDEN MUSEUM, LAMBETH GETS A MAKEOVER

16 GEORGIAN GLORIES OF CANNON HALL

18 THE DATA PROTECTION ACT

19 RARE PORTRAIT RETURNS TO ORDSALL HALL

20 WARDOWN PARK MUSEUM REDEVELOPMENT

21 THE ROBERT LOGAN AWARD

21 ABBOT HALL ART GALLERY AND WINIFRED NICHOLSON –

A WINNING COMBINATION

23 WORLD FEDERATION OF FRIENDS OF MUSEUMS SCHOLARSHIP

23 BLISTS HILL VICTORIAN TOWN RECEIVES GOLD

VISIT ENGLAND ACCOLADE

23 CHANGES TO BAFM WEBSITE

26 NEW AQUISITION FOR BUSHEY MUSEUM

8 MUSEUMS AND THE ECONOMY

13 MUSEUMS AND YOUNG PEOPLE

4 HORTICULTURE STUDENTS AT ORDSALL HALL & GARDENS

5 CHALLENGES AND JOYS OF DIGITISING A PHOTOGRAPHIC

ARCHIVE

6 RECORDING SHILLUK TRADITIONS

9 MEDICINE IN THE CRUSADES

24 EVACUEES – THE STORY OF TWO SISTERS

10 THE FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL MINING MUSEUM OF

SCOTLAND

22 THE FRIENDS OF LAING ART GALLERY

14 NEW MEMBERS REPORT ON THEIR FIRST EXPERIENCE OF A

BAFM CONFERENCE

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR

COVER STORY

NEWS

ISSUES

FEATURES

FRIENDS IN FOCUS

CONFERENCE REPORTS

CONTENTS

PHOTO COMPETITIONI would like to invite BAfM members to submit photographs of their Friends group activities [email protected] by 7th October. The winning photograph will be featured on the front cover of theAutumn edition of the journal. All entries should be as high resolution as possible please. I look forward toreceiving your photographs!!

Tel: (w) 01179 777435 Email: [email protected] 3

BAfM Journal Issue 119 Spring 2017

London TransportMuseum Friends aredelighted to be co-hosting the 2017BAfM conference andAGM. Let us introduceourselves.

London TransportMuseum undertakesextensive activities,interpreting London’s fascinating transport heritage for today’saudiences and using the Museum’s rich resources ineducational outreach. In this, London Transport Museum issupported by a dedicated and enthusiastic group of individualsupporters through the London Transport Museum Friends.

Membership numbers some 2,850 in total, of which around150 are active volunteers. LTM Friends assist the Museum in avariety of hands-on ways, including: the interpretation of itemson display at both Covent Garden and the Depot at Acton;assisting Museum staff with “meeting and greeting” visitorson arrival; preparing, crewing and stewarding historic busesand trains at outside events; conducting guided tours,particularly for pre-booked parties, at Acton Depot and therecent programme of “Hidden London” closed Undergroundstation tours; answering public enquiries received by theMuseum; and conducting oral history interviews, to capturepeople’s personal recollections of working for LondonTransport and the events that the organisation hasparticipated in. Friends have used their expertise to developnew displays, such as those at Acton demonstratingUnderground signalling equipment and how an Undergroundtrain works. Friends also operate the Acton Miniature Railway –a popular feature of Depot Open Weekends.

Friends are also active in fundraising for the Museum, includingthrough the sale of items donated by individual Friends (as alegacy, or as part of “downsizing” personal collections). Overthe past four years, the Friends have donated some £400,000to the Museum. Much of this has been dedicated to two majorprojects, both also supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund: therestoration of Metropolitan Railway coach 353 (dating from1892) for the Underground steam specials; and B2737 BattleBus, restored to mark the 100th anniversaries of World WarOne. The Friends also donated £20,000 to kick-start theLeyland Buses Appeal, to acquire three immaculately restoredLeyland vehicles with a London connection from a privatecollection. Many other smaller projects are also funded by theFriends, including the digitisation of staff publications for onlineaccess; and acquisitions to further enhance the Museum’scollections.

As well as giving this volunteer and financial support to theMuseum, the Friends run an active programme of meetings,visits and other events for members. We were delighted to bejoint winners of the BAfM newsletter award in 2016 in the“over 750 members” category, for our quarterly Friends Newsmagazine.More information on the London Transport Museum Friends is

available on our website: www.ltmuseumfriends.co.uk

In September, we will have the chance to explain in moredetail the work of the Friends and our relationship with theMuseum. The conference theme is Museum – Friendsrelationships, for which there are many templates. Ours is oftwo legally separate organisations: the one staffed byprofessionals who run the Museum and its educationalprogrammes; and the other a charity run by volunteers tosupport the Museum’s work in the ways described above.History explains how those separate organisations originallyevolved. The Friends’ organisation was founded shortly afterLondon Transport Museum was established at its presentlocation in the old Flower Market at Covent Garden in 1985. Atthat time, the Museum was run as a Department of the thenLondon Transport, and was not itself a charity.So a separate, volunteer-led charitable body – The Friends ofLondon Transport Museum - was set up to provide thefinancial benefits which charity status bestows, along withboth volunteer and fundraising support.

The Museum itself became a registered charity in 2008, and isnow governed by a Trustee Board. That Board has minorityrepresentation from Transport for London, whose nomineesare joined by other members who bring a wealth of externalexperience to the Museum’s governance. Notwithstandingthese changes in the Museum’s status, the Museum – Friendsrelationship has remained strong and positive, though nowwithout some challenges. We will explore these in more detailat the September conference, along with Museum - Friendsrelationships in other London museums, who will explain theirdiffering situations and experiences. There will be more on theconference plans in the Summer edition; but the programmecan be found as part of a separate insert in this issue, alongwith a booking form.

Do come along. We look forward to meeting as many BAfMmembers as possible.

Meet Your London TransportMuseum FriendsBarry LeJeune, Chairman, London Transport Museum Friends


London Transport Museum is situated inthe heart of Covent Garden and filledwith stunning exhibits; the Museumexplores the powerful link betweentransport and the growth of modernLondon, culture and society since 1800.Historic vehicles, world-famous postersand the very best objects from theMuseum’s extraordinary collection arebrought together to tell the story ofLondon’s development and the parttransport played in defining the uniqueidentity of the city.

The Museum is an educational andheritage preservation charity. Itspurpose is to conserve and explain thehistory of London’s transport, to offer

people an understanding of the Capital’spast development and to engage themin the debate about its future.

London Transport Museum’sPublic ProgrammeAlongside London Transport Museum’seducation services and daily Museumopening, the Museum runs a richprogramme of tours; talks; Friday Lates;Late Debates; Museum Makers craftworkshops; Hidden London Tours ofdisused stations and other locations;heritage steam train trips and othervehicle operations; and communityevents. Activities take place at Covent

Garden, the Museum’s Depot in Acton,West London and venues acrossLondon, to widen the Museum’s reachand inspire new audiences.

For bookings and information pleasevisit www.ltmuseum.co.uk or call 0207565 7298 or 020 7565 7299.

3 years ago the Royal Horticultural Societyapproved Ordsall Hall as a centre to deliveraccredited Level 2 qualifications. Since thenover 50 students have undertaken studiesat the Hall using its organically managedgardens to enhance their learningexperience. Some now work as gardeners,others work with volunteers and children ingardens and one even runs her own smallorganic garden centre!

Through kind financial support from theFriends of Salford Museums Association wehave been able to offer a limited numberof training bursaries to individuals whohave perhaps faced barriers in accessinghorticultural training elsewhere, but whodemonstrate a real passion andcommitment to horticulture. Bursarieshave enabled these students to makethose first steps to realising their dreams ofworking outdoors and with our gardenheritage.

Currently there are 14 students at the Hallstudying for their Level 2 Certificate in thePrinciples of Garden Planning,Establishment & Maintenance. This courseis often of interest to aspiring gardendesigners, practising gardeners,horticultural therapists and keen amateurs.

As part of their studies these studentshave, so far, learnt how to survey andassess the value of existing gardens as wellas the principles used to produce cohesivegarden designs that work for differentaudiences and community groups. Later inthe course they will cover the practicalitiesof growing edibles and how to protectthese crops year round and get the bestfrom the harvest. Students also considernurturing wildlife, environmentalsustainability and health and safetythroughout the course.

The learners put their new knowledge tothe test in a field trip to Arley Hall where

they were challenged to identify the designprinciples employed there.

They have also had the opportunity tocontribute to a real-life design project for adementia care centre. Staff at the carecentre are keen to develop a moreinspiring, engaging and nurturing gardenspace for their residents and have enlistedthe students in developing some ideas andmaking them a reality.

The students have embraced this andcreated some fantastic proposals usingrecent research into the benefits ofgardens to people living with dementia.Ideas have included circulating paths thatfeel safe, garden structures that provideshelter, non-reflective surfaces thatprevent confusion with water and inspiringyet familiar planting that supportsmemory.

The current class are all really passionateand work fantastically as a team learningfrom each other as well. Some studentshave expressed an interest in volunteeringas well and have put their learning intopractice helping to develop the gardens atthe Hall.

We are about to trial a distance learningversion of the course and hope to, at somepoint in the future, deliver the practicalqualification. Each year alumni are invitedto a social event at the Hall to enable themto continue communicating andcollaborating on new garden projects.


HORTICULTURE STUDENTS ATORDSALL HALL & GARDENSLindsay Berry, Head Gardener & Trainer, Ordsall Hall

ABOUT LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM

FRIENDS GROUP HOPESFOR TRAVELLINGEXHIBITION

The Friends of the Metropolitan PoliceHistorical Collection currently have avery successful exhibition on thehistory of crime and policing ondisplay at Havering Museum. Thisexhibition closed on 25th March 2017,and the Friends are keen to see theexhibition ‘on tour’ around as manymuseums as possible rather thanrelegated to a store cupboard. AnyFriends groups who would beinterested in displaying the exhibition– particularly those based in Londonand the home counties – can contactthe Friends of the Metropolitan PoliceHistorical Collection [email protected] or 12Little Aston Road, Romford, RM3 0SP.More information about the Friends ofthe Metropolitan Police HistoricalCollection can be found atwww.metpolicehistory.co.uk


Today André Singer is President of the Royal AnthropologicalInstitute and a respected documentary producer anddirector. In 1975 he was researcher on a fascinating film forGranada’s Disappearing World series, The Making of the Rethwhich described the ceremonies of the Shilluk people insouthern Sudan leading to the anointing of a new Reth orKing. In 2009 he donated his archive of photographic slidestaken at the time of filming to the Pitt Rivers Museum.

I’ve so muchenjoyed digitisingand documentingAndré Singer’s1975 slides of theShilluk peoplewhich will soon goonline as animportant part ofthe Museum’sextensivephotographicarchive of SouthSudan. They willbe available viathe researchsection of thewebsite. By acuriouscoincidence, the

oldest image in the collection is of a Shilluk warrior, taken bythe Austrian explorer Richard Buchta almost 100 yearsearlier in 1877.

André’s photographs were handed to me in hanging files, 24slides per file, each snug in its transparent pocket,numbered 1 to 552. My first job was to transfer the old slidetechnology to a digital format. Copying them in batches of12 through a specialised machine – each group of 12 takingabout 20 minutes to copy – was quite a slow process. Oncedigitised, however, I could begin the documentation. Abrilliant research template created by the photographydepartment allowed me to describe many details of where,when and how each image was taken, and what wasdepicted. It was really helpful to find that André had writtena few words on many of his slides so I could locate them intime and place, and of course André himself was a greatresource as he relived his Shilluk trip of 40 years before. Ialso watched the documentary, and read articles on theceremony. In that way I was able to get a deeperunderstanding of this complex story.

Shilluk political organisation consists of royalty, priests,chiefs and commoners. North and South Shilluk have atraditional rivalry, so the Kingship alternates, to keep thepeace. Living in his raised compound, the Reth is a reveredfigure. People take off their shoes to enter, men leave theirspears behind, and all speak a special court language.

Chickens cannot be kept there, or women give birth. In orderfor a chief to become Reth, he must be possessed by thespirit of Nyikang, the 16th century hero who conquered andunified the land and people. Priests collect Nyikang’s spiritfrom the Nile, and make ostrich feather effigies of him andhis tall warrior son Dak. Then the highly orchestrated andsymbolic rituals to create the new Reth can begin. Eachvillage has special responsibilities. Rare antelope are killed,their skins made for the royal family, and ritual objectsincluding ivory bracelets are gathered.

Once everything is in place, an 80 mile pilgrimage beginsfrom north to south, taking 10 days. The effigies follow thefootsteps of Nyikang’s original journey. Each village has ashrine to Nyikang, and priests bless the people, who sing hispraises. Three days before the final rituals, the Reth goesinto hiding. Now battle is engaged between the northernShilluk representing Nyikang, whose aim is to capture theReth, and the southern group who are the Reth’s army.These are mock battles, the warriors use maize stalksinstead of spears, there is dancing, and name-callingbetween the sides. The northern Shilluk succeed incapturing the Reth, then southern Shilluk defeat thenorthern warriors and Nyikang’s spiritenters the Reth to create the divinekingship. The chiefs have one lastopportunity to advise the new Reth howto rule wisely, before they and the rest ofthe Shilluk people submit to hiscommands.


