Welcome to the 24 Hour Museum news in brief page for the week ending July 13 2008.
11.07.2008 - Amberley Working Museum lime kilns to be preserved
The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded Amberley Working Museum a grant approaching £400,000 for an important industrial heritage restoration project.
The De Witt Lime Kilns at the museum are to be fully repaired and an interpretive display created - in effect preserving a ‘Scheduled Ancient Monument’ currently on the English Heritage ‘At Risk Register.’
Amberley’s lime burning industry lasted from the early 1800s to 1969, when the chalk pits closed, together with the lime making process for the agricultural and building trades.
“The kilns stand as a reminder of an industry that was once a key part of local life," said Michelle Davies, Head of The Heritage Lottery Fund in the South East. "We are passionate about saving heritage and delighted to be able to help preserve this historic landmark for future generations.”
Picture shows De Witt Lime Kilns in operation cira 1910. Courtesy Amberley Working Museum
11.07.2008 - National Trust in search for environmentally aware hill farmer in Wales
The National Trust is looking for an environmentally aware farmer to care for one of Wales’ most western farms, Penrhyn Mawr, a 133 acre family farm situated near the tip of the Llyn Peninsula.
With spectacular views of Aberdaron bay, the mixed farm has a rich variety of flora and fauna and is home to many rare birds including the chough.
"We want to create a mixed arable and livestock farm which demonstrates exemplary conservation farming," said Richard Neale Property Manager for West Snowdonia & Llyn.
"This is a special farm and we are committed to ensuring that we protect and extend the flower-rich grassland and create vibrant habitats for wildlife."
The National Trust also plans to develop the holding at Penrhyn Mawr as a ‘home’ for wider conservation work on the Llyn, working with key players to achieve greater conservation status for the region.
Prospective tenants can find out more about the opportunity by visiting the National Trust stand at the Royal Welsh Show (July 21-24).
Between 10am and 12pm on Wednesday July 23, an opportunity will also exist for an informal discussion with some members of staff on the Trust stand. The farm will then be advertised in the press during August when an information pack will be available and a viewing day organised.
A class 9F, Evening Star rolled out of the Swindon works in 1960 and was the last of 251 built to the same design and the only one of the class to receive a name – selected by Western Region staff.
Part of the National Collection based at the National Railway Museum at York, Evening Star will be on display over the summer months at Shildon which is open (10.00am – 5.00pm) and both admission and parking is free.
09.07.2008 - Emily Bronte Portrait Comes Home to Haworth
A National Portrait Gallery Loan and a rare poem manuscript return to Haworth for the first time in nearly 150 years to crown the 2008 exhibition ‘No Coward Soul’ at The Brontë Parsonage Museum.
As part of the Brontë Parsonage Museum’s 2008 exhibition focusing on Emily Brontë, the museum is displaying her Gondal poems notebook and a rare portrait of Emily painted by her brother Branwell.
In 1861, after the Brontës had died, the Gondal poems notebook left Haworth for Ireland with Charlotte’s widower Arthur Bell Nicholls.
Following his death in 1907, the manuscript was auctioned in a sale at Sotheby’s and purchased by Mrs George Smith, widow of Charlotte’s publisher.
It was then bequeathed to the British Library in London by the Smith family and for the first time since 1861, returns to the Parsonage where it was originally composed.
The iconic portrait of Emily by her brother Branwell was once part of a larger painting called ‘The Gun Group’ portrait.
It was cut out by Arthur Bell Nicholls on the death of Patrick Brontë in 1861 and was later found on top of a wardrobe along with ‘The Brontë Sisters’ portrait (also by Branwell) by Arthur’s second wife Mary Ann Nicholls after his death.
Now owned by the National Portrait Gallery, this is a rare opportunity for visitors to see the portrait outside of its usual London location.
08.07.2008 - The Art Fund wins fundraising award for successful Blue Rigi campaign
The Art Fund, the UK’s leading independent art charity, has won a prestigious Institute of Fundraising National Award for its campaign to save Turner’s Blue Rigi for Tate Britain.
