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News In Brief - Week Ending April 13 2008
By 24 Hour Museum Staff
07/04/2008
Welcome to the 24 Hour Museum news in brief page for the week ending April 13 2008.
11.04.2008 – English Heritage invests in Totnes and Restormel castles
Two castles in the care of English Heritage will offer improved facilities to visitors this year after new admissions offices and shops opened at each.
Totnes Castle, Devon, and Restormel Castle, Cornwall, are enjoying new buildings made of green English oak and roofed in Delabole slate to blend in with the surroundings.
11.04.2008 – Medieval carved head found in York Hungate dig
A remarkable carved head dating back to the Middle Ages has been found in the ongoing excavations at Hungate in York.
The carving was found upside down in the foundations of a building that dates back to the 16th century, but the head is probably 13th or 14th century.
The head would have been a corbel – a stone bracket projecting from a wall or corner. It is thought to have been part of a religious building that was re-used in the foundations of the Cordwainers Guildhall that was built on the site between 1548 and 1589.
It is now undergoing analysis.
10.04.2008 – Oscar Wilde's grandson in recreation of famous trial at Nottingham Galleries of Justice
Grandson and biographer of 19th century literary star Oscar Wilde, Merlin Holland, will be in the witness stand at Nottingham's Galleries of Justice on April 23, for a dramatic recreation of Wilde's notorious action against the Marquess of Queensberry.
The part of legal advocate Edward Carson will be played by his modern-day equivalent, Roy Amlot QC, in an original Victorian courtroom at the Galleries.
As well as the recreation of the intense battle of wits in 1895, visitors can view an exhibition on the great 19th century rebel, which includes his cell door from Reading Gaol.
Tickets are £15 including a complimentary glass of wine. Bar opens 6.30pm, performance 7.30pm. Book on 0115 952 0555 or email laura.butler@galleries ofjustice.org.uk.
10.04.2008 – Roman altar to goddesses found in Manchester
An altar commissioned by a Roman soldier has been found in superb condition in Manchester.
The discovery was made during excavations prior to developments on Greater Jackson Street, and is dedicated to two minor goddesses.
The valuable find is the first Roman stone inscription found in 150 years in the area, with evidence suggesting it was constructed towards the end of the first century AD.
It's builder was Aelius Victor, a soldier posted to Manchester, whose inscription reads: "To the mother goddesses Hananeftis and Ollototis, Aelius Victor willingly and deservedly fulfils a vow."
The altar will go on show at the Manchester Museum and an open day at the dig site will take place on Saturday April 12.
Image: a photo of an interior workshop
09.04.2008 - English Heritage buys Victorian silverware factory in Birmingham
English Heritage has bought a Victorian silverware and plate factory in Birmingham to save it for the nation.
The factory which until recently had been owned and run by the same family business, JW Evans, since the 1880s lies within the city's jewellery quarter and is a mine of valuable arefacts ranging from tools to inventories and accounts.
Last year, the present owner, Mr Tony Evans, decided finally to retire and was faced with either selling to a developer, or standing by and seeing the building and its contents ruined by decay.
In March this year, English Heritage stepped in and took the very unusual step of buying the property outright, as a last resort, to save it and ensure that the building and its contents remain together.
"JW Evans produced high quality silver tableware which was marketed in the UK and all over the world," said Tony Evans. "I am delighted by the outcome. It will be a good monument to the silverware industry in Birmingham."
09.04.2008 - Arts Council launches new user-friendly application form
Arts Council England has launched a new, user-friendly application form for its Grants for the arts Lottery-funded programme.
The changes to the form and the application process are designed to make it easier for people to apply for a grant, to make it easier to process and to increase the chances of an application being successful.
The form, which has been approved by the Plain English Campaign, is available online at www.artscouncil.org.uk and printed packs will be available from May.
09.04.2008 - Recently re-united Baroque cabinet and stand under threat of being lost to overseas buyer
An ornate seventeenth-century Roman Baroque cabinet, recently reunited with its long lost stand after it was discovered in a York pizza restaurant following a 20 year search, is now at risk of being taken out of the country.
Culture Minister, Margaret Hodge, has placed a temporary export bar on the cabinet and stand, providing a last chance to raise the money to retain this magnificent ensemble in the United Kingdom.
