Welcome to the 24 Hour Museum news in brief page for the week ending July 29 2007.
27.07.2007 – Beccles ancient timbers on view
Timbers from the Iron Age causeway discovered in marshes at Beccles, Suffolk, in 2006 are on show to the public for the first time this weekend.
Archaeologists will be on site at Beccles Town Marshes from 11am to 3pm on July 28 to guide visitors through the site where the timbers, dating back 2,000 years, were preserved.
27.07.2007 – Prehistoric cemetery discovered under Pictish monastery
While excavating the site of an ancient Pictish monastery in Easter Ross, Scotland, archaeologists from York University have discovered it was built upon a prehistoric cemetery and the revelation has cast a new light on the significance of the site.
The discovery of the three 5th-century graves underneath the medieval monastery – thought to have been founded by St Columba in 565AD – indicates that it had already been a sacred site for centuries.
All three graves were 6ft 6in long and over 3ft 3in deep – one had large slabs of sandstone on all four sides of the skeleton and a roof of slabs, another had a double jacket of slabs, while a third had no slabs and the skeleton had all but disappeared.
27.07.2007 - Titan tells story of the Clyde
A 100-year old Titan Crane – the oldest of its kind in the world – has opened to the public in Clydebank for the first time as part of the regeneration of the town.
It is the oldest of the five Titans on the Clyde and has been completely refurbished and restored at a cost of £3 million. Scottish Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell performed the opening ceremony.
The Titan was used in the fitting out of ships, including the big Cunard liners, and the Navy's battleships and battlecruisers. Along with John Brown shipyards, which were key to Britain's war effort, it survived the Clydebank Blitz in March 1941.
From the top, visitors will be able to see the sweeping views of Clydebank and Glasgow, the River Clyde and the surrounding countryside.
27.07.2007 - Roman coins declared Treasure in Wales
A huge Roman hoard of coins discovered between Chepstow and Newport in Wales has been declared Treasure.
Metal detectorist Brian Stephens and the landowner of the field where the coins were found are now waiting to hear how much the 599 silver denarii are worth in compensation, as the find will be passed on to the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff.
The hoard, dating from 54AD to 161AD, would have been worth two years’ pay for a Roman legionary. The coins are now being restored and cleaned before going on display.
27.07.2007 – Norwich Gallery to close
Following a review of Arts Council funding in the East of England, it looks like Norwich Gallery, run by Norwich School of Art and Design, will close, at least in its current role.
“Arts Council England, East has been working with Norwich School of Art & Design to review our partnership and refresh our priorities," said an Arts Council statement.
"Together with other stakeholders in the city, we have been exploring a range of ideas for delivering high quality visual arts to audiences in Norwich, building on the legacy of Norwich Gallery and taking into account all stakeholders capacity and resources.”
“Contemporary Art Norwich is one facet of this step-change, which we supported directly this year. This international and culturally diverse visual arts event aims to attract support and investment to run on a biennial basis."
26.07.2007 – Mary Rose sword on display for first time
A rare 16th century sword from Henry VII’s warship the Mary Rose has gone on display for the first time at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
The basket-hilted sword, which measures just over a metre, was recovered in September 1982, a month before the momentous lifting of the ship’s hull. It had fallen through a gun port as the ship sank and was buried beneath the hull.
It is a unique survival since every other metal-edged weapon was almost completely corroded in the water, leaving only wooden parts. The preserved sword has a handle of beech or alder, and an iron blade.
26.07.2007 – Rotherwas Ribbon – still uncovered
Campaigners wanting to gain protection and recognition for the Rotherwas Ribbon are angry that the council still has not put a polythene cover on the site despite the heavy rains.
Photo: Martin Wyness
Bill Bloxsome of Herefordshire Council’s conservation team said he had spoken to the site office at the ancient structure and they advised it was too wet to get machinery on site to cover the Ribbon. “It would cause far too much damage,” he said.
However, campaigner Martin Wyness believes that the first stages of road building are underway, with materials including geoflex already being put down. Earlier in the week he had been monitoring how waterlogged the site was getting – see photos on the campaign website: www.rotherwasribbon.com
Members of the Save the Dinedor Serpent campaign (another name for the Rotherwas Ribbon) have designated Friday July 27 as Serpent Day, when they will be lobbying councillors in Hereford (9.30am) and attending a public meeting at the Town Hall (7.30pm).