THE PITT RIVERS MUSEUM EXPLORES THECHALLENGES AND JOYS OF DIGITISING APHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVEPatti Langton, Research Associate, Pitt Rivers Museum and Friend

Reth’s raised compound

Effigies of Nyikang and Dak

Warriors on the march

Chiefs advise new Reth

The Rethlistens tospeeches



The conjuring of distant memories through the images oftransparencies and film is an extraordinary thing; and ithas been a huge pleasure assisting Patti Langton in thecataloguing and preparation of my collection of Shilluktransparencies, covering the installation of the Reth (King)of the Shilluk of the Southern Sudan, for scholarly andgeneral access. Seeing the Pitt Rivers, a Museum I havealways loved, build up and make accessible theirphotographic collections to complement theirextraordinary treasures is a singular delight.

I had vicariously lived with the Shilluk during my studentdays in Oxford having the South Sudanese experts, SirEdward Evans-Pritchard (EP), who wrote about the Shilluk,as supervisor, and Godfrey Lienhardt, who wrote aboutadjacent groups, as a tutor and friend. Colleagues andvisitors from the Sudan wove their way through theInstitute of Social Anthropology and the Pitt RiversMuseum in those heady days of the late 1960s and early70s and it was there that I first met Shilluk WalterKunijwok. He was working on a Shilluk folklore thesis whilenavigating the turbulent and endlessly changing politicalwaters of north-south Sudanese politics.

A few years later, in a new professional incarnationworking as a TV researcher on Disappearing World, when Iput a proposal to director Chris Curling for a documentaryon the transition of ‘divinity’ to a new Reth, I turned toWalter to help us with his inside expertise and access.What anthropologists Sir James Frazer, EP, GodfreyLienhardt and Paul Howell had discussed in the literaturewas about to happen before our cameras for the firsttime; and with Paul, who had also been a District Officerin the Sudan, and Walter as guides, I was fortunate tohave the best possible advice to comprehend aphenomenon previously not recorded on film. Of coursenothing proved easy.

Walter and I met Ayang Anei Kur, chosen to be the nextReth, in Fashoda (now Kodok) and gained his approval to

film the forthcoming rituals. A film-crew subsequentlyarrived and we began recording initial preparations for theceremonies that had been carefully arranged to takeplace a week after our arrival. Elders and priests thenbegan to work out the details and immediately disagreedamong each other about processes and precedents.Arguments broke out about what colour calf should besacrificed and who should lead different processions. TheReth-designate, a young and inexperienced man, couldlend no authority or guidance and in the end it wasdecided that the date chosen for the installation waswrong and the ceremony would be postponed to thefollowing month.

A hot and frustrated film team retreated to the relativecalmness of London, returning a month later for theceremonials and rituals; and at last we were able tofollow the effigies representing the symbolic journey ofNyikang, the spirit of the founding father of the Shillukpeople, and his warrior son Dak as they journeyed from

one end of Shillukland to the other and as they foughttheir ritual battle with the Reth-elect until he waseventually installed in his capital, Fashoda.The young Reth, Ayang Anei Kur who we filmed in 1975,died in 1992 and was followed by the current Reth,Kuongo Dak Fadiat. Oxford historian of the Sudan,Douglas Johnson, met the new and modernised Reth, (abanker) who has had tosteer his people through therecent turbulent years ofviolence and independence.His position has nonethelesssurvived despite threats tooverthrow him because ofdissent over the SouthSudanese government policyof dividing up Shilluk land.

The strength of the spirit ofthe founding King Nyikangclearly stills retains itsunifying power today.

RECORDING SHILLUK TRADITIONSAndré Singer, President, The Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain andIreland; Adjunct Professor of Anthropology, University of Southern California, LosAngeles and CEO of Spring Films, London.

Andre in 1975

Young warriors, whitened scars

Elder chief

Many old things are valuable, some aresentimental, and Men in Sheds hashelped bring back to life an old friend.In 1948 my brother David was given asecond hand rocking horse, which heclearly loved.

Sadly for the horse, David had youngerbrothers and sisters who, although theyloved the horse, rather mistreated it, tothe extent the horse lost its head. Itwas put away unloved for over 50years, until 2007 when clearing out myparents’ garage I was reunited with thesteed.

Having pangs of gilt, I proposed torestore the beast to it’s former glory,and took it into the museum workshopto restore, as and when I had a sparemoment. The moment never came, thehorse spent the next nine years in a boxin my garage. Then for the horse amiracle happened. In April 2016 MervynBishop had the idea of forming a Men inSheds at Kingswood Museum, givinganyone an opportunity to start or finishoff long awaited projects.

That was it. I enlisted as a M.I.S. andtold people that I was not a museumperson on a Thursday, and woulddedicate that day to do these jobs. Itdidn’t last long though, and a lot of thetime I am called away to do museumwork. So in the Spring of this year, therestoration began, not only was I goingto put it back together, but improve onthe original where I could. After manyweeks of carpentry, painting, leatherworking, and adding real horse hair forthe mane and tail, the job is finallycompleted, much to the delight of mygrandson Arthur. Since finishing this,with the help and guidance of fellowM.I.S., I have refurbished a Germanchiming clock and upholstered abeautiful Victorian chair. If anyone islooking for a time or place to do thesemuch delayed projects, then I can onlyheap praise on Men In Sheds. Oh by theway, as children we didn’t have a namefor the horse, and what would be moreapt for a child of the 50`s but“Champion” the wonder horse.



Mark Richardson’s new novel ‘TheGhost at Brooklands Museum’launched this Halloween, building onthe museum’s long standingreputation for being haunted.

Brooklands is a place known for itsfirsts. The Brooklands racing circuit,which was operational between1907 and 1939 was the world’s firstpurpose-built racing circuit, which inturn played host to the first everBritish Grand Prix. Now there isanother addition to the list, the firstnovel set at Brooklands Museum, theinstitution dedicated to Brooklands’rich motoring and aviation history.

The museum is notorious for being ahaunted location and over the yearsnumerous sightings of ghosts havebeen reported, the most famousbeing the figure of Percy Lambert.Lambert was the first person inhistory to travel over 100 miles in anhour, a record he set in a Talbot carat Brooklands in 1913. Later thatyear, Lambert was tragically killedtrying to improve on that record atBrooklands. Dozens of sightings of aghostly figure resembling PercyLambert, silently walking the area ofthe old Brooklands circuit have sincebeen reported.

Such ghost sightings formed part ofauthor Mark Richardson’s inspirationfor The Ghost at Brooklands Museum.“I’ve been visiting the museum sinceI was about 10 years old” explainsMark, “but it was only in more recentyears when I attended a night-timetour of the museum that Iencountered Brooklands’ ghostlypast. I’d been toying with the idea ofa novel set at the museum, but itwas this visit where the pieces for thebook clicked together.”

Mark has also made the decision thatall personal profits from the novelwill be donated back to the museum.“Brooklands has a fabulous historyand I was lucky enough to spenddozens of happy weekends visitingwhilst growing up. As such, I think it’sonly right that all proceeds from the

book go to the museum, helping it tocontinue the great and varied work itundertakes.”

Valerie Mills, Commercial Director atBrooklands Museum said “Brooklandsis a rich ground for writing inspirationand we were delighted when weheard about the publication of Mark’snovel. A number of our favouritemuseum pieces feature in the book,including the Napier-Railton, whichholds the all-time Brooklands circuitlap record. Visiting BrooklandsMuseum has always been anenjoyable family experience. Now wehave an exciting new novel to add tothat day out!”

The Ghost at Brooklands Museumwas released on 31st October 2016by Troubador Publishing. It isavailable as an e-book at most majorretailers and as a physical copy in theBrooklands Museum gift shop. Thenovel is aimed at an independentreadership of 10 years+ and issuitable for family reading. All ghostsin the novel are friendly!

KINGSWOODHERITAGEMUSEUM DOMEN IN SHEDSAlan Bryant, Friends ofKingswood Heritage Museumand Warmley Gardens

A GHOSTLY ADVENTURE: FIRSTEVER NOVEL SET AT SURREY’SBROOKLANDS MUSEUM RELEASEDFriends of Brooklands Museum



MUSEUMS CRITICAL TORURAL ECONOMIESAssociation of Independent Museums

AIM SEARCH FOR MUSEUM CASE STUDIESAssociation of Independent Museums

BEYOND THE CASTLE:UNLOCKING THE ARCHAEOLOGYOF LANCASTER’S CASTLE HILLJason Wood, Heritage Consultant to the Beyond the Castle ProjectFriends of Lancaster Maritime Museum

UK COMPETITION LAUNCHED TOFIND 2023 EUROPEAN CAPITALOF CULTUREThe Heritage Alliance

The Association of Independent Museums’ (AIM)research on admissions charging at museums has beenwidely reported in the national and sector media, kickstarting a new debate on the issues raised. AIM has nowcalled for further research into understanding thecultural and practical barriers that prevent audiencediversity.

At the launch of the report in Wales AIM vice chair, DrMatthew Tanner, called on Arts Council England, theHeritage Lottery Fund and the Welsh government tocommission new research on how to overcome thebarriers to diversity. AIM is putting together a group towork on the commission, and would like to hear from anymuseums that have a diverse mix of visitors who wouldbe willing to be considered as case studies in any futureresearch.

Please contact [email protected]

Lancaster Castle stands on the summit of Castle Hill, a sitepreviously occupied by a series of large Roman forts. Limitedexcavations between the 1920s and 1970s revealed onlytantalising glimpses of the site’s archaeology. It is perhapssurprising, therefore, that the area has seen noarchaeological investigation in the last 40 years. This is nowbeing addressed by a new project called Beyond the Castlewith support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Exploring thearea between the Castle and St George’s Quay, the projecthas enabled a comprehensive archaeological survey of CastleHill, making use of new digital technologies to excavate andanalyse the remains.

The Beyond the Castle project marks the beginning of anexciting journey of discovery about the origins of Lancaster.There is a huge opportunity for sustainable engagementnot only with local people but also with visitors. Lancasteris one of Visit England’s ten newly designated HeritageCities. Telling the story of Castle Hill’s archaeology,therefore, will be an essential ingredient in the city’s tourismstrategy and in making Lancaster a key heritagedestination.

A nationwide competition to find the 2023 EuropeanCapital of Culture has been launched. The UK haspreviously hosted the European Capital of Culture twice, inGlasgow in 1990 and Liverpool in 2008.The EuropeanCapital of Culture (ECoC) can bring increased investmentto the winning city, creating jobs and boosting the localeconomy as well as attracting more tourists to the area.Research on the impact of the ECoC on Liverpool foundthat it attracted 9.7 million additional visits to Liverpool,constituting 35% of all visits to the city in 2008. Thesevisits generated an economic impact of £753.8 million(additional direct visitor spend) across Liverpool,Merseyside and the wider North West region.A cross-EUpanel of experts will select the winning UK city to hold thetitle. The competition process has two selection phasesand lasts two years. The winning UK city will beannounced by the end of 2018.So far Leeds, Dundee andMilton Keynes have expressed an interest in thetitle. Guidance and application forms for cities wishing tobid to become the European Capital of Culture in 2023can be found here:www.gov.uk/government/publications/european-capital-of-culture-2023-uk-competition

Museums in rural and coastal areas are the “lifeblood” oflocal tourist economies, the sector has told theEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee,which is looking at how tourism supports rural growth.

Hundreds of smaller museums, galleries and historichouses play a critical role, says the response, submittedby the National Museums Directors Council, also on behalfof AIM and the Museums Association. Providing evidenceof the impact they have on rural areas, it shows that theymake a place distinctive and unique, and attractive to liveand work in and visit, by telling stories of people, history,landscape and modern life.

Museums can be the primary reason for visits from the UKand overseas, boosting local economies, and providinglocal employment. Yet their sustainability is far from beingassured for the future. Threats include local authoritybudget cutbacks, poor public transport in rural areas, thelack of high-speed broadband, and inadequate signage torural attractions. Much more could be done, includinggreater support, investment, marketing and partnershipby tourism organisations, local enterprise partnershipsand local and regional authorities.

The sector’s submission also calls on DEFRA and othergovernment departments to play a larger role, workingwith local authorities and museum sector bodies topromote the role of museums in local tourism andeconomic planning, ensuring continued public investmentand removing “unnecessary barriers to enterprise”.

Several decades ago I studied theCrusades as part of A Level MediaevalHistory. I can recall endless maps witharrows showing routes between Europeand the Eastern Mediterranean, thatthere were several Crusades over 200years, that there were many heroicbattles and sieges, and that there waslittle to show for it in the end. But Dr.Piers Mitchell has specialised in anaspect of the Crusades that wasprobably barely thought about so longago, as we concentrated on theLeaders, their battles and defeats. Wewere aware that the death rates wereappalling, but had little appreciation forwhat those deaths (and injuries)entailed.

