Welcome to the 24 Hour Museum news in brief page for the week ending August 5 2007.
03.08.2007 - Hayward opens late to cope with demand for Gormley exhibition
The Hayward Gallery has announced that it will open until 10 pm daily for the last two weeks of the Antony Gormley: Blind Light exhibition in order to accommodate the large numbers of visitors to the show.
Special late night viewings will start on Monday August 6 until Sunday August 19, in response to what is the gallery's most visited exhibition of a living artist in its 39-year history. More than 150,000 people have visited since it opened on 17 May including a large family audience, with 7,000 children under the age of 12 visiting the show so far.
The exhibition features a series of new monumental works specially conceived for The Hayward’s distinctive gallery spaces with the centrepiece, Blind Light (2007), a luminous glass room filled with a dense cloud of mist.
03.08.2007 - Edinburgh Castle remembers Battle of Paschendale with special performance
The 90th anniversary of the WWI Battle of Paschendale, in which 325,000 Allied troops lost their lives, will be remembered at Edinburgh Castle on Saturday August 4 and Sunday August 5.
Two costumed interpreters 'The Jock and the General' will contrast the experience of an ordinary soldier who fought his way through the shelling and poisoned gas with that of a high ranking officer with a desk job at the castle.
Performances of The Jock and the General, which are included in the standard entry price, will take place at Edinburgh Castle at 11.00am, 12 noon, 1.30pm and 2.30pm on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 August 2007.
03.08.2007 - National Trust comes to aid of charity newspaper
The National Trust’s Peckover House in Wisbech has come to the rescue of local charity the Wisbech & District Talking Newspaper after the talk service’s previous premises faced an uncertain future.
The Queen Mary Centre in Wisbech, now a community centre, had been the home of the Wisbech & District talking newspaper service for over 15 years. However, the building, which has seen many changes is now being used for further educational purposes and the decision was made to look for premises elsewhere.
Offering its service for nearly 30 years, the Wisbech talking newspaper has been committed to providing those that are blind or visually impaired access to local news items and magazine articles.
Its new partnership with the National Trust came about by chance following a donation by the talk service of several hundred books to the property’s second hand bookshop. A commercial lease has since been signed and Wisbech & District talking newspaper have now set up their base in one of the upstairs meeting rooms of Peckover House.
03.08.2007 - De Morgan Centre hit by burglary
Thousands of pounds worth of exhibits have been stolen from the De Morgan Centre in Wandsworth after a burglary in the early hours of Sunday July 29.
Police arrived to find cabinets smashed and several valuable ceramics by William De Morgan, a key arts and crafts ceramicist and friend of William Morris, stolen.
A dragon and snake plate, a cherub vase, a fish charger, a galleon charger, a peacock plate and a fish and wave plate are among the items missing.
Anyone with any information is asked to call Wandsworth Police's burglary squad on 020 8247 8748 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
03.08.2007 - London Transport Museum organises free events for Be Safe Week
London Transport Museum will welcome families and young children to Covent Garden Piazza for a week of family fun based on a range of safer transport themes from August 6-10.
Organised in conjunction with Be Safe Week, highlights will include an interactive van fitted out as a working Underground station and practical demonstrations on road and river safety. On arrival at the Be Safe Week 'Passport Control', families will receive a special passport which can be exchanged for an activity pack after collecting stamps for each display scenario.
The events are suitable for children from 3-13 years old.
02.08.2007 – Keighley Bus Museum launches commercial service
Keighley Bus Museum Trust, West Yorkshire, is to run a service between Bolton Abbey railway station and the village car park on Sundays. Its first fare-paying operation (£1 adults, 50p children) will run in August and September.
The bus, which will leave every 45 minutes, connecting with the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway trains, is a 45-year-old Leyland Atlantean open-top double decker. The vintage vehicle is painted in the smart maroon and cream of the former Keighley Corporation Tramways Department.
02.08.2007 – Protection measures underway at Rotherwas Ribbon
Herefordshire Council has begun to implement protection measures at the Rotherwas Ribbon Bronze Age trackway.
Surface water built up during the recent floods has been pumped from the surrounding land and weatherproof layers are to be applied. This will consist of a geo-textile layer, sharp sand and capping material.
The site is being monitored by Worcestershire Historical Environmental and Archaeology Service while the council await a report from English Heritage on whether the site should be a scheduled ancient monument or not.