The cabinet had been in store for 20 years and the stand, which had been assumed to have been lost or destroyed was spotted in the pizza restaurant by an expert.
A decision on the export licence application for the Cabinet and Stand will be deferred for a period ending on 7 June 2008 inclusive. This may be extended until 7 October 7 2008 if a serious intention to raise funds with a view to making an offer to purchase the cabinet and stand at the recommended price of £1,108,037.50 (including VAT) is expressed.
Image: a photo of an anglo saxon full face helmet
09.04.2008 - Sutton Hoo in appeal for new volunteers
Sutton Hoo, the famous Anglo Saxon site near Woodbridge in Suffolk, is looking for additional volunteers. They are particularly looking for people who can help with exhibition stewarding, ‘meeters and greeters’ for reception and raffle ticket sellers.
People who want to talk about their favourite part of an exhibition are also needed. Those who want to find out more about volunteering are invited tyo join staff at the ‘New Volunteers Coffee Morning’ on Sunday April 13 from 10.30am to noon in the Sutton Hoo restaurant.
Telephone 01394 389737 for more information or to register an interest.
09.04.2008 - History day will uncover archaeology of the Yorkshire dales
The history of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales will be brought to life later this month in a special event organised by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA).
A day school will be held in Grassington in association with the Yorkshire Archaeological Society to look at some of the latest information to be unearthed about the area.
The event, on the theme of ‘Archaeology and the Historic Environment in the Yorkshire Dales’, is the eighth in a series of annual day schools. It runs from 10am to 4.30pm on Saturday, April 19, in Grassington Town Hall.
It costs £10 (£7.50 for full time students and YAS members) which includes refreshments but not lunch. Anyone wanting further information or to book a place should telephone 01969 652353 or e-mail herinfo@yorkshiredales.org.uk
Image: a large portrait of woma in sunglasses
08.04.2008 - Scots vote for Zuzana in BP Portrait Award show
The Czech artist who won the Young Artist Award in the BP Portrait Award 2007 and was voted the 'visitors' favourite' when the show was exhibited in London has also turned out to be a favourite with visitors in Scotland.
Visitors to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery have voted Hynek Martinec's Zuzana in Paris Studio - his large portrait of his girlfriend Zuzana Jungmanova, captured in microscopic facial close-up wearing sunglasses - as their favourite on display.
08.04.2008 - HLF unveils a new look and approach to applying for funding
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has launched its new strategy, 'Valuing our Heritage: Investing in our Future' which heralds simpler application processes that will see almost £1billion invested in the UK’s diverse heritage over the next five years.
Over the last 14 years the Fund has invested over £4 billion in a huge variety of projects to conserve and share everything from great buildings and museums to parks, endangered species and traditions for future generations to enjoy.
Groups looking for funding are now able to apply online at www.hlf.org.uk for the first time, and the application and assessment process for larger grants will be less demanding and quicker.
Decisions will be given earlier in the development of projects and more help made available to applicants as they develop them. To mark the start of a new era of lottery support for the UK’s heritage, HLF has also introduced a new logo and style, reflecting its open, straightforward vision for future working.
"We have changed the way people think about and care for the heritage by increasing opportunities for everyone to get involved and have a say in what matters from our pasts," said Dame Liz Forgan, Chair of HLF.
"It is still important to encourage a broad range of people to take an active part in looking after the UK’s rich legacy from the past, and the new ways of working introduced today will make it even easier to approach HLF for support."
08.04.2008 - Artist to install 'one night only' ice balloon at Derby Museum
Artist Alethe Barber will be installing an ice balloon at Derby Museum and Art Gallery to mark the opening of its annual MA student exhibition, One Step Beyond. The installation will be in place for one day only on Friday April 11.
Alethe, who has recently graduated from the MA Adapt course at the University of Derby, has created a helium-filled balloon, surrounded by ice, which will be hung from the gallery’s ceiling. As it melts, it drips onto a xylophone, producing musical notes. Once all the ice has melted, the balloon drifts away.
Seven students from the MA Fine Art courses at the Universities of Derby, De Montfort in Leicester and Nottingham Trent have been selected to show their work in the third annual One Step Beyond exhibition which opens on April 12.