Dr. Mitchell’s research has not onlyrevealed a great deal of newinformation about the Crusades, buthas also overturned some of the factsthat everyone has assumed to be truein the past.

For example, discussing the deaths thatoccurred, Dr. Mitchell pointed out thatfighting was the cause of death in onlyabout 50% of cases. Deaths from

malnutrition and disease were equallycommon, even amongst the noblemenand priests, but the rate was muchhigher amongst the ordinary soldiers,although their deaths were not normallyrecorded. Infectious diseases, includingparasitic worms, led to malnutrition.Traces of these parasites have beenanalysed from detritus in latrines atbattle or camp sites. Intestinal worms ofall kinds were common, and theirremains can be used as evidence as towhere some of the Crusaders originatedfrom, for example in the case ofparasites surviving in raw or smoked fisheaten by northerners, but not bysouthern Europeans.

Another common assumption has beenthat standards of treatment were poor,and generally involved quacks ordoctors using humoral theory as thebasis for inept treatment, with surgeonsalso badly trained and incompetent. Butin fact the standards were higher thanthought, and over the years there wasinterchange between eastern andwestern medical systems and surgicalmethods. Interpretation ofarchaeological remains of single bones

and skeletons as well as studies ofdocuments from various sourcessupport these observations.

It has also been thought that one of theinadvertent results of the Crusades wasthat leprosy was carried from themiddle east and became a scourge inthe west; the number of leprosaria builtat that time would seem to be proof ofthat supposition. But in fact it is notknown where leprosy originated, as thepassage of so many individuals fromeast to west and west to eastconfounds any certainty. The number ofleprosaria is in fact in line with the rateof hospital building at the time.Hospitals, run by military or holy ordersamongst others, proliferatedthroughout Europe, providing not onlythe traditional shelter for the sick butalso care and treatment. The leprosariawere separate because of theinfectiousness of the disease; theyoffered only shelter and a retreat fromthe world. But the hospitals adaptedsome of the best practice from Islamicand eastern institutions, and changedthe western approach to hospitalprovision for the better.



MEDICINE IN THE CRUSADES: A TALK BY DR. PIERS MITCHELLDr Christine Alvington, Friends of Thackray Medical Museum

HERITAGE LOTTERY FUND BOOST FORLANCASTER’S SOMME CENTENARY PROJECTThe Friends of Lancaster City MuseumThe Friends of Lancaster City Museum received £10,000 recently from the Heritage Lottery Fund for a project presentinguntold stories of the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment at The Somme.

Awarded through the Heritage Lottery Fund’s First World War: then and now programme, Recommissioned found a newway to explore and open up unheard stories of the King’s Own regiment and their role in one of the Great War’s mostnotorious battles which commemorated its centenary in 2016.

Recommissioned coincided with an exhibition running at Lancaster City Museum – 141 Days: The Battle of The Somme -which was the starting point for local schools to learn more about the regiment’s role in the battle.

A group of young people and community members working with a team of artists also created a sound and lightpromenade performance which attracted more than 600 people during the Light Up Lancaster festival and was repeated onArmistice Day, November 11.

As a result of the Recommissioned project, more people, especially the young, have learnt about the history of the FirstWorld War through museum and heritage site visits, talks, undertaking research and creating their own interpretationmaterials that will be available to wider audiences.

Commenting on the award, FOLCM chairman, Roger Mace,said:“This was the first time that the Friends of Lancaster CityMuseum applied to the Heritage Lottery Fund and we are delighted to receive its support. Recommissioned is an importantdevelopment for the Friends as we look to step up our activities to ensure our local heritage is protected, celebrated andengages as many local people, especially the younger generation, in an accessible and imaginative way.”



Upon the museum’s establishment in1984, the Director and staff quicklyrealised they needed the support,knowledge and experience of those whohad worked in the industry to developthe museum and to tell the full story ofthis important industry. In the latesummer of 1985 the Director, Dr. EamonHyde, invited a number of local andinterested people to a meeting with aview to setting up of a “Friends Group”.The response was encouraging and anumber of individuals provided technicaland historical advice to the staff on aregular basis. The majority of theseindividuals were former senior NationalCoal Board (NCB) employees.

By early 1987 the Friends Group wastaking an active part in promoting themuseum to the general public as well ascontinuing to offer detailed technicaland general advice to the staff. A smallcaravan equipped with photographs,maps, small artefacts and leaflets wastaken to various events throughoutScotland by the Friends Group. A numberof volunteers participated in suchpromotional activities. To co-ordinatethese activities and to provide a socialprogramme for the members of thegroup, an informal committee wasestablished in late 1987. The committeewas chaired by Douglas Arkhurst (anairline pilot). Secretary: Don Mockett(former NCB Marketing Director),Committee members: Archie Blyth(former NCB Marketing Manager), GeorgeArchibald (former NCB Chief Surveyor),Bert Garrett (former NCB SafetyEngineer), Alastair Moore (former NCBColliery Surveyor). A programme of talks,

film shows, socialactivities and visitsto places ofinterest wasarranged for themembers. TheMuseum Trustgranted the groupfree access to themuseum and asmall annualmembershipsubscription wasaccepted. TheFriends Group wasnow responsible tothe Scottish MiningMuseum Trust.

By 1990 it wasapparent that the Friends Group wasdeveloping into an organisation thatshould be independent of the MuseumTrust. The main purpose of the FriendsGroup was to support the developmentof the museum. There were those whowere the “hands-on and practical”Friends, working with the staff on aregular basis, who subsequently becameknown as the Volunteers; thosemembers who were unable to supportthe museum by the ”hands-on” methodwere able to show their support byattending museum organised eventsand exhibitions, providing financialsupport for specific projects orequipment and by talking about themuseum to their friends and colleagues.A small working party of members andthe museum’s legal adviser got togetherto produce a constitution for a charitablebody to be known as the “Friends of theScottish Mining Museum” together withArticles of Association with the ScottishMining Museum Trust. The Constitutionand Articles of Association wereapproved at a special General Meeting ofthe Friends of the Scottish MiningMuseum in September 1992. The

Scottish Mining Museum Trusteeapproved the establishment of acharitable body to be known as the“Friends of the Scottish Mining Museum”in February 1993.

At the inaugural meeting of the Friendsa small management committee waselected. This committee was asked toprovide a regular programme of talks,slide shows and visits to places ofinterest, to inform members of museumevents and exhibitions and to maintaina regular contact with the MuseumDirector, the Keeper, and museumTrustees. An annual membershipsubscription was agreed and membersbegan to receive a membership cardwhich gave free access to the museum.

Over the past 30 years the Friends haveenjoyed a varied programme of talks,slide shows, quizzes, and visits tonumerous places of interest. AChristmas lunch became an annualevent and was well attended by Friendsand Associates. For a number of yearsDavid Gill edited and published theCoalface Newsletter persuading many ofthe Friends to contribute articles. Overthe years the Friends have been able toprovide funding for the purchase ofmuseum equipment and for themaintenance of the museum garden.The Friends were additionally able tocontribute a substantial sum to theMemorial Room in 2010.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FRIENDS GROUP:NATIONAL MINING MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND Don Mocket, Founding Member of the Friends

The Friends of Chelmsford Museum have an arrangement with their localCo-op so that every time they present their cards in a local Co-op store theFriends benefit – not a great deal of money but, as another supermarketsays, ‘every little helps’! Which reminds me that local charities can apply toTesco and Waitrose to be considered for local community funding.

FUNDRAISING IDEASAlan Swerdlow, BafM Co-ordinator, SE Region



The grand re-opening of the restoredFinishing Straight of the World’s firstpurpose-built motor racing circuit followingrestoration will take place on 17th June2017, 110 years to the day since the Trackwas originally opened – and the first day ofthe 2017 Double Twelve MotorsportFestival. This section of track has beenhidden from view since 1940, under aWWII Bellman Hangar which is beingrestored and relocated as part of theHeritage Lottery-funded Brooklands AircraftFactory and Race Track Revival Project.

Highlights of the re-opening will include are-enactment of the original openingparade of 17th June 1907 with veterancars, displays and demonstrations ofsurviving Brooklands racing cars andmotorcycles, and taxiing runs by some ofthe Museum’s historic aircraft.

One of the main elements of the AircraftFactory Project has been the dismantling ofthe WWII Aircraft Hangar which was builton the Finishing Straight in 1940. This iscurrently being restored inSouth Wales and will returnearly in 2017 to be re-assembled in a new locationin front of the recentlycompleted Flight Shed,alongside the FinishingStraight and next to theLondon Bus Museum. TheHangar slab has beenremoved to reveal theoriginal Finishing Straightwhich will be reunited withthe other surviving sectionsto restore the pre-war viewfrom the Banking and theClubhouse, something that

has not been seen since the Track closed tothe public in 1939.

The well-established format of threeseparate competitive events of the DoubleTwelve continues with a sprint, driving testsand concours d’élégance held over twodays, with aggregate scores from any twogoing towards overall Double Twelveawards. With the special interest in thisextraordinary milestone in Brooklands’already incredible history, the quality ofentries is expected to be high.

The three stand-alone competitive events,which are organised in conjunction withthe Vintage Sports-Car Club are:

l The Double Twelve Speed Trials (sprint) on the Mercedes-Benz World Circuit on Saturday

l The Double Twelve Concours held at the Museum across both days

l The Double Twelve Driving Tests on both sites on Sunday

Added to this line-up will be the verypopular Test Hill Challenge as well as thechance to see the Museum’s collections ofvintage cars, aircraft and vehicles. The sitewill be filled with Car Club displays,demonstrations and trade stands alongsideadditional catering, live music and plentyto keep families entertained.

Details of entries and Classes will beannounced soon through the press andmedia and on the Double Twelve pages ofthe main Museum website at:www.brooklandsmuseum.com

This year, the Festival has secured a MediaPartnership with Motor Sport Magazine whowill be attending the event on both days.

FINISHING STRAIGHT RE-OPENINGHIGHLIGHTS PREMIER MOTORSPORTFESTIVAL AT BROOKLANDS MUSEUMFriends of Brooklands Museum

THE DEVELOPMENT OFA MUSEUM: NATIONALMINING MUSEUM OFSCOTLANDEllie Swinbank, Keeper of the MuseumHoused in the stunningly-restoredLady Victoria Colliery, the NationalMining Museum of Scotland wasopened on a modest scale in 1984.It has since been lovinglytransformed by staff and volunteersinto one of Scotland’s top visitorattractions, with a 5-Star ratingfrom VisitScotland and plaudits aswinner of the Association of ScottishVisitor Attractions Best VisitorExperience in both 2009 and 2013.

Built in the 1890s by the LothianCoal Company, and served by one ofEurope’s biggest purpose-builtmining villages, the ‘Lady’ wasScotland’s first “super pit” andregarded as a show piece ofengineering. It was an activeworking colliery until 1981 andremained a central site of theLothians coalfield , even as newer,bigger and more technicallyadvanced pits opened around it.Across nearly a century of operationit consistently produced a highoutput of coal.

In the process, it became a much-loved Midlothian landmark, prizedfor its elegant industrial architectureand the lively history itencapsulated. Since its closure, theNational Mining Museum ofScotland Trust has cared for thebuildings and progressively broughtthem back into use as a home forboth permanent and temporaryexhibits showcasing the pricelessheritage of Scotland’s miningindustry and communities.

Among the highlights of the past 30years were: a £5.3 million HeritageLottery and European RegionalFunded project which led to therestoration of buildings providing anew visitor centre, gift shop andcafé in 1999; a new multi-mediaguide, introduced in 2011; theEnergy Lab, Mini Miners Soft Playcentre, Interactive Zone and SpecialExhibition Gallery, opened in 2012;and the unveiling, in 2013, ofScotland’s first National MiningMemorial Centre in Lady Victoria’sformer Rewasher building.

Ethel and Hugh Locke King leading the openingparade in their Itala, 17th June 1907


The Garden Museum in Lambethclosed last October (2015) for a majorredevelopment and will re-open in2017, expanded and revivified. Themuseum is housed in thedeconsecrated church of St. Mary-at-Lambeth, a historic structure whichcombines Medieval and Victorianarchitecture. The church’s monumentsinclude the tombs of Captain Bligh andthe plant hunters John Tradescant theElder and his son John. The newdevelopment aims to reveal more ofthe historic church and its monuments,whilst providing more space forexhibits and increasing the range ofeducational activity possible on thesite. The work is being undertaken byDow Jones Architects, with exhibitiondesign by GuM Studio.

The redevelopment will double thegallery space and modernise displays,allowing for the display of 1,200 objectsfrom our collection (compared to 180at present). Almost as importantperhaps, there will be a new polishedconcrete floor with underfloor heatingand a brand new suite of toilets.