02.08.2007 – URBIS Hacienda exhibition in Second Life
Manchester's URBIS is not only showing its Hacienda exhibition in real life, but in the virtual world of Second Life as well.
Original artwork and artefacts are recreated in the Second Life version of the exhibition, with the added bonus of two virtual ‘club nights’ on the Manchester Island.
Second Life avatars will be able to step back in time on August 4 (5-10pm) and August 26 (10pm-3am) and walk through the Fac 51 doors to hear DJ sets recorded at Urbis in July.
Second Life is an internet environment when web users can create 'avatars', or characters, that they control through a virtual world, meeting and talking to other users and even buying and selling virtual plots of land.
02.08.2007 – London Fashion and Textile Museum to be redeveloped
The Fashion and Textile Museum (FTM) in Bermondsey, founded by Zandra Rhodes, is being redeveloped by Newham College as an up to the minute education, exhibition and visitor centre for contemporary fashion, textiles and jewellery.
The redevelopment of the centre is due for completion in November 2007 with the first public exhibition scheduled for February 2008.
New plans for the FTM include the creation of an Academy for Fashion, Textiles and Jewellery, putting the FTM firmly at the forefront of education and business support in the creative industries.
01.08.07 - Saxon bowl returns to Winchester
A Saxon bowl known as the Winchester hanging bowl has been returned to Winchester by the British Museum on a long term loan.
The bowl was found in 1930 at Oliver's Battery earthworks, near Winchester, in the grave of a Saxon man. The British Museum, which has held the bowl since its discovery, have now granted a Winchester City Council request for the treasure to be returned for the local population to enjoy.
01.08.2007 - Peterborough quarry dig unearths Bronze Age skeleton
Archaeologists digging at Bardon Aggregates's Pode Hole Farm quarry in Thorney near Peterborough have unearthed the remains of a Bronze Age skeleton.
The 3,500-year-old remains were uncovered during routine excavations at the site, which over the last seven years have unearthed several other Bronze Age finds - including spearheads and axes - although this is the first skeleton.
Archaeologists are now hopeful this latest discovery will lead to more burial remains, which in turn will reveal the ceremonial aspects of the Bronze Age people who lived in the Peterborough area.
01.08.2007 - Famous victory over the English celebrated at Crossraguel Abbey
Visitors to Crossraguel Abbey on Sunday August 5 will be transported back in time to meet a brave 15th century Carrick knight who’ll tell tales of his derring-do.
Sir Hew Kennedy of Ardstinchar Castle at Ballantrae will come to Crossraguel to share stories of his service to the King of France and his part in the great victory over the English at Bauges in 1421.
In addition to enlightening visitors of his colourful exploits, Sir Hew will be showing off his armour and demonstrating how the weapons of the period were put to effective and deadly use.
The performances at Crossraguel Abbey on August 5 will take place at 1.30pm, 2.15pm and 3.00pm, and are included in the normal admission price to the abbey.
31.07.2007 – National Museums of Wales celebrates icons
The 16 most iconic treasures from the National Museums of Wales are going on show in a celeb-packed television series on BBC Wales.
During the course of the five programmes Welsh personalities will learn more about items including Welsh lovespoons and St Teilo’s Church at St Fagans Museum.
Viewers will be invited to vote for their favourite icons, which will see one crowned the most treasured item in Wales. The programme is on at 7.30 on Tuesdays.
31.07.2007 – Ghost hunters to investigate Irvine Maritime Museum
Paranormal investigators are to spend the night at the Scottish Maritime Museum, Irvine, on August 3. The team of 20, led by psychic Gordon Hill, will be on the look out for spooky happenings and expect an interesting time given the long history of the harbour.
31.07.2007 – Applications called for Lowry commissions worth £60,000
Manchester’s Lowry gallery has announced a series of artist commissions worth £60,000 over three years.
The project, titled Transformations, will call for professional artists to create site specific works for the Promenade Gallery, overlooking the Manchester Ship Canal.
Entries are now being accepted for ideas that respond to the special situation of the Promenade. The first commission will be awarded in September, to be shown from April to July 2008. The judging panel includes twice Turner nominated artist Richard Wilson and former director of the South London Gallery, curator David Thorp.
Applications may be in any medium or material. The deadline is September 7 2007. See www.thelowry.com/transformations for more details.
