Welcome to the 24 Hour Museum news in brief page for the week ending December 16 2007.

14.12.2007 - Work completed on Cardiff Castle's historic Banqueting Hall

Cardiff Castle's largest and most impressive room, the Banqueting Hall, is ready to re-open after undergoing a period of major conservation work.

The Hall, which in the past has been described as "the most prestigious room in Wales", has been undergoing extensive work since the beginning of the year as part of a major restoration programme on the castle being carried out by Cardiff Council, with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Cadw.

It is one of seventeen principle interiors designed by the architect William Burges in the 19th Century.

"Some of the most prestigious events in Wales have taken place in the Banqueting Hall involving heads of state, royalty as well as many other important gatherings," said Councillor Nigel Howells, Executive Member for Sport Leisure and Culture.

"The Banqueting Hall is now more impressive than ever and we hope that the people of Cardiff and Wales as well as our international visitors will come and see it for themselves."

The HLF has committed over £5.7 million towards the conservation of the castle so it can be enjoyed by future generations. Conservation work to all the castle interiors is costing £1.5 million will be completed by the summer of 2008.

14.12.2007 - Colchester Museums hit the road

Colchester Museums are to launch a project that will take collections out to hard to reach audiences and communities in a creative and innovative way.

Museum to Go is Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service’s van based, community focused mobile museum - made possible by £100,000 of external funding from the Designation Challenge Fund Phase 4.

"It is a fun, innovative, exciting resource that seeks to engage non-museum users with a surprising experience of their past," said Museum to Go project officer Caroline Mc Donald. "It aims to be the opposite of a traditional museum experience and to shatter preconceptions."

On board the museum will be objects that showcase the environment, life and people of Essex, telling their stories from the prehistoric to modern period. The museum will be supported by lots of activities and things to touch, see, smell, play, discover and question.

13.12.2007 – Heaton Hall to undergo restoration

Manchester City Council is to draw up bid for Heritage Lottery Fund cash for the restoration of part of Heaton Hall, 40 years after it was gutted by fire.

The west wing of the grand building, set in the grounds of Heaton Park, was badly damaged after a blaze in the 1960s, but now its former kitchen and servants’ quarters could be refurbished. However, its use has not yet been decided, and the council is asking the public for their ideas.

One suggestion is for the wing to be restored to its original appearance to serve as a record of historical building techniques. Others have suggested it be remodelled as meeting and community rooms and a gallery.

Planning is in the very early stages, so send your ideas by February 29 2008 to heatonpark.trust@ntlworld.com.

13.12.2007 - Archaeologists turn up writing slates and boots at Huntingdon excavation

Excavations in Huntingdon town centre have turned up some unusual objects including a writing slate, tiles, boots and even toothbrushes. Archaeologists working at the site, which is known as Dilley’s Yard, before it is re-developed and they are now appealing for information from anyone who knows anything about the area.

There is already some information about William Clark, a hairdresser, who lived there in the 1890s, but if you know any other information about the history of the site, off Prince’s Street in the town centre, contact site developers Clegg’s on 01954 273333.

12.12.2007 - British Library acquires Harold Pinter archive

The archive of Britain's leading playwright and writer, the 2005 Literature Nobel Laureate, Harold Pinter, has been acquired by the British Library.

Comprising more than 150 boxes of manuscripts, scrapbooks, letters, photographs, programmes, and emails, the archive offers an invaluable resource for researchers and scholars of Pinter's work for stage, cinema, and poetry.

The entire archive has been purchased for the nation for £1.1million with the aid of a grant of £216,000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) and generous grants from Dr Alice Griffin, American Trust for the British Library, Michael Marks Charitable Trust, other private trusts and donors in addition to British Library funds.

12.12.2007 - Youngsters design new gargoyles for Bodleian Library

A competition run by the Bodleian Library in Oxford has resulted in a series of innovative new designs for gargoyles to replace the ones that have crumbled away from the historic library's north west face.

Nine designs for new gargoyles have been produced by young artists aged 14 or below who entered Oxford University's Millennium, Myths and Monsters competition. Ideas range from a dodo and a green man to Aslan the lion and Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

A stonemason will turn the designs into stone gargoyles by autumn next year.

11.12.2007 - York archaeologists in drive to save Europe’s threatened archaeology.

Archaeologists at the University of York are to play a pivotal role in a new European project to improve the study and practice of archaeology – and help to protect historic artefacts from destruction.

Working with institutions in ten other EU countries, staff from the University’s Department of Archaeology are setting out to reinvent how archaeologists across Europe interact with each other, share information, and communicate the importance of their work to the public.

The new project, Archaeology in Contemporary Europe (ACE), is conceived as a response to the increasing importance of this so-called ‘rescue archaeology’.

The University of York’s Archaeology Data Service will provide a central hub for networking among European archaeologists, identifying key differences between how the science is practised in different regions, and paving the way for future EU-wide collaborations.

11.12.2007 - Blue Plaque for sculptor Gilbert Bayes

Sculptor Gilbert Bayes (1872 - 1953) has been commemorated with an English Heritage Blue Plaque at 4 Greville Place, St John's Wood, NW6, where he lived for more than 20 years, from 1931 until his death in 1953.

By the 1920s, Bayes's professional standing as a sculptor was well-established, and he become a key member of the Art Workers' Guild, serving as Master in 1925. He also developed a close connection with master ceramics manufacturer, Doulton.

His many architectural commissions included the frieze of the Saville Theatre, Shaftsebury Avenue (1931), and the relief outside Lord's cricket ground (1934).

10.12.2007 - HLF grants £500,000 for public to protect Sherwood Forest

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded a grant of £500,000 to the Sherwood Forest Trust to get the public involved in protecting the forest for the future, and finding out about its past.

The Trust will use the money to get people across Nottinghamshire involved in the forest’s restoration and creation of new habitats for wildlife. It will begin a five-year programme to tell the story of the forest through exhibitions, a website and publications, and get schools and local groups on site visits.

“This is an exciting opportunity for people who may not have even visited the forest before to find out about the heritage on our doorstep and take part in protecting this world famous landscape,” said Emma Sayer, HLF Regional Manager.

“The huge range of activities planned means that everyone from young to old will be able to learn about the fascinating long history of the forest, aside from tales of Robin Hood, and how important it is to the place where they live.”

The grant comes just before the announcement of the People’s Millions award of £50 million from the Big Lottery Fund. The proposal ‘Sherwood Forest: a living legend’ is one of the four contenders (pictured).

10.12.2007 - Medal for Scottish archaeologist who discovered Roman coins

An archaeologist from Elgin has received a medal for his work in the Moray area.

Ian Keillar, with others, discovered a Roman site at the Birnie Dig, where two large hoards of coins were excavated.

The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland awarded him the Miss Dorothy Marshall medal at a ceremony in Edinburgh last week.