John Tradescant the Younger, lived inLambeth, and when he died his Ark, his‘Cabinet of Curiosities’, was inherited byElias Ashmole and formed part ofAshmole’s creation of the AshmoleanMuseum. The new Garden Museum willrecreate Tradescant’s Ark and theAshmolean Museum will be lending usa selection of objects so that visitorscan see the diversity of JohnTradescant’s original treasures.

The museum will also set up thecountry’s first Archive of GardenDesign, to preserve and display theletters, designs, photographs andpersonal artefacts of our great makersof gardens and to make theseaccessible for anyone who wishes toview them.

We have additional plans for a newgarden designed by Dan Pearson whichwill have the atmosphere of a privategarden, but be open to everyone forfree. This will incorporate elements ofthe restored churchyard and result inincreased biodiversity. Pavilions withinthe garden will be dedicated to

learning and community workincluding two education rooms - aclassroom where we will be able tohost both primary and secondaryschool classes and a second learningspace, with cooking facilities, forcommunity groups - and a bigger andbrighter café.

A final small but important aspect tothe project is to open up the vista fromLambeth Road. Too often the oldmuseum was overlooked by peoplepassing by, unaware that it was there.When we re-open in 2017 passers bywill be able to see right through intothe garden and at night it will beilluminated, which we hope willintrigue and entice them to come andexplore.

Important though the museumbuilding is, the Garden Museum is notsimply about one place. Duringclosure we have been continuing ourpopular series visiting gardens all overthe country, and our 2017 literaryfestival with be held at BoughtonHouse in July.

Introducing Beverley Rogers: Journal News Editor

I have a FirstClass (Hons) inEgyptologyfrom SwanseaUniversity andam currentlyundertaking aMasters inDeath, Religion& Culture atthe University

of Winchester. I am the Events Officerfor the Friends of the Egypt Centre inSwansea and have been an activemember of the Friends’ Committee forover 4 years.

In my role as News Editor for the BAfMJournal, I receive copies of newslettersfrom member groups around thecountry. I love reading about whatyou have all been up to and forwardto the BAfM Journal Editor suitablearticles that would be of particular

interest to other members forinclusion in the next issue.

I am always looking for new items so,if you are not already doing so, pleasesend me digital copies of your GroupNewsletter to [email protected] paper copies to 62 Nottage Road,Newton, Swansea, SA3 4SU.

I look forward to reading about yournews in 2017!

Introducing Georgia Wedgwood Mayne:Journal Editor

I have a long standing interest inhistory and museums and a First Classdegree in Archaeology from theUniversity of Reading. This journal ismy first edition as editor so I am stillfinding my feet, but I have been verymuch enjoying the challenge so farand hope you all enjoy reading it! Ihave responsibility for sourcing andediting articles on general nationalissues and international news. I alsohave overall control of editorial policyand am responsible for liaising withthe printers over design and layout.

If you have an article or issue you feelwould make an interesting inclusion ina future edition of the journal, pleasefeel free to contact me [email protected] or 1Strandhall Farm Cottages, Shore Road,Castletown, Isle of Man, IM9 4PL.

I have already been impressed by themultitude of creative solutions Friendsgroups around the country are trialingin response to the numerous issuestheir museums face, and I very muchlook forward to reading your futuresubmissions!


THE GARDEN MUSEUM, LAMBETHGETS A MAKEOVERRobert Hugill, Membership Secretary

MEET YOUR EDITORS!


Museums and galleries around the UK have reacted to the news that AQA, the last examining board to offer History of Art,Classical Civilisation and Archaeology at A-Level, decided to axe the subjects. The decision removes a key entry point for youngpeople from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds to study the subjects, making the role of museums and galleries inenabling access to them more important than before. The move caused an outcry among art historians, artists and academicsand a trending hashtag on Twitter, #WhyArtHistoryMatters.

At Pallant House Gallery in Chichester, West Sussex the introduction of free entry to all students with a valid NUS card isintended to make it easier for them to gain access to the arts. The gallery’s artistic director, Simon Martin, says: “The axing ofthe Art History A-Level signals a marginalisation of the subject, and in such times it is increasingly important for museums andgalleries to find ways around curriculum relevance and enabling access. Although as an independent charitable museumPallant House Gallery is dependent on ticketed entry, this autumn we have introduced free entry for all students as a way toenable art to be an important part of students’ life whatever they study. It’s a small thing, but in such times, museums need todo what we can to increase access for students”. Home to one of the best collections of Modern British art in the UK, PallantHouse Gallery is a valuable resource for students of fine art, art history and other creative and humanities subjects.

The withdrawal of Archaeology has been condemned by the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists and the Council for BritishArchaeology, which has launched a petition (https://www.change.org/p/aqa-save-a-level-archaeology) to highlight their concernsat a time when there is a shortage of archaeologists to meet demand created by the growth in national infrastructure projects.

Maidstone Museums’ Foundation (MMF) has widened the approach developed bythe local Museum to embrace schools that have not yet engaged fully – or at all.The Friends hope to engage the interest of not only teachers and children but alsothe pupils’ parents. Because of trustee links with Invicta Grammar, that’s wherethey started. The Friends and the Museum have now forged a close partnershipwith the school. A senior teacher has become a MMF trustee, representing theworld of education. The school choir and orchestra show off their talents in theMMF annual Christmas concert - have done so for 3 years now.

Invicta introduced around 40 new Family Friends by sending MMF information tothe parents of Year 7 pupils. The school’s assistant head, told delegates at a recentBAfM event that the relationship had brought great benefits to the school, teachingand students through visits and hands-on experience. In turn, the Museumbenefits from their insights and observations. The Friends hope Invicta will be a rolemodel for other secondary schools not yet engaged with the Museum.

They would like to see a MMF ambassador in every school, maybe a studentrepresentative on the Friends’ board and possibly a student panel. There is so muchto do and resources are limited. But they hope these initiatives will help nurture alifetime love of museums. Watch this space!


MUSEUMS REACT TO EXAM SUBJECT AXINGAssociation of Independent Museums

MAIDSTONE FRIENDS REACH OUT TO YOUNG PEOPLEMike Evans, BAfM Co-ordinator, SE Region

CURATINGTEENAGEBEDROOMSFriends of The Geffrye Museumof the Home, LondonA new display at The Geffrye Museumof the Home steps into the homes of26 London teenagers to explore themeaning and significance ofcontemporary teenage bedrooms. Acombination of photographs,interviews, objects and an installationof a teenagers bedroom show howidentity, memory and friendship areexpressed within these private spaces.

Guest curator, Carey Newson – adoctoral researcher from the Centrefor Studies of Home – spent a yearinterviewing teenagers and theirparents in East and North London. Sheworked with photographer and visualanthropologist Kyna Gourley to recordthese eclectic spaces – tidy or chaotic,loved or neglected – producing aunique collection for the Geffrye’sDocumenting Homes archive.

Through the lens of the teenbedroom, her research reflects onchange across a generation, the roleof the internet in re-shaping space athome, sibling tensions in contestedspace, and family negotiationsaround mess, décor and teenagegatherings. Drawing on the manythoughtful insights of her participants,she examines the ways in whichthese rooms describe the lives of theteenagers they belong to and thethings that matter to them, and looksat the contradictions of a room that isboth within the family home and aspace apart: as one teenager said,‘like a house inside of a house’.



The Minister for Civil Society, RobWilson, has launched an independentreview to look at the challenges andbenefits of young people committingto full-time social action (more than16 hours a week). The review will lookat how to increase participation infull-time social action by reviewingthe opportunities and barriers facedby organisations supporting youngpeople. The advisory panel will includeexperts from the private andvoluntary sectors and is expected tomake recommendations to theMinister for Civil Society by October2017. The Chair and panel memberswill be announced in the New Year.

Lord Faulkner of Worcester againraised concerns during the ReportStage of the National Citizen ServiceBill, that the Employment of Women,Young Persons, and Children Act 1920prevented young people volunteeringin ‘industries’ such as heritage railwaysor for the canals and waterways trust.Lord Ashton of Hyde, DCMS Lordsminister, responded: ‘My officials havealready made contact with the Officeof Road and Rail, which, among otherthings, looks after health and safetyand includes heritage railways, torepresent his and other noble Lords’views and look into this. The matter iswith that body at the moment.’However, it was felt that it could notbe covered within the scope of the Billas the issue ‘potentially extends wellbeyond the areas we have talkedabout, and I am sure that there aremany implications which we have noteven thought of tonight’.

The theme for this years BAfMConference, hosted by the Friends ofthe Ironbridge Museums, was“Marketing for Excellence”. Marketingis a term that most of usmisunderstand. It is not justpublicity. Marketing is finding out theinterests and wants of your targetmarkets and then deliveringsatisfaction more effectively thanyour competitors, not only in the wayyou present your museum, thestories you tell and the images youuse, but also by raising awareness togenerate visitors. The conferenceexplored the power and value ofgood marketing.

I found the various subjectsdiscussed to be extremely interestingas the principles of marketing can bereadily applied to both museums togenerate visitor numbers or Friendsto generate members and interest insupporting the museum. The variousmarkets a museum appeals to couldbe put under a number of headingssuch as:

1. The day out market

2. The holiday market

3. The “feelings of benefit” market

4. The education market

Though much of the sector is naiveabout marketing, heritage is amature product in a mature marketplace and so there is increasedcompetition for:

1. Leisure time

2. Disposable income

3. Supporting funds (membership fees, donations etc.)

My “takeaway” from the Conferencewas that the Friends of GloucesterWaterways Museum need to developa marketing plan to make those withan interest in waterways, boats,steam etc. and our museum inparticular aware of our existence.We can nurture an interest, hopingfor a decision to take the action ofjoining with us to support ourmuseum as Friends and possibly asvolunteers. To use modern jargon weneed to develop FOMO, the fear ofmissing out!

The Friends of the Salford Museums’Association committee often go togreat lengths to meet currentmembers and to try to convinceothers to join. The Garden Party atOrdsall Hall in mid-July was a case inpoint, where most of the committeewere together and able to spread theword of the work we do.

The weather was on our side. Around2,000 people poured into the

grounds and Hall. Our strawberriesand cream teas sold out and extrasupplies were sent for. The room andcovered area on the lawn had beendecorated and, for the first time,visitors were served at tables. Copiesof LifeTimes Link magazine were soldand a number of new memberssigned up. Most importantly, this wasan opportunity to talk and put theFriends of the Salford Museums’Association in front of the public.

GARDEN PARTY AT ORDSALL HALLThe Friends of the Salford Museums’ Association

NEW MEMBERS REPORT ON THEIR FIRSTEXPERIENCE OF A BAFM CONFERENCEThe Friends of Gloucester Waterways Museum

REVIEW INTO FULL-TIME SOCIAL ACTIONBY YOUNG PEOPLEThe Heritage Alliance

CONCERNS OVER YOUTHVOLUNTEERING INHERITAGE INDUSTRIESThe Heritage Alliance

BAfM HANDBOOKThe new BAfM Handbook is now out.Members should have received acomplimentary copy with theirrenewal package at the end of lastyear. They are available for purchaseby non-members at a cost of £5.See the website for more details.



I have been lucky enough to workon the Battle Bus communityprogramme since the end of April2016 as the Learning Officer,alongside the Battle BusApprentice, Lamare Hart. So muchhas been achieved by thewonderful young volunteers whohave taken part in the Battle Busproject this year. It has truly beena pleasure to see the projectprogress and evolve along the way.This year the focus has been onTottenham in the London Boroughof Haringey in north London.Tottenham garage was one of thegarages from which the B typebuses were requisitioned for warservice.

Three groups of young volunteerswere recruited for this project andeach had a different role to play.We had a research team, anexhibition team and an outreachteam. Their hard work andenthusiasm culminated in thecreation of an exhibition FromTottenham to the Trenches, ondisplay at Bruce Castle Museum,Haringey until March 2017. It tellsthe story of London buses and thelives of young men fromTottenham who were affected bythe First World War. It also marksthe centenary of the Battle of theSomme.

The project began in February2016 with a group of ten universitystudents recruited as researchvolunteers. They were tasked withuncovering First World War storieslinked to the events of 1916, the Btype bus and Tottenham. Thevolunteers worked alongsideRebecca Hatchett from S.I.D.Eprojects, meeting with museumprofessionals from LTM and BruceCastle Museum in Tottenham. Togather and curate content for theexhibition, they delved intoarchives, met with experts such asAndy Robertshaw and David

Lawrence and went on field tripsto the Museum Depot, HaringeyArchives and Tottenham Cemetery.You can read more about whatthey got up to on their blog:http://battlebusproject2016.tumblr.com/

I joined the Museum in April asthe next phase of the projectbegan. The rich research gatheredby the students was passed toeight Year 9 students atNorthumberland Park CommunitySchool, who took on the role ofexhibition volunteers. Duringweekly sessions at the school,with Lamare and Rebecca, thestudents looked at why youngmen may have signed up to fight,the Battle of the Somme and therole that London buses played onthe Western Front. Highlights ofthe project were a trip to theDepot in Acton, to see therestored Battle Bus, and a visit toAndy Robertshaw’s replica FirstWorld War trenches in Sussex.Using shadow puppets, dramaand photography, the studentsproduced images for theexhibition and a short creativefilm with film-maker MmolokiChrystie.

