Welcome to the 24 Hour Museum news in brief page for the week ending March 23 2008.
20.03.2008 – £4.8m boost for Taunton Castle Museum of Somerset
The Heritage Lottery Fund has put £4.8m towards the refurbishment of the Museum of Somerset at Taunton Castle.
The £6.5m project will get underway when Somerset County Museum closes on April 19 and its collection goes into storage. Work will then start in autumn and the new museum at the 12th century castle will open in 2010.
20.03.2008 - Roman gate discovered in Colchester
Workers laying a new gas mains in Colchester have uncovered part of the city’s ancient Roman wall. Parts of the South Gate to Colchester were discovered in Queen Street.
Archaeologists monitoring the excavations have studied the gate remains, and say it looks like it was remodelled in medieval times.
It is the first time anyone has looked at the gate since its was pulled down in 1818 for road widening.
19.03.2008 - Red Cross and ethics lectures to accompany Body Worlds show
The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester is set to encourage some lively debate and discussion with the launch of a new lecture programme today.
The lectures are aimed at visitors to the Body Worlds 4 exhibition of real human bodies and are supported by the British Red Cross. They range from unique insights into the mechanics of saving a life, to debates on the ethics of displaying the dead, and stem cell research.
Tony Hill, Acting Director at MOSI said: “Body Worlds 4 is the type of exhibition which you want to talk about afterwards, so we developed a programme of events about issues surrounding the human body. Please do book your tickets now, as numbers will be limited.”
Bodyworlds 4 runs until June 29 and is the culmination of Dr Gunther von Hagens’ 30 year career in anatomy. See the museum website, www.mosi.org.uk for lecture details.
19.03.2008 - Shoreham WWII Aircraft Museum re-opens and celebrates 20th anniversary
Shoreham Aircraft Museum is to open its doors on Easter Sunday to begin celebrating its 20th birthday year.
The museum, in Shoreham Village High Street near Sevenoaks in Kent, is devoted to the memory of Second World War air crews and has been given a facelift. New exhibits such as a giant Herman bomb have been added.
The museum, will be open every Sunday from March 23 until October, and on bank holidays from 10am until 5pm.
18.03.2008 - The Lightbox wins architectural award for community design
Marks Barfield, the architects behind The Lightbox, Woking's new museum and art gallery have picked up a top prize at the 49th Civic Trust Awards ceremony, held in Newcastle upon Tyne on Wednesday March 12.
The awards are given to projects that are of benefit culturally, socially or economically whilst making an outstanding contribution to the quality and appearance of the environment.
“This award is excellent news for Marks Barfield and The Lightbox,” said Marilyn Scott, Director of The Lightbox. “It is recognition of how we have realised our vision for an accessible cultural venue that benefits Woking’s community and environment.”
Judges commended the accessibility of The Lightbox and concluded that as a “result of bold architectural design and extensive public consultation” it is “likely to become a popular landmark for Woking.”
18.03.2008 - Ripon Workhouse to be refurbished thanks to Lottery Money
Ambitious plans to expand Ripon's Workhouse Museum can now go ahead thanks to a grant of £837,000 from the National Lottery.
The grant means the Workhouse Museum can be enlarged and refurbished to provide a better experience for visitors including a growing number of educational groups. An access and learning manager will be appointed to help drive forward this aim.
Building work will take place over the next winter with the museum set to reopen in Spring 2009.
18.03.2008 - Museums Association director criticises closure of Livesey Museum
Mark Taylor, the Museums Association's director, has described the decision by Southwark Council to close the Livesey Museum as 'a great loss to the museum community and to the people and children of Southwark.'
"For the sake of a relatively small amount of money, Southwark Borough Council has destroyed one of the most innovative and inspirational children's museums in the UK," he said. "In future funders, sponsors and those who support museums and the arts will know to steer clear of Southwark."
The museum closed on Friday February 29. Southwark Council issued a statement that read: "The decision to close the museum was taken because the council has been forced to make savings because its funding has been cut by the government. This was a very difficult decision to make."
17.03.2008 - Bowes Museum gets half a million pounds for its renovation projects
The Monument Trust, one of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, has gifted £500,000 to the Bowes Museum in the historic market town of Barnard Castle.
The museum is undergoing a major transformation designed to make it an even more stunning visitor attraction, with a greater amount of collections on display.
Projects about to commence include new interpretations of silver and precious metal objects and of the famous Silver Swan musical automaton and a state-of-the-art Textiles and Dress Gallery, which will allow for new understanding of these important collections.
A library/study centre is to be created at the top of the building, giving stunning views of three counties, whilst an expansion of the acclaimed Café Bowes promises to offer a wider range of the finest local produce, enhanced by waitress service.
Adrian Jenkins, Director of The Bowes Museum said: “The Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts are major supporters of the arts and it is an honour for the museum to receive such a significant grant.”
17.03.2008 - Scottish ministers launch policy on Scheduled Monument Consent
Policy on the consent process for Scotland’s 8,000 Scheduled Monuments has been launched by Scottish Ministers.
The Scottish Historic Environment Policy (SHEP) sets out Minister’s policies on works affecting scheduled monuments, which are archaeological sites, buildings and structures of national importance.
Scotland's scheduled monuments range from 10,000-year-old sites created by the first settlers in Scotland to 20th-century military defences, and from abbeys and castles to the slight traces of prehistoric and medieval farms.
The aim of the SHEPs is to deliver policy in a transparent way, so that people can understand what the government do, and why they do it.
A second phase of archaeolgical excavations at Swansea's Upper Bank Copper Works is revealing an impressive haul of industrial remains.
The site is to be developed by Barratt Homes as the Copper Quarter but in the meantime archaeologists from Oxford Archaeology have had time to investigate the important former industrial site.
During the late 18th century and throughout the 19th century Swansea was the international centre for the copper industry, earning the city the name ‘Copperopolis’.
The site includes zinc and lead works and large scale discoveries including furnaces that clearly reflect the functions of the factories and have proved invaluable in interpreting the site, as detailed records for the works no longer exist.
Once the excavations have been completed, Oxford Archaeology will produce a book detailing the findings of the excavation.
Photo courtesy Oxford Archaeology
17.03.2008 - Thief steals knives from Millennium Galleries Sheffield
Sheffield Millennium Galleries have reviewed their security procedures after it was revealed that a thief has stolen five antique knives from the gallery's metalwork gallery.
The theft took place at 3.30pm on Wednesday, February 13 and resulted in the loss of five knives including valuable Bowie knives, a lock knife and a pistol knife.
Anyone with information should contact West Bar Police Station, Sheffield on 0114 2202020.
17.03.2008 - Historic Dockyard Steam Society raise funds for children's hospice
The Chatham Historic Dockyard Steam Society Secretary, Dean Sears, presented a cheque for £700 to Donna Wells, Area Fundraising Manager from Demelza Children’s Hospice on Friday March 14 at The Historic Dockyard Chatham.
The money has been raised by the Steam Society since Christmas 2006 at club social events and rallies attended by members with their steam rollers and traction engines including last year’s Medway Festival of Steam & Transport at The Historic Dockyard.
“We are absolutely delighted at this wonderful donation as we rely almost entirely on support by the community to provide vital services at Demelza," said Donna Wells. "Our grateful thanks go to all those who have contributed to the Steam Society’s fundraising efforts.”
Some of the Steam Society members had their rollers and engines “in steam” for the occasion as a practice run for this year’s Medway Festival of Steam & Transport at The Historic Dockyard on Easter Sunday and Monday.
