Welcome to the 24 Hour Museum news in brief page for the week ending July 1 2007.
29.06.2007 - Public invited to archaeological dig in London
Local residents will be teaming up with archaeologists from the Museum of London and Southwark Council to discover more about their previous neighbours on the Aylesbury Estate, at Michael Faraday primary school on Saturday June 30 and Sunday July 1.
Until July 6 Museum of London archaeologists will be going back to school to see what hidden treasures lie buried beneath the playground at the primary school in Walworth, London.
The site has had many uses; it was a field in medieval times, workers cottages in the 18th century and finally became a school in Victorian times.
Archaeologists are calling on local residents, families or anybody keen to get their hands dirty, to come down to the open weekend and have a go at digging deep to try and uncover relics from the past. The digging experts will also be on hand to give guided tours of the site and talk about local history.
Those wishing to take part in the dig should book places through the Museum of London box office on 0870 444 3850. The event is free and takes place between 10am and 4pm each day.
29.06.2007 - Black Country Museum narrowboat stranded by floods
An historic narrowboat from the Black County Living Museum has become stranded in Northampton by heavy rain whilst on a tour of the Midlands.
The vintage steam-powered narrowboat was en route to a boating fair in Ely, Cambridgeshire, when it was was held up in Gayton this week after the swollen River Nene was closed to traffic.
Because the river is flooded the crew (who are all attired in Victorian costumes) are unable to get the boat under certain bridges and have to wait for the water level to drop. In the meantime they are steaming up and down the Grand Union Canal until water levels subside.
29.06.2007 - Tatton Park appeals to public to look for its old archives
Tatton Park in Cheshire, one of the most complete historic estates in the UK, has launched an appeal to the public to try and find historic documents to complete its own archives.
"We do know that many years ago important Tatton Park papers were saved from the fate of disposal by conscientious onlookers who understood that they had an historic value," said Caroline Schofield, Tatton Park Mansion Manager.
Some documents have since been returned to the collection but staff are keen to receive any archival material relating to the estate and the Egerton family whose ownership spans from 1598 to 1958 when Tatton was left to the National Trust.
"One simple document can solve long-standing mysteries about past occurences or illuminate the character of someone who died centuries ago," added Caroline.
Anyone who thinks they have archival material relating to the estate or Egertons can contact, or send documents anonymously, to Caroline Schofield at Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 6QN or call 01625 374408.
29.06.2007 - Archaeologists uncover stone circle in Shetland Islands
Archaeologists taking part in a two-week dig on Foula in the Shetlands have uncovered an ancient stone circle.
Similar in construction to late Neolithic or Bronze Age stone circles, the archaeologists from the Bath and Camerton Archaeological Society (Bacas) have yet to date the construction, which is aligned to the midwinter sunrise.
28.06.2007 - Gallery to mark 10th anniversary of Hong Kong handover
The Chinese Art Centre in Manchester is launching its Hong Kong 10th Anniversary Show on June 30 to mark 10 years since the former British protectorate was handed back to the Chinese.
The Pivotal Decade: Hong Kong Art 1997-2007 runs until September 23 2007 and aims to raise awareness of the distinct artistic identity of Hong Kong's post-colonial era, featuring young artists from the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Fine Art Department.
It tells the story of the first decade under Chinese rule and includes painting, sculpture, photography and installation.
28.06.2007 - Bowes Museum all set for Teesdale Brass Band Contest
The grounds of the Bowes Museum at Barnard Castle in County Durham are once again hosting the Teesdale Brass Band Contest on Sunday July 1.
The competition is now in its 19th year and attracted around 2,000 brass band enthusiasts last year. Competing bands this year include Middleton and Teesdale, Barnard Castle Youth, Craghead Colliery, Hartlepool Youth and Community, Pittington Brass, Penrith, Leyburn and Dunston Silver.
Last year's winners of the Teesdale Mercury Championship Cup, Stanhope Silver Band, will be battling it out to retain their titile, while Houghton Area Youth Band will be hoping to add to the silverware they scooped in the youth section.
28.06.2007 - Tate Britain's Art Now project to move to heart of the gallery
Tate Britain's Art Now programme of new art is moving to a new location in the heart of the gallery.
Its larger, more prominent space next to the Sackler Octagon at the centre of the Duveen galleries will display a variety of new art, highlighting developments in contemporary British art.
The 2007 Art Now season runs from June 30 to October 14, with Goshka Macuga the first artist to be showcased. Works in the gallery will regularly change and there will also be new film, video and performance works.