With the kind support of the LondonTransport Museum Friends and theTottenham Grammar SchoolFoundation, we were able to takethe students on a bespoke three-day Battlefield tour to Belgium andFrance. The group visited sites thathad links to Tottenham and thebuses; and learned more about theBattle of the Somme with our guideSimon Bendry from the First WorldWar Centenary Battlefield ToursProgramme. The students also paidtheir respects at the grave ofWilliam George Ely, a young soldierfrom Walthamstow whose storyfeatures in the exhibition. It was amoving and reflective trip for allinvolved.

Then, over the summer, we ran anoutreach volunteer project, led byLamare, our Battle Bus Apprentice.Inspired by the First World Warpoets, Lamare chose to theme theproject around the spoken word.Working alongside a spoken wordartist, Mr Gee, five youngvolunteers created original poems,responding to stories in theexhibition that they feltemotionally or personally attachedto. Their work covered the ideas ofhome, memory, courage andconflict. They also worked towardstheir Bronze Art Award, awardedby Trinity College London, andhelped to develop a family activityfor the public exhibition launchevent at Bruce Castle Museum.

We held a private launch of theexhibition at London TransportMuseum on Saturday 15th October,to celebrate all the hard work ofthe young volunteers involved. Wewatched two short films createdby the students; heard about theresearch phase of the project fromAnnabel, one of the researchvolunteers and listened to movingpoems performed by the outreachvolunteers. It was an opportunityfor many of the people who hadbeen involved in the different partsof the project to come together,including the granddaughter ofWilliam George Ely, who met withone of the students who visitedWilliam’s grave in France.

The public launch of the exhibitiontook place at Bruce Castle Museumon Sunday 23rd October 2016. Over200 visitors saw the Battle Bus,enjoyed family craft activities,talked with costumed interpretersand listened to readings of poemsby the outreach volunteers. Youtoo can enjoy the exhibition FromTottenham to the trenches, it is ondisplay at Bruce Castle Museumuntil Sunday 26th March 2017.

FROM TOTTENHAM TOTHE TRENCHESJenna Stevens, Battle Bus Learning Officer, London Transport Museum



Cannon HallMuseum’s Parkand Gardens, ahistoric settingthat could easilyhave been liftedstraight from aJane Austennovel, overlookthe picturesquevillage ofCawthorne,Barnsley. Thearea is now set tobe transformedby a majorinvestment torestore manyfeatures of itslandscapedcountry park andgardens torecapture itsGeorgianSplendour. Afantastic £3million packageof fundingawarded by the

Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund’s Parks forPeople scheme gave the green light to a three-year project torestore the historic estate.

Cannon Hall’s history dates back to the 13th century andbeyond, but the origin of today’s significant estate began inthe 18th century when owner John Spencer made his fortunefrom iron and coal mining and joined the fashionableextravagance of Georgian society in undertaking the task ofupdating the hall and creating the landscaped park andgardens, much of which remains as originally intended.

To upgrade and extend the hall he employed the highlyregarded architect John Carr of York; but no Georgian hall iscomplete without its deer park and gardens, so hecommissioned the renowned landscape architect of thetime, Richard Woods, to design and carry out the task.Features included a Pinery – built for growing the must havePineapples, an Ice House to maintain a supply of icethroughout the year, and a new walled garden to producethe required exotic fruits: nectarines, apricots, peaches,cherries, plums and vines. Today the gardens are home to acollection of 37 varieties of pears, heritage apple trees andthe famous Cannon Hall Muscat Grape, a recognised varietyin its own right, first grown around 1820 with an original vinestill surviving.

Work began to establish 70 acres of spectacular parkland in1757 and it would have been at its spectacular best around1800, hosting garden parties for the local gentry andwealthy. But sadly time has taken its toll on once attractiveperiod features. This vitally important funding will allow forthe restoration of many original features, some of whichvisitors have never seen before.

The Park’s lakes are in need of urgent attention. They will bedredged and restored and a management and periodicmaintenance programme established. Visitors will then beable to hire rowing boats and fishing equipment in athrowback to popular Georgian pastimes. Two acres ofwoodland not usually seen by visitors will be periodicallyopened up for the wildlife educational purposes.

An area of woodland above the deer shed will betransformed as an outdoor educational adventure trailleading to an intact 18th century ice house which will berevealed to visitors. The trail will then lead to the ‘midden’, anearly example of a 1700’s outside toilet, and on to themuseum and walled gardens. An extensive activityprogramme for all ages will be established as part of theoverall visitor attractions.

Importantly paths around the site will be improved andmuch needed new mobility friendly paths will be created tooffer safe wheelchair access throughout, including to thelake side and park. The forecourt access to the museum andthe disability parking will also be upgraded.

The Victorian gardener’s cottage in the walled gardens willbe refurbished to create a base for the Friends and volunteersand to become an important facility and hub for ourfundraising and social activities to develop around.

GEORGIAN GLORIES OF CANNON HALL £3M LOTTERYGRANT TO TRANSFORM PARK AND GARDENSFriends of Cannon Hall Museum, Park and Gardens



Barnsley Council has run the Hall’s Grade II listed grounds asa country park and museum since 1957 and are committedto preserving our important local heritage sites such asCannon Hall. Barnsley Museums Officers and communityrepresentatives took part in two years of detailed planningfor the grant application, supported throughout by theFriends of Cannon Hall, Park and Gardens, a registered charityof 140 members and volunteers who help ‘hands on’supporting the site. The Friends Group raised £40,000 bystaging events, fairs and activities, enabling them to matchfunding with the council. Together they raised £740,567.

The Friends chairman, Richard Emerson, said “Cannon Hallmeans so much to so many people and this award is a majorboost for our historic recreational site and is absolutelyfantastic news for the Friends, Barnsley community andbeyond. Our local heritage is of great importance to us all, itdefines who we are and the character and identity of ourcommunities and must be protected. Many thanks toBarnsley Council and Museum Service for their commitmentand hard work: this is a vitally important project which willdeliver the restoration and improvement of the much lovedlakes, park and gardens we have dreamt about for manyyears. The project will further assist development of tourism:fast becoming an important contributor to the Barnsleyeconomy: visitor numbers are sure to increase also benefitingthe local business community. Thank you Heritage LotteryFund for making it all possible”.

Lynn Dunning of BarnsleyMuseums, said; “I am thrilledthat after so many years of hardwork by our team, volunteersand Friends that we can getstarted on our plans to restorethe park and gardens. Theinvestment will secure thefuture of Cannon Hall andprovide visitors with a muchdeeper understanding of whyCannon Hall is such a specialplace, and allow us to carry outvital conservation work. We willalso be able to offer a wholehost of new activities, anddevelop our volunteering

programme, I am so grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund,the Friends, volunteers and our great team for making thishappen – exciting times!”

Work will start during 2017 with expected completion by 2020.

About The FriendsThe group formed as a registered charity in 2004 and hascontributed over £200,000 and many thousands of volunteerhours – volunteering opportunities include fundraising,helping at events, gardening, room steward, research andhelping in our Cottage Shop.

Apart from regular volunteering to help in the museum andgardens, the Friends activities regularly include fundraisingevents – craft fairs, talks and living history events,choral/musical concerts, “have a go” art and craft activities,and we run our “Cottage Shop” in the Walled Garden, sellingcrafts, books, plants and garden produce.

An annual highlight in late September is Pear Day when wecelebrate our unique collection of over 50 pear trees. Weoffer advice on fruit growing and the chance to taste and buymany different varieties of pears, apples and otherorganically produced fruit and vegetables from the gardens.

Eyes snap open, early, yes! Today’s the day!I’m full of nerves but also ambition

Good morning. I’m Emily, your new clippieI practice to my reflection until perfection

I leave home rivalling the sun itselfMy buttons and boots are shining

Jacket ironed and cap on tightAll aboard the bus, no whining

All but jump inside that cool closed spaceSee the city through squares of glass

First day, alright, I can do this. Yes!Welcome aboard as travellers pass

Brows raise when they see red lipsticktraded out for a conductor’s moustache

They say nothing, though, just tip their capsall part of this morning’s farce

All quiet on the North London frontas we move, and stop, and start

I relax, take fares, even smile a littlewhen stuck behind horse and cart

Then suddenly boarding, a pair of bright eyesblue as the Southend sea

They look just like yours, but he’s not youTruly, how could he be?

Your eyes are seeing such different scenesYour bus battles from trench to trench

I’ve heard the stories, I’ve read the newsHow do you cope with the mustard gas stench?

Out there against horrors I just can’t imagineHow do you sleep through the night?

When demons with rifles and spikes on their headshaunt your dreams with vampire delight

My stomach drops and twists a littlethinking of you like that

I blink, I think, I take a breathHere’s your ticket sir... and he sat.

THROUGH HIS EYESThis poem was written by Charlotte Parker,Battle Bus Outreach Volunteer 2016, as part

of the Battle Bus learning programme.



The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) required mostorganisations and businesses that hold personal databelonging to individuals to show a legitimate reason fordoing so. Each holder of personal data is required to registerwith the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) which wasestablished to regulate the Act.

There are a number of exemptions in the Act which coversome organisations. One of these exemptions covers “notfor profit” organisations. A “not for profit” organisation isdescribed in the Act as:

usually charitable or social, but the profit should not be usedto enrich others. Any money that is raised should be used forthe organisation’s own activities.

The exemption is quite narrow and relates to processingwhich is only for the purposes of establishing or maintainingmembership. It is this exemption and for this reason thatFriend’s groups does not require registration with the ICO.Should Friend’s groups use its membership data for somereason other than establishing or maintaining itsmembership it might need to register.

The EU Article 29 (Data Protection) working party hasoverhauled the rules and regulations relating to data

processing and has produced the General Data ProtectionRegulation (GDPR). It is the biggest review of data protectionsince 1998 and the general aim is to further empower theindividual whose data is held by an organisation. The GDPRwill apply in the UK from 25 May 2018. The government hasconfirmed that the UK’s decision to leave the EU will notaffect the need to comply with the GDPR.

Each member state will apply the new rules to their owncircumstances and there will be National derogations to theGDPR. The ICO have said that there will remain exemptionsand that those exemptions will be similar to the exemptionsthat exist under the DPA. However, until the UK governmentpublishes its compliance with the GDPR there will remain alittle uncertainty as to whether the “not for profit”exemption for maintaining its membership list will remain.

Whether registered or not it is still good practice to complywith the spirit of the Act and new regulations and maintaintransparency with regards to the information held.Information should be kept safe and confidential.

The worst-case scenario will be if the exemption is removedand Friend’s groups need to register. The present cost is £35per annum, but that is still £35 which could be used forother projects.

Culture Secretary Karen Bradley hasannounced that Newcastle-Gatesheadwill host the Great Exhibition of theNorth in 2018. The Exhibition willshowcase the great creative, culturaland design sectors in the city and acrossthe whole of the North of England. TheGovernment is contributing £5 milliontowards the exhibition itself and afurther £15 million into a legacy fund toattract further cultural investment in theNorthern Powerhouse. Newcastle-Gateshead faced strong competitionfrom a number of other bidding townsand cities, including the three othershortlisted bidders: Blackpool, Bradfordand Sheffield. The Tyneside bid wasdeclared the winner on therecommendation of the Great ExhibitionBoard chaired by Sir Gary Verity. TheGreat Exhibition of the North will takeplace in Summer 2018 and willcelebrate the creativity of NorthernEngland, help boost investment andtourism in the region and leave a lastingcultural legacy.Further details can befound atwww.gov.uk/government/news/newcastle-gateshead-chosen-to-host-great-exhibition-of-the-north

AN ANSWER TO A FRIEND’S GROUP QUESTIONREGARDING DATA PROTECTIONJohn Newcomb

GREAT EXHIBITION OFTHE NORTH 2018LOCATION ANNOUNCEDThe Heritage Alliance

FRIENDS’ GROUP TRIPSAND HOLIDAYSAlan SwerdlowI have been asked aboutinsurance cover for when aBAfM member grouporganises a visit to aplace of interest and amember has an accident. Isthis covered by the BAfMinsurance policy? Thisrefers to Personal Accidentcover in which case, as longas the trip is organised by theFriends group and is in theUK, then certain members ofthe Friends group arecovered. Full cover for thosemembers under the age of75 and restricted cover formembers 75 to 85, but nocover for those 85 and over.See the BAFM website formore information. If theholiday is out of the UK eachparticipant must have theirown personal insurance and

a list with full details must beheld by the organisers.

The Friends group should have arefund policy statement in place ifa member has to cancel beforethe visit takes place. In my ownexperience, if a member has tocancel at the last minute theremay be someone to take up theplace, but otherwise the membermay be prepared to have thepayment taken as a donation. Youmay have a waiting list but at thelast minute people may no longerbe available. The budget for theevent should include acontingency sum to covereventualities. You may want tohave a statement in your literatureto the effect that ‘any surplusarising from this event will be usedto further the work of the Friends’.