The campaign launched at the end of January 2007 with a deadline of 20 March to raise £2.45 million towards a total price of £4.95 million. The mailing was sent to over 120,000 recipients, including all its 80,000 members and Tate members. The letter asked for a donation of £84 - the modern day equivalent of the 80 guineas that was originally paid for the painting in 1842.
The appeal raised more than £564,000 in just five weeks – with donations coming from all over the UK as well as Singapore, United States, Japan, Russia and Australia.
The final amount of £4.95 million needed to purchase the painting was successfully raised thanks to donations from the public, as well as £2 million from Tate; £1.87 million from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and The Art Fund’s own grant of £500,000.
David Barrie, Director of The Art Fund, said: “This was an enormously successful appeal. Not only did it secure this outstanding painting for everyone to enjoy, but it was a clear demonstration of the public’s love of art and commitment to saving our heritage. I’m delighted that this important campaign has been recognised by this prestigious award.”
08.07.2008 - New Book celebrates London's historic pubs
CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, launched on July 9 2008 the definitive guide to London's most unspoilt historic pubs - London Heritage Pubs - An Inside Story.
Despite CAMRA's recent research showing 57 pubs close every month, London Heritage Pubs - An Inside Story features 150 of the oldest, most distinctive, and renowned pubs in the capital still thriving today.
To accommodate the far-reaching locations of the public houses, the book is divided into seven sections reflecting Greater London postal districts.
While explaining the historical context and layout of each individual pub, the book also raises issues surrounding the sustainability of the public house, and its changing face in the twenty-first century.
There are also features about the evolution of London pubs, what's distinctive about them, historic brewing in the capital, and London beer styles.
The book is a product of over seven years of research by co-authors Geoff Brandwood and Jane Jephcote.
It would be a tall order for pub lovers to visit all 150 pubs so the authors have highlighted the following 'Ten pubs not to miss':
* Princess Louise, Holborn
* Cittie of Yorke, Holborn
* Red Lion, St James's
* Black Friar, Blackfriars
* Eastbrook, Dagenham
* Forester, Ealing
* Salisbury, Harringay
* Prince Alfred, Maida Vale
* Falcon, Battersea
* Olde Cheshire Cheese, Holborn
London Heritage Pubs - An Inside Story can be bought in all good book shops or ordered online at www.camra.org.uk/shop. Priced £14.99 (£12.99 for CAMRA Members)
07.07.2008 - Four A4s are reunited in York to celebrate world record
Enthusiasts were delighted to see one of the most spectacular sights in steam locomotive preservation at the National Railway Museum, York at the weekend.
To celebrate the Mallard's 70th anniversary of its world speed record for steam traction, which still stands to this day, the NRM reunited four A4 steam locomotives for the first time since their time of action.
Andrew Scott, Director of the museum, said, "On July 3 1938, Mallard, which now takes pride of place in the NRM's Great Hall, set a world speed record of 126mph that still stands today. Now, almost 70 years on, she was reunited with her fellow class-mates once more."
Visitors were treated to Bittern, Sir Nigel Gresley and Union of South Africa standing beside their world record holding companion, Mallard. These locomotives are four of the six remaining A4s in the world – there are two more situated in America and Canada.
The public's excitement was rewarded as anticipated in last week's article which explored the history of the Mallard itself, the record and where the train is today. The event lived up to expectations, with visitors leaving happy after what had been an eventful and exciting day.
07.07.2008 - Doccia boy comes home to Ickworth House
From July 11 2008, visitors to the National Trust's Ickworth House will once again be able to admire the Doccia porcelain boy that usually stands on top of a large Edwardian fitted cabinet in the East Link Ante-room. The statue had been on loan to the Capitoline museum in Rome as part of their Ricordi dell Antico exhibition.
The figure, produced circa 1775, is a porcelain copy of a marble statue held in the Capitoline Museum. The child is Harpocrates, an Egyptian god and son of Isis and Osiris. He is depicted wearing a small hat, called a pshent, representing the crown of lower and middle Egypt.
Due to the fragility of Doccia porcelain, very little has survived. This makes Ickworth's collection all the more important. This is the only Doccia collection in the National Trust's care.
The pieces housed in the cabinet upon which the figure stands contains some of the most important pieces of porcelain in this collection. Among the items is a gold and white Chinoiserie service made at Meissen in around 1730.