28.06.2007 - Ruskin Museum gets anonymous £10k donation to its Bluebird campaign
An anonymous donor has given £10,000 to the Ruskin Museum and Institute Trust to help it build a new extension to house Donald Campbell's Bluebird, which was salvaged from Lake Coniston in 2001.
The museum was given £250,000 by regeneration group Cumbria Vision earlier this year on the condition that it raises the remaining £500,000 by September to fund the extension.
Bluebird K7 is currently being restored by a team led by Bill Smith, who recovered the boat, which has been recently helped by the addition to the team of Alan Dodds, a panel beater who worked on the boat back in 1955.
28.06.2007 - Museum of East Anglian Life kicks off annual beer festival
The Museum of East Anglian Life has teamed up with CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, to launch its 11th annual Stowmarket Festival of Beer and Brewing.
The event runs until July 2 and visitors will have the chance to sample up to 60 East Anglian real ales and a variety of ciders and takes place in the museum's 14th century Abbots Hall barn.
Museum director Tony Butler says that the museum is the ideal venue for a beer festival: "Stowmarket has a long history of brewing," he said. "There are former hop beds on the museum site near to the Rattlesden river. Although there is no longer a brewery in the town, companies like Muntons have helped the town retain its malting traditions."
27.06.2007 - Online nighthawking survey launched
Oxford Archaeology have launched an online survey to bring together information on nighthawking (the illegal use of a metal detector to find and remove antiquities from the ground, often for selling on).
Nighthawking damages sites and finds go unrecorded, meaning that archaeological information is lost. It also tarnishes the reputation of responsible metal detectorists, who report their finds to the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
To draw together data on the scale of nighthawking, Oxford Archaeology, on behalf of English Heritage and with the support of other heritage organisations, are calling for anyone with any information to take part in the online survey.
Archaeologists, landowners and any members of the public who have any knowledge of nighthawking incidents can help by going to the questionnaire at http://nighthawking.thehumanjourney.net. Any data offered is confidential.
27.06.2007 - Archaeologists excavate Iron Age roundhouses in Scotland
Archaeologists are leading a community project to excavate Iron Age roundhouses in North Uist which were revealed during storms in 2005.
There appear to be two roundhouses at the site at Baile Sear, believed to be about 2,000 years old.
26.06.2007 – Help to save William Morris Gallery with Facebook and Flickr
Supporters of the William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow, which faces closure due to funding cuts, have set up their own pages on the social networking sites Facebook and Flickr to help their campaign.
You can help the campaign by becoming a member of the Save William Morris Gallery group on Facebook, and related images can be posted on Flickr at www.flickr.com/groups/keepourmuseumsopen.
26.06.2007 – Public to create artwork from 1.2-tonne piece of opal
A mass sculpt is to take place at Newby Hall near Ripon, North Yorkshire this summer as visitors are invited to take part in the creation of a large artwork made from opal.
The sculpture will be chipped away from a 1.2-tonne lump of opal flown in from Zimbabwe, forming the centrepiece of an exhibition of works by Zimbabwean artists.
Two sculptors, Dudzai Mushawepwere and Matthew Nakhawale will travel from Zimbabwe to oversee the work, create their own pieces on the site and lead workshops with school groups. The exhibition runs from June 30 until September 9 2007.
26.06.2007 - UNESCO backs Tower of London and Westminster World Heritage Sites
The World Heritage Committee has decided not to place London’s Tower and Westminster World Heritage Sites on the List of World Heritage in Danger but has instead asked for a further report next year.
Since 2006 UNESCO has been concerned that the Tower of London and Westminster World Heritage Sites were threatened by the impact of new developments in the vicinity of both sites.
They now seem to have accepted the overall state of conservation and the Government's plan for protection of the sites and the delivery of strong Management Plans for the preservation of their outstanding universal value.
"This is good news for all those involved in the conservation and management of these unique places and recognises the efforts of all concerned who have worked intensively to meet UNESCO’s concerns," said Culture Minister David Lammy.
“We will continue to look closely at ways to further strengthen protections for our World Heritage Sites and their settings, building on proposals set out earlier this year in ‘Heritage Protection for the 21st Century’, and will be reporting our progress to the World Heritage Committee next year”.
26.06.2007 – Tessa Jowell announces 87 per cent rise in museum visitors
The number of visits to museums and galleries has risen from 24 million annually in 1997-98 to 39 million in 2006, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has announced.