The Friends of the Salford Museums’ Association Ordsall Hall isdelighted to announce that, working with the Friends ofSalford Museums Association, it has secured £4900 from theCharles Hayward Foundation towards the conservation of aunique portrait of one of Ordsall Hall’s former residents. OrdsallHall is one of the oldest surviving houses in the UK. From the1100s up until the 1970s, it was constantly lived in. One of itsfascinating characteristics is that is has had so many differentinhabitants - from medieval Lords of the Manor to TudorKnights of the Realm, “dangerous temporisers” of the Catholicfaith to protestant priests in training, Victorian mill owners tothe Pre-Raphaelite artist Frederic Shields.

The Markendale family lived at the Hall and ran its surroundingfarm from 1815 to 1871. The Markendales were famed in theManchester and Salford area for being prominent andprosperous butchers and tanners. In 2011, two unknownportraits were discovered in an out-building of a farm inCumbria, literally rotting away, not having seeing the light ofday for decades. The farmer, a direct descendant of theMarkendales, contacted the curator at Ordsall Hall as hethought that the portraits may have a connection with theHall. Indeed they did! They were the portraits of Ellis and MaryMarkendale who lived at Ordsall Hall between 1815 and 1871.The farmer kindly donated the portraits to Ordsall Hall in 2012.

When the Markendales first moved into the Hall, they only livedin part of it. It was not until 1850 that they took on the tenancyof the whole Hall and became the sole residents of the manorhouse. It is likely that the two portraits were a direct responseto the Markendales’ new found status and were commissionedto reflect their prominence in local society at that time. Ellis(1790-1853) was painted in 1851 by the artist William Scott.William Scott (1797-1862) was a portrait painter born nearLeicester, England. He came from a humble background andpainted portraits of those with enough money to sit for himmainly in Leicestershire, Manchester and Liverpool. Heexhibited in The Royal Academy, London, and at The Walker ArtGallery, Liverpool. An article written by “Country Life” in the1860s describes the portrait of Ellis as a “superb piece of work.”

The portraits of Ellis and MaryMarkendale are significant historicalworks of art in that they representunique examples of a survivingphysical link to a very prominentlocal family who once lived andworked at Ordsall Hall. In OrdsallHall’s ownership, there are nosurviving, original paintings of any ofthe past residents of the Hall – andit has had many inhabitants sincethe 1100s! The portraits give us somany visual clues as to the status of Ellis and Mary and,becauseScott painted the Hall in the background of the portrait, thepictures also reveal much about the condition of the Tudormansion house in the mid-nineteenth century. They arehistorically valuable because of their unique Ordsallprovenance and because they tell a story that no other piecesin the Hall’s collection can.

We no longer want these captivating works to be hidden fromview. With grants from the Charles Hayward Foundation, theDuchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund and The Friends of SalfordMuseums Association, Salford Heritage Services is going toprofessionally restore the portrait of Ellis and return it to thewalls where it hung over 160 years ago. We are restoring Ellisahead of Mary as he is in a far worse state than his wife!

We will hang the portrait of Mary next to Ellis, in order toencourage visitors to the Hall to understand the need for Maryto get the same treatment as her husband. Hopefully, this willcreate debate, establish a visual ‘case for support’ forrestoration of the Mary portrait, and encourage publicdonations with which to carry out the much-neededrestoration work. The proposed treatment on Ellis includesspecialist works such as securing the flaking paint, removingthe dirt and bird droppings, repairing the torn canvas fibres byweave mending, and filling the paint losses by in-painting withfine ground pigments.

RARE PORTRAITS RETURN TO THEWALLS WHERE THEY ONCE HUNGFriends of the Salford Museums’ Association Ordsall Hall

HIGH FLYING CHAIRLynda Carter, Honourable Secretary of the Framework Knitters’ MuseumWhen the Chair of the Trustees at the Framework Knitters’Museum in Ruddington challenged Friends and Volunteers tothink of new and quirky ways of raising funds for theredevelopment and expansion of the museum, one personcame up with a very quirky idea indeed. Kathy Powis, theChair of our Friends decided the time had come for her to tickone of the items on her bucket list; she would do a sponsoredwing walk. Standing on the wing of a bi-plane for 15 minutesas it flew at speeds of up to 105 miles an hour over theLeicestershire countryside is not for the faint-hearted, butKathy loved the experience. “The wind was incredibly strongand cold, but it was just so exhilarating to be flying at 500feet with very little between me and the ground.”

To enhance the occasion, Sally Wallington, a committeemember arrived to support Kathy in a Jodel 1050 planewhich was piloted by her husband. After her derring-do,Kathy was treated to a well deserved glass of champagne. Todate she has raised over £4,300 for the Redevelopment andExpansion Appeal with her very quirky idea. Well done, Kathy!


Luton’s Wardown Park museum, like somany museums, became a casualty ofthe financial crash of 2009, Luton councildrastically cut its financial support as itmade savings of £68 million. Theimmediate result was the Luton CulturalTrust, lost the bulk of its funding; this alsocoincided with the end of Renaissancewhich accounted for a further 41% lossin funding. How to keep the museumviable was the big question. Weekendclosure, paring down of staff, chargingan entrance fee, whatever option taken itwas quickly realised that if WardownPark Museum was to have a future, ithad to be self sustaining and have apoint of difference from its sistermuseum, Stockwood Discovery Centre.

The plan of action adopted was a“Community” based one in the form ofMuseum Makers of which the Friends ofLuton Museums are a part. MuseumMakers come from every community inLuton, covering a wide spectrum of ages,

professions and skills. Fundraising has been very much apart of the Museum Makersbrief and to keep this project,known as ”The Peoples’Museum” at the forefront. Theinitial start of this action was2 years listening to ideas andinviting the people of Luton toget involved. All this wasmade possible by a grant of£450,000 from the ArtsCouncil. It became clear thatthe communities of Lutonwanted their “Peoples’Museum” to reflect Luton’spast.

In 2011 Luton Cultural Trustapproached the HeritageLottery Fund to find out ifthey would be interested inbringing investment to Luton.The Heritage Lottery Fundexpressed a wish to seeWardown Park Museum

developed and at this stage LutonCultural Trust had no positive plans orideas. With the aspirations of ThePeoples’ Museum in mind it set aboutexploring the possibility of returningWardown House back to its originalVictorian splendour and using the roomsas backdrops to display and exhibitthemes relative to Luton. In June 2012LCT made an application to the HeritageLottery Fund for funding and in June2013 a detailed costed submission wasmade. The total budget for therestoration work was £3.5m; The HLFmade a very generous donation of£1.8m, other trust funding raised afurther £1.5m. The Friends of LutonMuseums have donated £10,000, withthe pledge of a further £10,000. Fundraising is currently underway to makegood the shortfall.

Work began in April 2016. The exteriorhas remained pretty much as thearchitect, Thomas Sorby designedit in 1875, the only loss was awrought iron veranda whichprovided shading to the groundfloor windows on the south side.However the interiors havewitnessed many changes,starting in 1920 when the councilbegan using rooms as offices,plus numerous additions themuseum itself has made over thepast 88 years. The work currentlyunderway is stripping out anyfake panelling, false walls andopening up windows which havebeen boarded over for years. Asthe veneers of previous decadesare removed the magnificence ofthe rooms is emerging. All the

electrics are being replaced, a lift is beinginstalled, already a number ofunexpected finds have come to light, adoor which no one knew existed, a lockedcupboard containing several antiquefirearms and a colony of bats in the roof.One new addition to Wardown House willbe a café, sited appropriately in what wasthe original dining room and what usedto be the Herts and Beds Military Gallery,which is now moving upstairs.

By spring of thisyear all thispainstakingwork will havebeencompleted. Thenewlyrefurbishedrooms will befurnished tomirror theVictorian period,paintings andartefacts will bedisplayed toreflect theheritage andthe diversity of

Luton. Its original 1875 owner, a Mr F. CScargill, would immediately recognise hisformer home, although he may notrecognise its new name, Wardown HouseMuseum and Gallery.

LUTON’S WARDOWN PARK MUSEUM REDEVELOPMENTA visionary £3.5m project to return this handsome Victorian villa back to its former grandeurFriends of Wardown House Museum and Gallery


The new military gallery will be the first to becompleted in this £3.5 million project, with theother rooms quickly following. It is hoped themuseum will re-open this spring.

The Friends of LutonMuseums, helping todismantle The Military Gallery,which included cataloguingand safely packing items inreadiness for storage.

Wardown House has been the home of Wardown Park Museum for over88 years. The house was originally built in 1875 by a wealthy Lutonsolicitor, Frank Chapman Scargill. It was designed by the eminentarchitect Thomas Charles Sorby, his design was featured in the BritishArchitect 25th June 1875.

The Morning Room: Now that the windows are nolonger boarded over, natural day light floods the roomwhich in turn enhances the delicately worked plasterceiling. When finished and furnished it is hoped thisroom will make an attractive wedding venue.

Another Friend, under thewatchful eye of an expert,

delicately removes amannequin from a display

case prior to going intostorage.

A mystery find, a doorwaywhich no one knew existed,could this be the portal theGrey Lady uses when shemakes an appearance inWardown House?



Sam Bunting, Lakeland Arts TrustOn Friday 3 February, Abbot Hall Art Gallery and the WinifredNicholson Exhibition of 2016 proved a winning combination atthe second annual Cumbria Life Culture Awards, held atTheatre by the Lake. Abbot Hall itself fought off strongcompetition to win Art Gallery of the Year while WinifredNicholson in Cumberland was awarded Exhibition of the Year.

Exhibition of the YearDespite five finalists who powerfully illustrated the breadthand quality of exhibitions throughout Cumbria, there was nodoubt among the judges, who unanimously recognised thatthe outstanding show of 2016 was Winifred Nicholson inCumberland which ran at Abbot Hall Art Gallery from 8 July -15 October 2016.

Art Gallery of the YearThe judges recognised that Cumbrian galleries are a draw tothousands of visitors to the county but are also adopted andloved by their own local communities and the five finalistscame from all over Cumbria. However it was three names inparticular that clinched it for the Lakeland Arts Team. In 2016Abbot Hall Art Gallery brought the world famous artistsCanaletto and Rembrandt to Cumbria as well as celebratingthe life and work of Cumbrian artist Winifred Nicholson.

Helen Watson Director of Programming commented: “Winifred Nicholson in Cumberland was a very specialexhibition, highlighting the work of one of Britain’s foremosttwentieth-century painters. Curated exclusively for Abbot Hallby Jovan Nicholson, the grandson of the artist, the showexplored her experimentation with colour, light, rural life andthe landscapes of Cumberland and featured many workswhich had never been shown before.”

Abbot Hall’s next exhibition highlights the work of anotherCumbrian artist, Julian Cooper. The exhibition Julian Cooper1970-2017 opens on 7 April, running until 2 July 2017.Predominantly from private collections this retrospective showoffers an insight into his working practice over five decades.Over 30 monumental paintings will reflect the artist’s travelsfrom the fells and mountains of the Lake District, to his trips toSouth America, the Alps, the Himalayas, the quarries ofTasmania and Carrara.

The exhibition is in partnership with Art Space Gallery, London.

Gordon Watson, Chief Executive of Lakeland Arts commented:

“These two awards are a tremendous reflection of the LakelandArts team who have worked so hard, despite dealing with theaftermath of the 2015 floods, to produce a rich, diverse andstimulating programme which brought artists of nationalrecognition to Cumbria. Now, we look forward to welcomingboth new and familiar faces back to both Abbot Hall Art Galleryand Blackwell throughout the course of 2017 and beyond.”

Currently at Blackwell, The Arts and CraftsHouse until 18 June 2017:Griet Beyaert and Paul Miller – The Light Within: a fusion ofglass-making and digital technology, using video and soundrecordings made in and around Blackwell. The installation,inspired by the use of light in Baillie Scott’s architecture, bringstogether the architectural features of Blackwell with its uniquesetting overlooking Windermere.

For further information on all forthcoming events andexhibitions please visit www.abbothall.org.uk andwww.blackwell.org.uk.

Robert Logan was a former Chairman of BAfM who was killedin a climbing accident while in office. He was particularlyinterested in promoting and encouraging young people inThe Heritage Sector, and it was with these ideals in mindthat the award was set up.

This Award is open to candidates under 30 years of ageworking in The Heritage Sector.Applicants should be engaged on a project which fulfills thefollowing criteria:- made an outstanding contribution to your Museum or Institute

- improved the Museum experience- attracted a wider audience

Please submit an outline of your project (approx 200 words)to the Administrator by the 1st May 2017. A full submissionof approx 1,500 words should then be with the Administratorby the 1st August 2017. The project must have started AFTERAugust 2015 and can be one that you are currently workingon, or have just completed.