26.07.2007 - Rare ninth century brooch acquired for Ulster Museum
National Museums Northern Ireland have acquired an exceptional silver brooch dating from the ninth century, with the help of an Art Fund grant of £82,000.
The brooch was discovered in the ruins of Ballyvolan Fort in County Wicklow around 1900, and has until now been in an English private collection.
The Ballyvolan brooch is on loan to the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin while Ulster Museum undergoes a multi-million pound redevelopment.
25.07.07 - North East museums launch trails leading you to things you like
‘I like…big stuff’, ‘I like…the real thing’, ‘I like… doing things as a family’ - whatever you like North East museums are shouting loud and proud this summer that they have something for you.
Museum staff have developed leaflets and a website with trails highlighting things you might like and where they can be found in the region’s 80-plus museums.
Find a museum trail to suit you at www.ilikemuseums.com or pick up a leaflet from a museum.
The project is being funded and co-ordinated by the North East Regional Museums Hub and MLA North East through the Renaissance in the Regions programme.
Picture: I like... a place to think
25.07.07- Museum staff in Liverpool strike over pay dispute
Liverpool museums staff were set to stage a one day strike on July 25 over a pay offer union officials regard as inadequate as the city's Capital of Culture year in 2008 draws near.
250 employees from a total of 550 were said to be planning to walk out from the Walker Art Gallery, World Museum Liverpool, National Conservation Centre, Merseyside Maritime Museum, Sudley House and Lady Lever Art Gallery.
National Museums Liverpool (NML) intended to keep museums open during the day of industrial action, which follows an earlier day of action in May.
Museum staff involved in the dispute belong to two unions, Prospect and the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS). Union leaders contend a recent pay offer by NML of 1.8 per cent for 2007 with an additional 1.3 per cent for 2008 - less than half the rate of inflation.
NML say most staff will get at least 3.84% for 2007/8 - the 1.8% increase coming from central government, plus at least 2.04% in planned annual salary increments.
Another strike is planned for August 22.
24.07.2007 - Send a telegram with BT Heritage website
To celebrate 170 years since the inception of the ‘Victorian Internet’, BT has updated its communications heritage website, Connected Earth.
Website visitors can send a telegraph and find out about the birth of the electric telegraph with objects from the BT Archives and partner museums, and find out about special anniversary related events in the Telegraph section.
Charles Wheatstone and William Fothergill Cooke sent the first telegraph message between Euston and Camden Town on July 25, 1837. The next decades saw the growth of the revolutionary public telegram service, which performed a vital function in both World Wars.
24.07.2007 – National Trust members top 3.5m
At the launch of ‘Our future – join in’, the National Trust’s strategy to 2010 and beyond, the conservation charity’s director revealed that membership has hit 3.5 million.
Fiona Reynolds, the Trust’s Director-General, said in her speech on July 24 that the Trust will now seek a transformation in its relationship with its supporters, aiming to inspire and involve them more than ever in its work.
She outlined four areas that the Trust will concentrate on: the conservation of cultural heritage, appreciation of nature and wildlife, valuing local and seasonal food, and urgently addressing the challenges of climate change.
This year marks the centenary of the National Trust Act, when Parliament made it law that Trust properties may never be sold off except with the express consent of the legislature.
24.07.2007 - Tate St Ives Sunset Café
For the first time ever Tate St Ives café will be open for business in the evenings.
Launching on July 26, the café will stay open until 10pm on Thursday and Friday nights throughout the summer holidays and replace its daytime menu with delicious tapas from 7pm until 9pm.
The tapas will have both a local and international flavour with dishes ranging from 'devilled crab on toast' to 'cannellini beans with chorizo', which can now be enjoyed whilst watching the sun go down over Porthmeor Beach.
Tate St Ives members can also book an exclusive out-of-hours gallery tour from 6pm-7pm. Places are limited so book in advance to avoid disappointment.
24.07.2007 – Poole Museum £1.3m refurbishments complete
The £1.3 million refit project at Poole Museum, formerly known as the Waterfront Museum, is now complete.
The Museum has a new steel framed glass atrium with Purbeck stone floor and a terrace offering views over the harbour and old town.
24.07.2007 – Scottish Modernist buildings listed
The pioneering work of Scottish architect Peter Womersley has been recognised with Historic Scotland listing three of his buildings.