31.07.2007 – Stornoway ironwork to go on show
The remarkably well maintained ironwork of Stornoway is to be the subject of an exhibition in 2008. A researcher from Historic Scotland is currently out and about photographing the best examples of decorative Victorian and Edwardian cast iron in preparation.
The capital of the Isle of Lewis retained much of its historic ironwork when other places lost it to the war effort.
31.07.2007 – Staffordshire crafts project gets Arts Council funding
Arts Council England has awarded £35,000 to Staffordshire Arts and Museum Service for a crafts project bringing local makers together with non-arts venues.
As part of Making Moves, craftspeople have spent residencies creating work in response to the environment. The Arts Council grant means the results will be toured to six non-arts venues in the county, allowing people to view contemporary crafts in places other than art galleries.
30.07.2007 - Time Team's Buckingham Palace results released
In August 2006, Channel 4's Time Team, along with Oxford Archaeology, carried out excavations at Buckingham Palace as part of the Queen's 80th birthday celebrations.
Five investigative trenches were made during the dig, which unearthed a multitude of evidence, including the remains of an 18th century canal built for the 1st Duke of Buckingham, mid-late 17th century pottery, and details of what is thought to be Civil War defences and the once formal gardens west of the Palace.
30.07.2007 – Gloucester museums tentatively re-open their doors
Gloucester’s City Museum and Folk Museum are hoping to re-open their doors to the public after as Severn Trent switch water supplies back on this week.
Museum staff plan to welcome back visitors from Tuesday July 31, but everyone will have to be vigilant as some pipes may have burst in the area, which could mean the museums have to close again.
30.07.2007 - Helmsley Castle hosts annual flat cap fly-by
Helmsley Castle in Yorkshire is hosting its third annual flat cap flinging contest this week.
Visitors have to throw their caps from the tee-off point to the target flag in as few flings as possible in the trial of strength, skill and accuracy. This year, the number of holes on the course has doubled to 18!
“With a fantastic site like Helmsley Castle,” said Visitor Operations Manager John Lax, “which has ditches, low walls and sculptures dotted around, we can make some of the ‘holes’ really quite challenging, even before you take into account wind factor and the occasional quirky flying cap.”
Bring your own equipment or borrow one of the Castle’s caps. The course will be set up until Sunday August 5 (10am-5pm).
30.07.2007 - English Heritage and CABE publish new advice on tall buildings
English Heritage and CABE, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, have published their new Guidance on Tall Buildings.
The document 'is capable of being a material consideration in the determination of planning applications', according to English Heritage, and emphasises the need for environmentally sustainable, high-quality design.
It also reflects the obligation for World Heritage Sites to have management plans, which will ideally include a policy framework to define and protect the local setting. The document says that tall buildings must address their effect on World Heritage Sites as part of the wider historic context.
30.07.2007 - Completion of Creswell Crags project marked with opening of new bridleway
Work to protect and conserve the Creswell Crags Iron Age cave art site in Derbyshire has been completed and marked with the opening of a £200,000 bridleway.
The trail was officially opened by conservationist David Bellamy. It replaced the old B6042 which ran through the crags and has transformed it into a trail giving riders, cyclists and walkers access to the ancient site.
Creating the trail included building scree banks along its 700m length to give a sense of what the gorge would have been like 10-50,000 years ago, rebuilding dry stone walls and reducing the appearance of the new limestone track so that it is in keeping with its surroundings.
Councillor Brian Lucas, Derbyshire County Council's cabinet member for environmental services, said: "We recognise the importance of preserving and enhancing such a unique archaeological site and great care was taken to build a bridleway in keeping with the natural surroundings of the Crags."
"The work to remove the road will help to preserve this historic site for future generations and allow visitors to see the Crags restored to their former glory." Photo Creswell Heritage Trust
30.07.2007 – Where did CUBE’s Takeaway Gardens go?
As part of Architecture week 2007, CUBE gave away free land and trees to the general public in a project called CUBE’s Takeaway Garden. More than 800 ‘gardens’ – bags containing turf, soil, wildflower seeds and a young tree – were taken away by city workers and shoppers as they were given out in front of the CUBE Gallery and in Manchester city centre.
Now CUBE is locating these gardens, and mapping their whereabouts on a map of the UK. To see where they went, go to Google Maps
The project aims to highlight the importance of living a greener existence, and to initiate individual action for global change. It has been devised and developed by artist Jason Minsky and landscape architects Taylor Young.