The Award will be presented at The Annual BAfM Conference,which will this year be held at The London Transport Museumon Saturday 30th September 2017. The winner will present apaper, be the guest of BafM, and have the opportunity ofmeeting delegates and museum professionals from all overthe UK.

Further details, including an entry form, are available on theBAfM website or from the Administrator.

For any other information, please contact;Anne Stobo, BAfM RLA Administrator21 Albany HillTunbridge WellsTN23RXTEL [email protected]

ABBOT HALL ART GALLERY AND WINIFRED NICHOLSON – A WINNING COMBINATION AT THE2017 CUMBRIA CULTURE AWARDS

THE ROBERT LOGAN AWARD 2017In Memory of Robert Logan - BAfMChairman 1994-1998£500 Prize Money

I am delighted that Jo Rooks, winner of the Robert LoganAward 2009, has agreed to be a Judge for this year’scompetition. Jo is presently the Learning andParticipation Officer at The Museum of East Anglican Life.She is very much looking forward to receiving this year’sentries.

Joining Jo will be Jasmine Farram, winner of the 2015Award; our very own experienced Vice- President DrElizabeth Mackenzie MBE and Gordon Cummings, who areboth very happy to give of their time and expertise.

Do consider entering for this Award if you are eligible. Notonly are we delighted to receive your submissions, but forthe prize winner it is a deeply rewarding experience and adoorway to further opportunities in The Heritage sector.

JUDGES FOR THE ROBERT LOGANAWARD 2017Anne Stobo, BAfM Awards Administrator



To be a Friend of the Laing involves quitea busy life, and not just from attendinglectures and exhibitions. Volunteerteams provide a service to galleryvisitors by manning a welcome desk.They also handle memberships; organizelectures, social events and travel; offertalks about particular paintings; andproduce the regular Friends News. AsVice-Chairman Pat Devenport notes:“Being a volunteer at the Laing can behard work [and] can be frustrating… butit is always fun and there is oftenlaughter to be heard from our cupboard(i.e. office) in the café.” What is certain isthat the activities resulting from theefforts of the volunteers and theManagement Committee are a richsource of knowledge and enjoyment forthe members.

Among the regular lectures that Friendshave attended lately in the gallery, one

sent shivers down our spines. Dr GailNina-Anderson gave a specialpresentation on ‘Souls, Skulls & All ThingsSpooky’. Another talk had a particularlocal interest, when Hugh Dixon gave alecture on his great-great uncles, DavidDippie Dixon and John Turnbull Dixon ofRothbury, Northumberland. Born in the1840s, and sons of a general dealer, thebrothers inherited the family business buttheir interests were largely elsewhere.David became a noted local historian,while John was an artist and calligrapher,working originally in watercolour andthen in oils. The brothers had a longassociation with Cragside, home of LordArmstrong, which is now in the care ofthe National Trust. A small exhibition inthe house celebrated the lives and workof these two local celebrities.

Friends of the Laing are currentlyproviding support for an importantexhibition entitled ‘Out of Chaos’, whichhas as its theme the relationshipbetween art, identity and migration.Curated by Keeper of Art SarahRichardson, the exhibition features worksby Frank Auerbach, David Bomberg,Jacob Epstein, Marc Chagall and SoniaDelaunay and encompasses some of themajor art styles of the 20th century. Manyof the paintings focus on the lives ofrefugees from war-torn Europeancountries who settled in Britain andexperienced the problems ofresettlement in a new country, a themethat is highly relevant in today’s world.

Friends have been eagerly anticipating anew exhibition, ‘Modern Visionaries andthe Artists’ Eye’, which brings toNewcastle the last self-portrait of SirAnthony Van Dyck. Bought for the nationin 2014 and on loan from the NationalPortrait Gallery, it is accompanied by aseries of self-portraits by major artists of

the 20th and 21st centuries. 150 Friendsgathered on January 26th for a preview,and the society has been invited toprovide volunteers to oversee theexhibition – which runs until June 4th –and to welcome visitors to it.

The Laing Gallery, it should be noted, is amember of the Tyne and Wear Archivesand Museums group, and enjoys regularmeetings with representatives of theother museums, galleries and archives inthe area. Known as TWAM, it provides anImpact Report, from which it wasencouraging to discover that over twelvemonths the Laing had 247,155 visitorsand that the Da Vinci exhibition earlier in2016 saw an increase in visitors of 40%over the previous year. This is good news,and the Friends look forward hopefully toan even better year in 2017.

FRIENDS IN FOCUSFriends of the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne

The Friends of the Royal Marines Museum’s Council were concerned that during preparations for the relocation of theRoyal Marines Museum to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, activity at Eastney will necessarily become quiet, and thenumbers of members could start to decline. We started the initiative of asking all members to make a special effortin the first six months of the year to recruit just one additional member to the association. This could potentiallyboost overall membership considerably and give a good base on which to form a reinvigorated Friends when the newMuseum is open in 2020.

This initiative could be used by any Friends’ organisation to boost membership numbers. Why not ask your membersto recruit one new member each? It is a way of potentially increasing numbers by 100%. We offered a 50% discountfor all new members recruited in this way for the first year as an incentive for joining.

FRIENDS RECRUIT A FRIENDSharon Spencer, Friends of the Royal Marine Museum



SOUTH EAST - EASTERNCOUNTIES MEETING 2017Saturday 10 June 2017The Higgins Art Gallery & Museum, JohnBunyan Museum and The PanaceaMuseum, Bedford.

CHANGES TO THEBAFM WEBSITEMike EvansThe ‘BAfM Website’ paper was well discussed and it’srecommendations agreed in full at the BAfM CouncilMeeting last month.

I was asked to co-ordinate the editing of content and tocontinue to liaise with Paul Leverett.

This I am very happy to do. Already some changes havehappened to the ‘Resources’ page, including a signpostingservice to other relevant websites and a new fact sheeton friends’ group visits (through the good services of AlanSwerdlow). Certain other areas of the site have also beenbrought up to date.

But I would be grateful for your help here please:-

1. Please familiarise yourself with the site, especially major changes to the ‘Resources’ page. I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions about the site.

2. Please promote the site actively and continually to your friends’ groups, starting with notification of changes to the ‘Resources’ page. And encourage feedback from them. We want to increase visits to the site, which I monitor monthly.

3. Please let me have any local (regional) conference or neighbourhood day plans, so I can put information about them on the ’Events’ page.

4. It is our intention to have a new ‘News’ page, so please keep sending me important stories both within BAFM and related organisations. The setting up of this page will take some time, but please get in the habit of sending me stories.

On the same day as the Council meeting, Regional Co-ordinators agreed Charlotte Spink’s kind offer to look afterour social media presence, so news to her too please.

We will meet at The Higgins, which unites three fine culturalvenues in buildings going back 200 years. Displays include‘Edward Bawden and his studio’. After lunch we will visit twomuseums very close to The Higgins. John Bunyan Museum andLibrary depicting the author, pastor and preacher’s life andtimes, including his imprisonment, with displays of life as it wasin the 17th century; and the newly opened Panacea Museumwhich tells the story of the unique religious community whocreated their own Garden of Eden in the centre of Bedford.

The event will provide BAFM members with an opportunity tomeet Lesley Jones, the Eastern Regional Coordinator–Electwho is helping organize the day.

See these websites for details of how to get to the Museumsand car parking arrangements.

www.thehigginsbedford.org.ukwww.bunyanmeeting.co.uk/museumhttp://panaceatrust.org/the-panacea-museum

Provisional Programme11.00 Arrival, tea and coffee at The Higgins11.20 Welcome and introduction to The Higgins:

Tom Perrett, Head of Museum11.30 Keynote talk - speaker TBA12.00 First visit - The Higgins12.45 Lunch and networking 1.30 Second visit – Bunyan or Panacea2.45 Third visit – Panacea or Bunyan 3.45 Q&A with panel at The Higgins4.15 Wash up and further time at The Higgins –

closes at 5.00 pm

Please contact the coordinator Alan Swerdlow at 01394 380044 or [email protected] for furtherinformation and booking forms.

BLISTS HILL VICTORIAN TOWN RECEIVES GOLD VISITENGLAND ACCOLADEIronbridge Gorge MuseumsBlists Hill Victorian Town, one ofShropshire’s 10 Ironbridge GorgeMuseums where life over 100 yearsago is recreated, has received thehighest Gold accolade fromVisitEngland in recognition of thequality of its visitor experience for thesecond year in succession.

The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust isalso celebrating its own goldenanniversary this year having beenfounded 50 years ago in 1967.

Introduced by VisitEngland in 2014,the accolades are only available toattractions which are members of the

Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme. Theyare allocated through a scoring systembased on an annual and unannouncedassessment by VisitEngland andhighlight elements that matter mostto visitors.

The scheme recognises attractionsthat go the extra mile to create anenjoyable and memorable experience.There are five categories includingWelcome, Hidden Gem, Best ToldStory, Quality Food & Drink and Goldfor top-scoring attractions.

Delighted with the accolade, PaulGossage, Director of Engagement at

the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust,commented: “The staff, trustees andvolunteers are all thrilled that our hardwork has been recognised with asecond VisitEngland Gold accolade.This is especially welcome in 2017 aswe celebrate our 50th GoldenAnniversary year.”

The Ironbridge Gorge Museums arespread across six square miles of theIronbridge Gorge World Heritage Site;together they attract over half amillion visitors annually. For moredetails visit www.ironbridge.org.uk.

This article is based on the recording of an interview ofEileen and Beatrice Law by Jennifer Parker in March 20061

We lived in the east end of London at 12 Agate Street,East Ham, near the Royal Albert and Royal Victoriadocks. There were four of us children: Alf was about 14,Eileen was about 10, Beat was about 8 and Jimmyabout 6.

We had a terrace house: you went in through the frontdoor there was a front room on the right and apassageway to the stairs and a back room: through theback room to the kitchen which was like a scullery andthrough the back door and out into the yard, wherethere was a place which we called the wash house witha big boiler and a bath on a trestle thing. Inside thehouse, Mum had the back room and we shared the frontroom with Gran. Upstairs there were three more rooms;Mr and Mrs Wilson lived in the front room with their sonand in the back room there was an oldish couple – to uschildren they were old but they might not have been.The toilet was outside in the yard and we had to share itwith the people upstairs. I think it was rented from alandlord who used to come round for the rent.

In London all the houses had two or three families inthem. Next door there were a load of crooks. We had ahutch with some rabbits in and I used to sit on the topof it and look over into next door’s yard and, on aSunday morning, they were sitting there gambling. Theyhad a pigeon loft and all of a sudden you would hearthis noise and whoosh – cards gone, table gone up intothe loft and they’d be sitting there drinking a pint whenthe coppers came running in to see if there was anygambling going on. They asked me once if I had seenanything and I acted a bit daft and said “No” and whenthey asked what the men were doing I said “Drinkingbeer”.

Evacuation to Bushey

We came to Bushey when I (Eileen) was 10 soon afterthe beginning of the 1939-45 war. When the bomberscame over in September 1940 the bombing washorrendous. We never went to bed – just went to theback door and waited for the siren and then we wentdown to the shelter. I can remember standing by thedoor and saying “Mum can we go away from here?” andhere replying:“I don’t know love, but it’s going to be allright.” She was very calm so I didn’t feel too frightenedbecause I thought Mum’s here and she wouldn’t panic.

They bombed the docks: all our houses were blastedand the school at the end of the road, South Hallsville,was badly damaged and a lot of people sheltering in the

school were killed.2 The night sky was red and even afterall these years I cannot stand a red sunset because itbrings it back to me. It was as if the sky was bearingdown on us and we could almost feel it. It took us along time to get over it; when jets started flying over Iwanted to duck and today if I hear an engine stall Iwant to duck; it’s still in the back of your mind.

Our house wasn’t flattened but it was badly blasted andthe doors, windows and floorboards had all gone. All wehad was what we stood up in.

The next morning they brought us all out in buses, wecouldn’t bring anything with us. When we were on thebuses we’d be asking “Where are we going Mum?” Shewould say “It’ll be all right – it’ll be nice you’ll see.”

They took us to a place called Chingford Mount. Westayed in the school for about a week and then it washit by an incendiary bomb and so we were put on thebuses again and brought to Watford. We were taken toEllams the printers on Walton Road. We had a medicaland were given food. A lady took off her coat and gaveme her cardigan because I hadn’t got a coat. We stayedthere for a day and then they took us round to try tobillet us in places around the area.

We went to a big house on Grange Road and the lady ofthe house said that she could take grandmother and me,because I was the eldest. The housekeeper came inwearing a black dress – I can see her now – and shelooked up and down, and my gran up and down, and shesaid: “Come to the kitchen.” I went to the kitchen andshe said: “You look a nice strong girl – you can scrubfloors can’t you?” Now that was the worst thing she couldhave said to my grandmother because my grandmotherwas true cockney, and I’m afraid my Gran told her in nouncertain terms what she could do with her house andwhat she could do with her scrubbing, and hergranddaughter wasn’t going to do that, so out we cameand the poor billeting officer – I don’t think he knew whathad hit him and so we were back together again.