High Sunderland, the Rig and the Garlton Unit at Hermandflat Hospital have all been given statutory protection.
Womersley’s work is recognised across Europe for his use of concrete, glass and colour to create dramatic shapes that go beyond the purely functional.
High Sunderland is an example of this, marrying modernist design and warmth to create a family home for his friend the textile designer Bernat Klein.
24.07.2007 – Posthumous Afghanistan VC given to Aldershot Airborne Forces Museum
The widow of Corporal Bryan Budd has given his Victoria Cross to the Airborne Forces Museum in Aldershot, Hampshire. It was the first VC to be awarded posthumously since the Falklands War.
Budd, a paratrooper, was killed as he tried to save comrades in Helmand province in Afghanistan in 2006. His wife, Lorena Budd, herself a soldier, and two daughters, were given his medal, which honoured this and another act of bravery.
23.07.2007 - New Director announced for Science Museum in London
The Science Museum has announced the appointment of Prof Chris Rapley CBE as its new Director.
Prof Rapley is currently Director of the British Antarctic Survey where he has gained a reputation for visionary leadership, and where he has positioned BAS firmly in the international and national limelight as the worldwide centre of excellence in its field.
He is also well known as an expert in climate change science and as the architect of the International Polar Year 2007-2008.
Prof Rapley said: "I am thrilled at the prospect of taking on the leadership of such a cherished national institution, especially as the task I have been set is to make it the most admired museum in the world."
23.07.2007 - Our Heritage, Our Future - Heritage Lottery Fund reveals vision for future
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has set out the key elements of its future strategy in a new publication which outlines the organisation’s strategic framework from April 2008 to 2013.
The document also serves to reassure the sector that while competition for funds may increase, HLF will remain the biggest funder of heritage in the UK with £1.9billion to distribute over the next 12 years.
The document reveals that all main funding programmes will continue and HLF’s application and assessment process will be made simpler and quicker, with decisions given earlier in the development of projects and more help available to applicants.
“Over the past 12 years, HLF has radically transformed the UK’s heritage,” said Dame Liz Forgan, Chair of the HLF. “Over the next 12 years, a further investment from HLF of around £1.9 billion will continue to help us conserve and share our precious heritage now and for future generations.”
23.07.2007 – UK museums to help improve slave trade collections overseas
The Museum in Docklands is hosting a pioneering conference over July 23 and 24 looking at international co-operation to improve museum collections reflecting the transatlantic slave trade.
Sector leaders from Angola, the Bahamas, Barbados, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa have all come together at the MLA (Museums, Libraries and Archives) and UNESCO-sponsored event to hear about the exhibitions that British museums, galleries and archives have staged to mark the bicentenary of the abolition of the trade.
The overseas representatives are also spelling out the support they need to improve their own collections on the subject.
23.07.2007 - Jaume Plensa commission in St Helens to rival Angel of the North
Internationally renowned artist Jaume Plensa is to design a landmark new artwork in the North West that will give Gormley's Angel of the North a run for its money.
The commission is part of Channel 4's Big Art Project, and will see a sculpture with the working title 'Ex Terra Lucem' erected at the former Sutton Manor Colliery site in St Helens. The location is highly visible, being situated beside the busy M62 motorway between Manchester and Liverpool.
Jaume's most famous work is the Crown Fountain in the centre of Chicago, and his public artworks in the UK include a laser beam sculpture at Baltic in Gateshead. Ex Terra Lucem means 'out of the earth comes light' and the new work will aim to symbolise the positive post-industrial transformation of the area.
23.07.2007 - Scorpion goddess on show at Tutankhamun Exhibition, Dorset
For many years the Tutankhamun Exhibition has thrilled visitors with its superbly accurate reconstruction of Tutankhamun’s tomb and the exact recreations of Tutankhamun’s treasures.
Now a new treasure has been added to the collection and is on view to the public - an exquisite statue of Selkit, one of the four protective goddesses of the canopic shrine. She is identified as a scorpion.
The statue stands about one metre tall and depicts Selkit as a beautiful woman with the symbol of the scorpion on her head. She is standing with her arms outstretched in a protective manner.
Originally the statue would have been facing one side of the canopic shrine, with three other goddesses guarding the other sides. Inside the shrine were the four canopic jars containing the internal organs – the liver, lungs, stomach, and intestines - of Tutankhamun.
