Welcome to the 24 Hour Museum news in brief page for the week ending September 2 2007. This page is updated every weekday.

31.08.2007 - Devon's largest open studios event set to attract thousands of art lovers

Almost 600 Devon artists will be showing their work in Devon Art Works, the largest open studios event ever staged in the county, expected to attract more than 35,000 art lovers over two weeks.

The artists will be exhibiting their works in studios, sheds, gardens, fields, village halls and farms between September 8 and 23, with works on show ranging from painting and sculpture to installations, digital art and performance works.

“Open studios are a fantastic way opportunity to see how art is made, talk to the artists and buy work directly from them,” said Nick Capaldi, South West Executive Director or Arts Council England, who are funding the event along with Devon County Council.

“Devon has a huge number of artists and this promises to be a successful event for the people who live here and for visitors to the area.”

31.08.2007 - Erddig lets visitors sneak behind closed doors

Have you ever visited a stately home and wished you could step across the barrier ropes and explore a bit further?

Visitors to Erddig, the 18th century National Trust property near Wrexham, will be able to do just that with the venue’s Secret Places trails, running from September 1-9.

Secret Places is a free adventure trail suitable for all ages, giving all paying visitors and Trust members the opportunity to visit or glimpses parts of the property that are normally off limits.

Secrets to be revealed include the Print Room, the cellar, the attic corridor, the clock house and even the Head Gardener’s front garden.

31.08.2007 - Ancient weaponry explained at Flag Fen

Flag Fen Bronze Age Centre near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, is organising an ancient weapons weekend, running on September 1 and 2.

There will be demonstrations of making the weapons our prehistoric ancestors used for hunting, including bows and arrows, darts and atl-atls (spear throwers).

Visitors will also be able to try their hands at archery and atl-atl throwing as well as making equipment. On the Sunday the International Spear Throwing Accuracy Competition and Primitive Archery Competition will take place.

"This is a great opportunity to learn everything about ancient weaponry that was used by prehistoric people to hunt for, as well as defend against, wild animals," said Mike Webber, Flag Fen's Learning Officer.

31.08.2007 - Museum's huge meteorite moves to new home

One of the largest meteorites in the world has been safely moved to its new home.

Known as Cranbourne 1, the 3.5 tonne meteorite was found in Victoria, Australia in 1854 and is the third largest ever to have been discovered on earth.

It took five hours to move it out of the Natural History Museum's Grade I listed Waterhouse building, down Exhibition Road and to its new home in the museum's Earth Today and Tomorrow Gallery.

It was being moved to make way for a new mineral gallery space due to open at the end of November 2007.

For the full story of the move and more about the meteor see the Natural History Museum's website.

30.08.2007 - Adopt a duck for 27a Access Artspace

On Sunday September 2, approximately 165,000 plastic ducks will be raced down a one-kilometre stretch of the River Thames.

In doing so, it will break a world record and raise around £500,000 for charities across the UK, including the Leicester-based disability art centre 27a Access Artspace.

You can get involved by adopting a duck for 27a for the price of £2.00 each. You will also stand a chance of winning a first prize of £10,000 or one of 30 other great prizes.

So become a record breaker, get involved today and raise money for 27a Access Artspace, which provides a wide range of visual and performing arts activities for people with learning disabilities, physical disabilties and mental health problems.

Either click on the following link, or if you live in Leicester you can drop by your £2.00 to the office at 27a Access Artspace, 27a Belvoir Street, Leicester, LE1 6SL (the deadline is Friday August 31 - so do it now!).

www.thegreatbritishduckrace.co.uk and click on ADOPT A DUCK

30.08.2007 - Temple Newsam reunited with its candlesticks

Temple Newsam House in Leeds has purchased four extraordinary early Rococo candlestands or 'torcheres' that were made especially for the house as a set of eight more than 250 years ago.

The torcheres left Temple Newsam in 1922 when the house and estate were sold in a seven day sale. Since 1939 Temple Newsam House has been working to retrieve all the furniture sold off from the Picture Gallery at the House, and in 1976 four of the eight torcheres were repatriated.

Now, thanks in part to a grant of £55,000 from the Art Fund, the complete set of eight torcheres can be seen together for the first time in almost 100 years. The total cost of the torcheres was £170,000.

Made by James and Ann Pascall – carvers, gilders and picture frame makers in the 1740s, the elaborately carved candlesticks refer to the story of a nymph called Syrinx who was transformed into a bunch of reeds to avoid the lecherous advances of Pan, who was pursuing her through the woods.

30.08.2007 - National Archaeology Week investigations re-date Sussex monument by 1,000 years

Archaeologists and volunteers carrying out geophysical and topgraphical investigations in East Sussex for National Archaeology Week have redated a burial mound to 1,000 years earlier than previously thought.

The burial mound, an English Heritge scheduled monument at Pashley Down, has been identified as a rare Neolithic oval burial mound rather than a Bronze Age double barrow.

Volunteers who helped archaeologists make the discovery during the national week of archaeology (July 14 - 22) were aged 10 to 70 and included several members of the Eastbourne Natural History and Archaeological Society.

29.08.2007 - Romans invade Torquay Museum

On the weekend of September 1 and 2 the Romans will once again be invading Devon when they set up camp in Torwood Gardens, Torquay.

Torquay Museum, which is currently hosting the exhibition Outpost of Empire: Romans in Devon, has invited one of Europe’s pre-eminent re-enactment groups to come to Torquay and take people back approximately 2,000 years in time.

The group, known as Legio Secvenda Avgvsta, will set up camp for the two day event with their displays encompassing the full range of military and civil life - artillery, engineers, mosaicists, aristocratic ladies, slaves, archers, sculptors, smiths, medical staff, painters and an unrivalled collection of full sized buildings, models, and archaeologically accurate military equipment, musical instruments and household artefacts.

Entry to the event is free.

29.08.2007 - Major grant for National Portrait Gallery

The National Portrait Gallery is to receive a government grant to help turn one of its oldest public rooms into a dynamic display space with new visitor facilities.

The DCMS/Wolfson Foundation Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund is to contribute £122,000 towards the new project for the much-loved Landing Gallery in the original 1896 part of the building.

As well as essential repairs and restoration a lift connection from the rest of the gallery will be installed, giving total access to all public areas for the first time and helping to reclaim the importance of the landing in the National Portrait Gallery's original design as a key display space.

28.08.2007 - Weekend event sees Oxburgh Hall relive two world wars

Oxburgh Hall will be turning back the clock on September 1 and 2 by revisiting the turbulent times of the First and Second World Wars with a living hsitory weekend.

The weekend will see re-enactors and enthusiasts dressed in a variety of First World War and Second World War period costumes - from civillians to Home Guard to the WVS (Women's Voluntary Service).

Oxburgh Hall was requisitioned during the Second World War, becoming the Officers’ Mess for the 4th Battalion of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers, who were stationed at the property for several months in 1940. It was also narrowly missed by a Zeppelin raid during World War One.

28.08.2007 - Major excavations to begin at Fort Charlotte in Lerwick

September sees the largest ever excavation at Fort Charlotte, one of Scotland’s most historic artillery fortresses, as work to support the cracking walls of the stone structure in Lerwick gets underway.

The fort's foundations date back to the 17th century when a stronghold was built on the site to protect shipping off Lerwick from one of Britain’s great enemies at the time – the Dutch. It was later abonded and burnt down when the Dutch landed in Lerwick in 1673.

As the work takes place Historic Scotland is organising a full programme of archaeological excavations across the affected area that they hope will reveal more about the original wooden fort.