Mum didn’t want us children to be separated from therest of the family so there was Mum, Dad, four childrenand my grandmother.

The families were kept together and those they couldn’tbillet were taken to Cox’s on the By-Pass where we weregiven a meal and sheltered for the night. Next morningwe were in the canteen and people from around thearea came and said we’ve got rooms and could take thisperson or that person, but they wanted to takeindividuals, or two girls or two boys, but they didn’t wantmum and dad as well. Dad said that we’d come through



EVACUEES – THE STORY OFTWO SISTERSFriends of Bushey Museum


this so far, you’re not going anywhere and you’re stayingwith us as a family. Mum was talking to Mrs Rogers whohad her family with her. She had four sons, her mum anddad, and she was looking after poor Tommy Smith, whomshe knew. His mother and three sisters were in the schoolthat got bombed; his mother and baby sister were killedand the two other sisters had disappeared, although theywere found later on.3 He was 10 like me and his fatherwas at sea. Mrs Rogers said that they were going to staytogether too.

Mrs Vasmer and her two daughters lived at Caldecote atBushey Heath. We called the daughters Miss Irene andMiss Dorothy, and I think it was Miss Irene who said tomum and dad that they couldn’t offer a cottage, but theyhad some stables which were brick-built, with a tack roomon the side and, if we wanted to stay together, we coulduse it until Bushey Council could house us. Mum said wewould go with them and Mrs Rogers asked if there wasroom for another family. Miss Irene said yes they couldtake another family and we went with them in cars toCaldecote, which was down Elstree Road. There wereseven of us in our family and seven with the Rogers familyand Tommy Smith.

There was a lodge gate and we went up a drive to abiggish mansion house – well we called it a mansionhouse. There was a cobbled yard and there were stablesthe other side. The people who had most to do with uswere Miss Irene and Miss Dorothy; there was a littlehousekeeper there and she used to give us a pie now andagain, which was very nice.

I think we stayed there about seven month because wehad a Christmas there. Whenever I see a crib at ChristmasI think of this because our stable was a proper stable witha manger and Mrs Rogers put her youngest son in there,but he wouldn’t stay put. They gave us mattresses on thefloor – they gave us what they called pailasses. Therewere two corner stalls and four open stalls. We were inone corner stall and Mrs Rogers and her family were downthe other end which was warmer. Gran stayed in the tackroom – she slept on a chair thing. Granddad wasn’t withus then. He’d got lost and didn’t get on the bus. Aunt Lizfound him: I don’t know if she found him wanderingaround or sitting in the house on his own. Anyway shetook him hop picking. When he finally came back to usAunt Liz and Uncle Jim and their two children came too,there were about nineteen of us in the stables. Our namewas Knight, Aunt Liz and Uncle Jim’s name was Kemp,Gran and Granddad’s name was Biggerton and there wasalso Rogers and Smith all in the stable at Caldecote. Justafter Christmas Granddad died of pneumonia in the tackroom. He lay on a table with a marble top and Gran hadthese candles put round it and she sat there night andday for three nights until the undertakers came and tookhim away and we kids couldn’t go into the tack room.

There was a fire or range or something in the tack roomand mum and Mrs Rogers, who got on very well, did thecooking for the group. We ate in the tack room. There wasa brazier in the middle of the main room.

They really did look after us there, as best they could. A

chap came and took some photographs of the poorpeople, who had got nothing, evacuated and living in astable at Christmas. They put a Christmas pudding on atable and all the children sat round. Then they tookphotographs of us lying on the floor, which is where weused to sleep. We thought it was hilarious but I can’tremember who took the pictures.

We only ever had a basin and a strip wash because wedidn’t have a bath. Once a week we had a hair wash: itwas the girls first, then out came the watering can andthen the boys – everybody was in stitches.

We used to help the gatekeeper, as we called him togather up all the leaves and when the pond froze over hetook us on it. We’d never had anything like it. We’d neverseen the country and I’d never seen a cow except in apicture. When they came to be milked everyone flew –they frightened the life out of the lot of us because theylooked so enormous. Imagine what it was like to a ten-year-old who had never seen one. But we had some fun.

Then Miss Dorothy got married – none of us kids liked himvery much. He was middle class and wore jodhpurs andwe were lower class. He used to come round and askwhat are you children doing, where are you going, whereare the boys going? We felt here comes sourpuss and weused to scatter. Miss Dorothy had a beautiful wedding.

The Council rehoused us the day Miss Dorothy marriedand we were given a cottage on Highfield Road.

What was it like for us children to be evacuated? I think itwas just such a shock that I don’t think we took it inproperly – it happened so quickly and then it became anadventure to a certain extent because we had never beenanywhere. We’d only ever been in London. Mum and Dadhad been through the 1914-18 war. They wanted to keepus together, and they tried to keep everything as normalas possible. Being children we looked at everything as anadventure, something new, something different. It was anew world and we loved the freedom of it, and having ourown space after living in such crowded conditions before.We weren’t lonely because we were a big family and wewere always together.

Notes

1 – The two sister married two brothers and consequently shared the same surname

2 – On 10 September 1940, local residents had taken shelter in the basement of the school when it received a direct hit, and the school was reduced to a pile of rubble. Although the official casualty figure was 77 dead, many years later it was revealed that the figure was much higher, making it the worst civilian tragedy of the war. http://www.eastlondon history.co.uk/second-world-war-bombing-raid-south- hallsville-school/

3 – Tommy was re-united with his sisters after their photograph appeared in a national newspaper.



Last November we were advisedthat a portrait of Hubert vonHerkomer by his cousin, HermanGustave Herkomer, was to be soldby Christie’s Fine Art Auctioneers intheir Victorian, Pre-Raphaelite &British Impressionist Art sale on 14December. When we heard it was athree-quarter-length oil on canvasportrait of Herkomer wearing hisSlade Professor’s gown werecognised the painting which wasfeatured in Lee MacCormickEdwards’ book, Herkomer: AVictorian Artist. It was being sold bya San Francisco museum and hadbeen in America since 1915.Herman Gustave Herkomer wasborn in Cleveland Ohio in 1863studying in New York and Munich. In1881 he joined his older cousin inBushey. Hubert was of great

assistance toHerman giving himpainting lessons,possibly by makingcopies of his ownworks. In 1882 thetwo cousins made avery successfulportrait painting tourof America. In 1885Hubert von Herkomerwas very pleased tobe appointed SladeProfessor of Fine Artat the University ofOxford, a post heheld until 1894. Hewas very proud tohold this post and nodoubt Herman wasproud to paint theportrait of his cousinand benefactor. Itwas exhibited at theRoyal AcademyLondon in 1887.

If you saw the recentTV documentaryabout Christie’s youwill recall auctionsales involvinghundreds ofthousands of poundsand even millions ofpounds lightlytripping off thetongue of theirChairman. Way out

of our league. However, we werereassured by the estimate of apossible sale price of £8,000-£12,000. Our joint art curators, PatWoollard and John Gerry viewed thepainting and decided we would doour best to secure a sale. John Gerrymade a grant application to the ArtFund and the A.C.E. V&A Fundtowards the cost of the sale andbearing in mind that 14 Decemberwas rapidly approaching we werepleased to hear that they hadagreed to part fund our offer. TheTrustees of the Friends and theMuseum jointly agreed to fund thebid up to £13,000 to secure thisimportant painting for the Museum.Those regular viewers of ‘Flog It’ willknow the mantra that when buyingat auction you have to factor in theauction fees. In the case of

Christie’s, this is 25% on thehammer price + VAT and in additionthe Herkomer painting incurred a5% import tax. Do the maths andyou will see we are talking about£3,000-£5,000 on top of thehammer price. We gulped,swallowed hard, and pressed onwith our plans. Twelve days beforethe sale John Gerry received aphone call from the National PortraitGallery to say they would be biddingat the auction. Gloom all around –what chance did little BusheyMuseum have against the mightyNational Portrait Gallery. Salvationcame in the form of a proposal fromthe National Portrait Gallery that wemake a joint bid. Their agent wouldbid on our behalf up to our ceiling,then would continue the bidding onbehalf of National Portrait Galleryand take it as far as they could bid.Whoever was successful, therewould be a mutual arrangement toshow the painting in Bushey orLondon. The Trustees agreed to thisproposal.

14 December arrived. Our paintingwas lot 44. Before this lot BurneJones drawings were selling at£10,000 apiece; preparatorysketches for his work The GoldenStair were of a similar price; anEdward Lear small watercolourlandscape went for £100,000. Wasthere any hope for Bushey Museum?The auctioneer immaculatelydressed in his Savile Row suit, withdiscreetly patterned silk tie clearedhis throat and with a nonchalantshrug of the shoulders announcedlot 44 saying ‘it must be worth£5,000’. We held our breath with theprice rising in £500s and then it wasall over. We got it for the hammerprice of £7,000. Celebratory cheersall round at the Museum when JohnGerry phoned the result. The nextday an email was received fromChristie’s to say that total sales fromthat day’s auction were £2.6 million!The painting will be on show in ourcurrent Portraits Exhibition. Ourgrateful thanks go to John Gerry forhis hard work in securing thepainting and dealing so efficientlywith the ‘big guns’ of the art world.

A NEW EXPERIENCE AND A NEW ACQUISITIONRita Castle, Chairman Friends of Bushey Museum




A LITERARY DINNERLyme Regis Museum

MUSIC HALL EVENINGSAT BLISTS HILLVICTORIAN TOWNIronbridge Gorge Museums

The Friends were delighted to welcome novelist Tracy Chevalier as guest ofhonour at their Literary Dinner, held in October as part of the Lyme Regis ArtsFestival. Tracy is a long-standing supporter of the Museum and, like Sir DavidAttenborough, is a Patron of the Friends. Outside of Lyme Regis she is probablybest known for her novel “Girl with a Pearl Earring”, inspired by the famousVermeer painting. More than five million copies have been sold world wide andit has been translated into eighteen languages, as well as being made into ahugely successful film.

Dinner guests were curious to understand the thought processes which tookher from 17th century Amsterdam to fossil hunting on West Dorset beaches!Nor did she let them down, keeping her audience enthralled as she explainedhow Mary Anning’s portrait in the County Museum roused her curiosity as tohow someone of such humble origins went on to become the greatest fossilhunter who ever lived. Curiosity thus roused, there followed two years ofintensive research leading to the production of her novel “RemarkableCreatures”, with Mary Anning as one of the two central characters. No wonderit has been said of Tracy that she makes history come alive!

In her book she was generous in acknowledging the help she had receivedfrom many people in and around our Museum, none more so than PaddyHowe, “fossil hunter extraordinaire, who gave me many fossils and took me tothe beach between Lyme Regis and Charmouth to find more, teaching me withpatience, intelligence and grace.” She was delighted, therefore, when Paddypresented her with a very special souvenir of a very special evening – a veryspecial fossil! It looked much like an ordinary stone of the kind to be found onthe beach any day - until it was opened up to reveal numerous fossils inside,small but beautifully formed….

More than £1100 was raised for Friends’ funds on this extraordinarily happyoccasion, made possible by Tracy’s continuing and generous support.

A series of nostalgic music hallevenings were held as part of theIronbridge Gorge Museums’ 50th

Anniversary celebrations, at BlistsHill Victorian Town, beginning onFriday, 24th March.

Taking place in the Forest GlenPavilion, the lively, themed eveningsincluded a two-course meal ofShropshire fidget pie, or avegetarian option of Leek & RedOnion Cobbler, followed by damsonbread and butter pudding and tea &coffee. This was followed byentertainment to watch and join,live from the piano.

Since its construction by the Pointonfamily in 1889, the Forest GlenRefreshment Pavilion has occupieda very special position in the localcommunity, formerly at the base ofShropshire’s famous Wrekin hill andsince moved, brick-by-brick to BlistsHill Victorian Town.

The Museum’s resident performersregaled the crowd with a host ofVictorian classic songs such as the‘Man on the Flying Trapeze’, ‘WhenFather Papered the Parlour’, ‘BoiledBeef and Carrots’ and the ever-popular ‘Do Like to Be Beside theSeaside’ and ‘Dilly-Dally on theWay’.

Everyone was invited to dress inVictorian costume for the evenings,so ladies dusted off their bustlesand crinolines and gents spruced uptheir top hats and tails, they madefor evenings to remember!

For further details, call Tel: 01952 433 424 or visitwww.ironbridge.org.uk. The Gorgeis easily reached via the M6 andM54 motorways exiting at Telford(M54 junction 4 or 6).

PATRONHRH The Duke of Gloucester, KG, GCVO

PRESIDENTDame Rosemary Butler

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REGIONAL CO-ORDINATOR WESTMIDLANDS (HEREFORD, SHROPSHIRE,WARWICKSHIRE, WORCESTERSHIRE)Jean Knight02086 [email protected] Selwood141a School Road, Brislington, Bristol. BS4 4LZ01179 77743507802 268821 [email protected]

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