And in the last five years, since the policy of free admission was introduced, numbers visiting formerly charging museums have risen 87 per cent, a DCMS study shows.
“The outstanding success of this policy shows that our investment in excellence has paid off,” said the Minister, “and opened up our world-class collections to people, regardless of their income or background.”
“These figures also give lie to those who say there is no appetite for ‘serious culture’ – once you sweep away the barrier of entrance charges, the public will come. And come in their millions.”
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport allocates £40 million per year to make free entry viable.
Archaeologists carrying out investigations at a Cambridgeshire school were impressed to find that the history department had been holding on to an important collection of medieval tiles.
Abbey College in Ramsey stands on the site of an ancient Benedictine abbey, and over the years students had found the tiles, which were deposited in the history department. Their true importance was only discovered when the history teacher showed them to county archaeologists looking at the site before the construction of a new science block.
The tiles are thought to date from the 13th and 14th centuries.
25.06.2007 - Compton Verney acquires 'warts and all' Cromwell portrait
Compton Verney Art Gallery in Warwickshire has acquired an iconic contemporary portrait of Oliver Cromwell for its British Portraits collection.
Widely considered to be the definitive portrait of Oliver Cromwell, the miniature is the portrait from which almost all later renditions of Cromwell derive and the image which has, to this day, defined our vision of this crucial figure in British history.
Painted in 1657, a year before Cromwell died, the powerful, 'warts and all' miniature shows Cromwell (1599-1658) - Lord Protector of Britain since 1653 - looking strong and purposeful. The artist Samuel Cooper (1609-1672), was arguably the greatest British-born portrait artist of the 17th century - and a fitting match for the subject.
The miniature will be on view at Compton Verney from Tuesday August 7.
25.06.2007 - Cockersand Abbey saved by £80,000 grant
An ancient monument marking the spot of one of Lancashire's most influential monastic abbeys of the Middle Ages is to be preserved thanks to an £80,000 grant from English Heritage.
The octagonal chapter house is the final standing remains of the 13th century Cockersand Abbey, owned by the Premonstratensian Order. At the height of its power the French order owned more than 35,000 acres of land in three counties. The grant will go towards the preservation of the important structure.
Cockersand Abbey and the surrounding land is owned by farmer Dennis Kellet and his two sons. Dennis, a historic buildings enthusiast, regularly arranges Heritage Open Days for study groups and school pupils to marvel at the intricate floral carvings dating back to medieval times inside the chapter house.
Restoration work will begin on the Grade I listed building, which is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument, in Spring 2008.
25.06.2007 - MLA applauds Caring for Collections recommendations
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) has welcomed the recomendations of the Caring for Collections Select Committee, particularly its support for the Renaissance in the Regions programme for investment and development in regional museums.
Chris Batt,Chief Executive of MLA said: "This report could not have come at a better time. The recommendations support our vision for museums, libraries and archives. More importantly the report's comments on funding are a clear signal that our campaign for full funding for Renaissance and archives is the right approach."
As well as continuing to champion Renaissance, MLA will act on other recommendations such as investment in archives and support for the Acceptance in Lieu scheme for getting cultural treasures into public collections in the UK.
25.06.2007 - Royal Yacht Bluebottle returns to the Maritime Museum's pontoon
Having been returned to the water last week, the Royal yacht, Bluebottle, has returned to the Pontoon at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.
Built in 1948, the keelboat designed for cruising or racing was presented to HM the Queen and HRH Prince Philip as a wedding gift by the Island Sailing Club of Cowes, Isle of Wight.
In 2002, she was donated to the National Maritime Museum Cornwall where she still remains on the water for occasional sailing trips. Now after a refit visitors will be able to catch sight of the Royal yacht moored on the Maritime Museum’s pontoon or sailing around Falmouth bay.
25.06.2007 - Top modern British art up for sale to help National Trust Erddig
A major selling exhibition of original works by the greatest names of British modern art, including Gilbert and George, Sandra Blow, Antony Gormley and Bridget Riley will open at Erddig in Wrexham, Wales on June 30.
The pieces of modern art range in price from around £1,000 to £100,000 and it is hoped people will take the opportunity to snap up bargains by some of today’s most famous modern artists.
All works are for sale with a percentage of the proceeds benefiting the National Trust. Pieces include Damien Hirst’s Ethidium Bromide Aqueous Solution, Francis Bacon’s Study for a Portrait of John Edwards, Henry Moore’s Mother and Child, David Hockney’s The Church Tower and the Clock and Lucian Freud’s Head of a Woman.