Image: Photo of people looking at a large landscape painting
07.04.2008 - Hockney unveils his gift to Tate
David Hockney has gifted his largest ever painting, Bigger Trees near Warter (sic) (2007), to Tate.
Measuring 4.6 by 12.2 metres, the painting depicts two copses, a mighty sycamore, buildings and a road flanked by daffodils. It will go on display at Tate Britain in autumn 2009.
07.04.2008 - Blue plaques for potter Lucy Rie and the inventor of the screw propellor
English Heritage has unveiled two plaques this week in honour of renowned former residents of London and Kent.
An English Heritage Blue Plaque for Dame Lucie Rie (1902-1995), one of the most important potters of the 20th century, was erected at 18 Albion Mews, W1, City of Westminster, where she lived and worked from 1939 until her death.
Rie's work has been widely admired by potters, curators, collectors, and the general public since the 1950s.
A Blue Plaque was also erected at 17 Sydenham Hill SE26, home to Sir Francis Pettit Smith (1808-1874), pioneer of the screw-propeller. He lived there from 1864-1870.
Smith's determination and engineering skill ensured that the screw-propeller overtook the paddle-wheel as the standard method of steam-ship propulsion. In May 1836, he took out a patent for screw propulsion, just weeks before his rival and eventual friend, Captain John Ericcson, who was carrying out similar experiments.
07.04.2008 - Aquarium to open in Bristol
Explore-At-Bristol and its partners the South West of England Regional Development Agency (South West RDA) and Bristol City Council have announced plans for a new, world-class aquarium in At-Bristol's former Wildwalk and IMAX building.
The £4 million fit out by Blue Reef Leisure Ltd will showcase both native and tropical marine and freshwater creatures in naturally themed habitats designed to inspire deeper understanding of the natural world.
Work is due to begin on the project in July 2008 with planned opening in summer 2009. Blue Reef will also operate the IMAX theatre.
"This brand new attraction is the perfect addition to Bristol's vibrant Harbourside," said Goéry Delacôte, Chief Executive of Explore-At-Bristol. "Its conservation message complements Explore-At-Bristol's science remit and we anticipate a long and successful relationship which will help both Explore and the new aquarium move from strength to strength."
Image: Photo of a piece of amber containing an insect
07.04.2008 - 40 million-year-old arachnid donated to Natural History Museum
A harvestman arachnid preserved in amber dating back 34 to 40 million years has been donated to the Natural History Museum in London.
The rare spider-like creature has been given to the museum by fossil collector Terence Collingwood, and is only the second example of its species (Dicranopalpus ramiger) to join the national collection. Its body is the size of a pinhead and is captured in a lump of Baltic amber measuring about 3cm across.
The oval bodied harvestman, with its thin legs, looks like a spider, but does not have their 'waist' or produce silk.
Photo © Natural History Museum
07.04.2008 – Olympic art commissions for deaf or disabled practitioners
Four commissions are available for deaf or disabled arts practitioners or disabled led organisations to develop work inspired by the 2012 Olympics.
The works are being commissioned by Shape, an organisation that aims to achieve access to the arts for disabled and deaf people; empowering people to enrich their lives through enjoyment of the arts and active participation.
There are four commissions available:
- Spoken Word/ Performance Poetry
- Dance
- Visual Arts / Media
- Street Arts
Each artist/company will receive £5,000 budget. The deadline for applications is May 1 2008.
You can download an application pack from www.shapearts.org.uk.
Image: Photo of a woman in 18th century dress
07.04.2008 - Soldiers, civilians and highwaymen at Chiltern Open Air Museum
Re-enactors of 18th century life, both military and civilian, will greet visitors at Chiltern Open Air Museum this weekend (April 12-13).
The groups Lace Wars and the Mannered Mob are descending on the museum in their costumes to bring various scenes from the 1700s alive.
Lace Wars is made up of a number of regiments depicting both military and civilian life during the 18th century, while the Mannered Mob portray civilian life between 1730 and 1760.
This weekend, the focus will be on the period 1740-1760 and in particular the Jacobite rebellion - the war known for the battles of Prestonpans, Falkirk and Culloden, and for the escape of Prince Charles Edward Stuart (The Young Pretender).
Re-enactments over the weekend will include Redcoats drills and firearms demonstrations and scenes from domestic life. Some Jacobites will also be present, as will a highwayman.
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