Welcome to the 24 Hour Museum news in brief page for the week ending February 10 2008.
08.02.2008 - English Heritage reveals secrets of deserted village
The secrets of one of County Durham's long-disappeared medieval villages will be revealed when English Heritage experts take members of the public on a free guided walk next month.
The deserted medieval village of Ulnaby, 2km north-east of Piercebridge, is just one of more than 5,000 such sites in England, commonly thought to have been abandoned because of warfare, plague and greedy landlords.
But the latest archaeological research is beginning to show that far from being the result of a single event, the reasons these settlements died were much more complex and long drawn-out.
On Saturday March 8 at 2pm English Heritage archaeologist Catherine Grindey will be revealing to participants on the guided walk what she believes is the true story of the village's demise.
The tour will start at 2pm from Ulnaby Hall farm shop (OS map 93, grid ref: NZ226172). The ground is muddy and uneven in places, so appropriate footwear is recommended. Pre-booking is not necessary, but for further information phone 01904 601877.
08.02.2008 - Founder Member of the Tramway Museum Society dies aged 97
Henry Benjamin Priestley, a founder member of the Tramway Museum Society, died peacefully last week in a nursing home in Cheshire aged 97.
During his life Henry was a celebrated transport photographer and founding member of the TMS, the body which owns and operates the world renowned National Tramway Museum in Crich, Derbyshire.
Born in South Ossett in the West Riding during the reign of Kind Edward VII, Henry taught chemistry and physics before gaining an MA from London University. He went on to become headmaster at Brunts Grammar School in Mansfield from 1950 until 1975. He took thousands of photographs of trams and tramways which are now in the archives of the National Tramway Museum.
“His photographs are a visual document of towns and cities in the tramway era. He was a skilled photographer and the collection is a marvellous, virtually unknown, photographic record of Britain during the thirties, forties and fifties” said Curator Glynn Wilton.
“He would always aim to portray the tram in its social context. He was as fascinated by the intricate overhead wire and track as he was by the trams themselves and always included the people, shops and road traffic in the photographs.”
Henry last visited the Tramway Museum on 29th May 2005 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the TMS.
Pictured: Henry in 2005 at the 50th anniversary of the TMS with the current Chairman Colin Heaton
08.02.2008 - Archive and library professionals win business travel bursaries
Three aspiring leaders from the world museums, libraries and archives have won travel bursaries to learn from projects around the world and share best practice.
The recipients of the 2007-2008 Future Leaders Travel Bursaries award were announced on February 6 2008 by its joint funders, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and the British Council.
Tom Grosvenor of Birmingham Central Library will visit the National Museum of Photography, Royal Library, Copenhagen, to share best practice for collections care and management of photographic archives.
Julia Hale of Plymouth Central Library will visit the European Family Learning Network, Karjaa, Finland and Georgia Vossou from the City of Westminster Archives will travel to Japan to organise an exhibition on Britain’s cultural heritage and foster collaboration between organisations in the two countries.
“Our Future Leaders programme provides opportunities for aspiring leaders in the museums, libraries and archives sector to develop their leadership skills," said Chris Fardon, MLA Workforce Adviser. "The travel bursaries are designed to encourage those undertaking the MLA’s Future Leaders programmes develop a global awareness of their sector."
Wessex Archaeology has launched a new project that will investigate the effect of plant and animal life on nautical archaeological sites of the East Sussex coast.
Wrecks on the Seabed: Ecology will investigate whether archaeological information from wrecks can also provide information about the plants and animals that inhabit them. The research will also reveal the environmental processes at work and improve the management, conservation and monitoring of these heritage sites.
07.02.2008 - New Robert Burns Centre for South Ayrshire
A new museum building that will replace the existing ‘Tam O’Shanter Experience’ at Murdoch’s Lone in Ayr, Scotland has been given planning permission by members of South Ayrshire Council’s Regulatory Panel.
“The new museum will be somewhere that people of all ages, both locals and visitors to the area, can learn about Robert Burns in an exciting new environment," said Councillor Nan McFarlane, Chair of the Council’s Regulatory Panel.
"I am particularly pleased that this development will have the space to house many interesting and historically important items in a way that will preserve them for future generations. "
The ‘Tam O’Shanter Experience’ will be demolished and a new museum built on a portion of the existing car park and the remaining parking area landscaped. The new building will provide suitably heated, ventilated, safe and secure accommodation for a wide range of exhibits and will have four times the amount of space than the existing museum.
06.02.2008 – Tate Liverpool wins 2008 Lever Prize
Tate Liverpool has been awarded the 2008 Lever Prize, a major annual award worth £10,000 for world-class cultural organisations in the North West.
Inspired by the Bolton-born soap magnate, Lord Leverhulme, the prize aims to bring arts and business closer together and is judged by the North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT), in partnership with Culture Northwest and Arts & Business North West.
05.02.2008 - The National Trust's Pancake Race results are in
The competition was fierce at Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk with The National Trust’s Pancake Race.
In first place was Paul Massingham, Head Chef from Blickling Hall in Norfolk, who defended his title from last year to win the race.
In second place was Jamie Ward, Chef from Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk, who was a close second and put in a great effort.
In third place was Helen Decker, Catering & Functions Manager at Sutton Hoo, who did her bit as the Suffolk representative.
Darren Coxall and Vinnie King from Wimpole Hall were late applicants, but also put in a sterling effort.
Harold Wolstanholme, Catering Manager at Oxburgh Hall, then brought in the back of the field.
04.02.2008 - New curators join Tate Liverpool for Capital of Culture year
As Liverpool celebrates its year as European Capital of Culture 2008, Tate Liverpool has announced the appointment of two new international curators to its exhibitions team.
Peter Gorschlüter, formerly of the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, has taken up the position of Head of Exhibitions and Displays, joining Korean rising curatorial star Sook-Kyung Lee, who in October took up the position of Exhibition and Displays Curator.
"Their appointments strengthen the existing curatorial department and bring an international dimension to the artistic programme," said Tate Liverpool Director Christopher Grunenberg. "They each bring their own expertise and specialist knowledge, which we will look to draw on in future projects."
04.02.2008 - Young people invited to create art show at Town Hall Galleries Ipswich
Ipswich Borough Council’s Town Hall Galleries (THG) are looking for young artists show their work during the half term holidays.
Anybody under the age of 25 is invited to display their ideas and creative talents within the context of a major public art gallery.
THG are appealing for a broad range of artwork. Pieces can be in any medium, i.e. painting, sculpture, photography, fashion, audio, video. They can have been made at home, at school or as a result of another project, and may even be work in progress!
Anyone interested in getting involved is invited to bring work along to the gallery by 5pm on Saturday February 9. Work may be added to the exhibition throughout the week but please be aware that the exhibition closes 5pm, Friday February 15.
04.02.2008 - New Forth Bridge plan scuppered by heritage toilet?
Government plans to build a new road bridge over the Firth of Forth in Scotland have hit an unexpected snag - a historic toilet dating to the First World War.
According to reports in this weekend's Sunday Herald a latrine dating to 1916, together with a cell block, air raid shelter and naval barracks have been given protected listing status by Historic Scotland.
The site at Port Edgar was originally used to service torpedo boats and destroyers and then reused by the Royal Navy in the Second World War.
Listing of the rare and intact naval barracks, which is directly in the way of the proposed route of the new bridge, means that planning for the new structure and road routes to it may have to be re-thought.
Plans for the new bridge have been opposed by some local residents and pressure groups, and any application to demolish the historic strutures will now be subject to a rigorous application process.
