News - Man wants to help house city artefacts (Nottingham)

THE head of a bus firm has revealed his hope to devote part of his site to housing treasures from the county's past.

Simon Barton, managing director of Bartons plc, said the city should be proud of its past – and that if the local authorities could not afford to keep museums open, he would be happy to take the artefacts for display as part of a cultural exhibition.

He points to closures and cuts at museums like Brewhouse Yard, the Industrial Museum at Wollaton Hall and the Lace Centre in the city centre.

Mr Barton said: "I can understand why councils may find it hard to keep certain attractions open in the face of budget cuts, but we find ourselves in a position where we can intervene and help.

"There must be hundreds if not thousands of items that are either stuck in archives or in museums that have been closed down. And what I'm saying is that we have a ten-acre site and great access to the area, and I would be delighted to house them to put them on display until such a time as they have the space and funding to house them again."

The site of Bartons plc, on the High Road, Chilwell, lies on the route of the new tram line which will run between the city centre, Beeston and Chilwell. Currently, it is used as a space for art exhibitions and other events.

Mr Barton added that he thought it was a "real shame" that more wasn't done to promote the county's heritage.

He added: "It's just a case of getting round the table and talking about the ideas we have.

"This isn't just an idea we've had on a whim – it's something we're seriously considering and looking at how it could work."

Councillor Dave Trimble, city council portfolio holder for leisure, tourism and communities, said: "The city council agrees absolutely about the importance of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire's local history and heritage and we welcome offers of support by all other enthusiasts and supporters. However, accreditation by the national bodies that govern museum standards is also paramount if we are to continue to attract additional funding and support to improve our collections.

"The help of enthusiast and volunteers has enabled us to increase the opening hours of the Industrial Museum. Our intention is to seek similar community support for the Museum of Nottingham Life [at Brewhouse Yard] – the museum is not closing. Our proposal is for the museum to continue to be available for pre-booked school parties and for other groups of ten or more, when booked in advance, and will still be open to the public for special events."

From: http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Man-wants-help-house-city-artefacts/story-15175838-detail/story.html

News - Museum of Nottingham Life closure 'a mistake'

Closing the Museum of Nottingham Life to general visitors would be a mistake, Nottingham's Civic Society has said.

Visits to the attraction would be reduced to just groups and schools under the city council's budget proposals, saving £40,000 a year.

The authority said that tough decisions had to be made as it bids to save £20m from its budget for 2012/13.

Ian Wells, from the civic society, said authorities needed to be responsible for the heritage on their doorstep.

"It is very sad and very short-sighted," he said.

'Great interest'

The Museum of Nottingham Life, housed within five 17th Century cottages at Brewhouse Yard, depicts the social history of the city over the last 300 years.

It contains reconstructed 1920s shops and a Victorian school room.

"They have really made the past attractive there at a time when we have a great interest," Mr Wells said.

"We accept that cuts have got to be made but it always seems one particular area that seems to be hit."

Presenting its budget proposals for 2012/13 to its executive board on Tuesday, Nottingham City Council said its priority was to support jobs and the local economy and protect services for vulnerable people.

As well as changes to the city museum's opening times, the authority announced plans to cut 195 council jobs and the closure of the Marlestones elderly persons care home in Bulwell.

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-16614775

Event - Hyson Green Exhibition (Nottingham)

“It felt like one great big communal house with loads of different people living in it.”

“I was washing up and I kind of had this feeling somebody was watching me and I turned around and this ghostly nun stood at the kitchen door. I was terrified, absolutely petrified.”

“As kids, we were known as Greenies because we live in Hyson Green and we were proud to be Greenies. And, as an adult, I was proud to be a Greeny as well.”

Those are just some of the things that people remember from living at Hyson Green Flats - one of Nottingham’s best-known urban landmarks during the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s.

Now, people can find out for themselves what life was like at the Flats, by visiting an exhibition about the building and the people who lived there, which opens on Saturday 19th November at the Museum of Nottingham Life at Brewhouse Yard.

The Flats were built in 1965 and were demolished just over three decades later in 1988. They stood where the Asda supermarket does now, in Hyson Green. The Flats were made up of 593 individual flats and maisonettes.

The exhibition will include a new film about the Flats, which includes ex-residents talking about their memories of living and growing up at the Flats plus the chance to see objects from the Flats such as a piece of concrete that was salvaged when the Flats were demolished in 1988 and personal items including an old street sign, rent book and record player.

The exhibition opens on Saturday and runs until 15th January 2012.

Article - Museum of Nottingham Life at Brewhouse (Nottingham)

The Museum of Nottingham Life at Brewhouse Yard is housed within five 17th century cottages where you can learn about the people of Nottingham through the objects made, used or owned and the stories they tell us.

This delightful museum is sited in Brewhouse Yard at the base of Castle Rock, a location that itself reveals much about Nottingham's social history. The museum depicts the social history of Nottingham over the last 300 years and is housed in five 17th century cottages adjacent to the famous 'Trip to Jerusalem' public house. Brewhouse Yard once contained a thriving community of 20 houses, with a population of 127 people at its peak.

Today the surviving buildings house the museum and contain a mixture of reconstructed room and shop settings, and gallery displays including 'Toys' and 'Community Showcase' which highlights work by local groups or individuals. An image of the caves entry at The Museum of Nottingham Life In the adjacent Rock Cottage is a reconstructed Victorian Schoolroom and a new exhibition 'Growing up in Nottingham'. Also discover a system of man-made caves built into the rock. Once used by the former residents, they now house museum displays including a reconstructed air raid shelter, and are fully wheelchair accessible.

From: http://www.guide2nottingham.com/news/858/Museum-of-Nottingham-Life-at-Brewhouse

Article - The summer of 81 and there's a riot in The Green... but is it racial or 'an excuse to jump on the bandwagon'? (Hyson Green)

THERE are those who think the Hyson Green riots were an explosion of racial hatred and others who believe they were over something and nothing.

In the summer of 1981, cities across England saw a sudden eruption of street violence. Brixton, in London, and Toxteth, in Liverpool, saw the worst incidents, blamed on a combination of racial tension and inner-city deprivation.

Hyson Green became Nottingham's battleground – especially the decaying warren of flats built 20 years earlier.

But was the violence black against white or just a copycat outbreak?

Whatever the cause, which is still a subject of lively debate, everyone agrees the violence changed the face of Hyson Green forever.

Lifelong resident Deborah Burton, 56, chairman of BOBs, a residential association covering Bridlington, Oldknow and Brown streets, said: "It was over something and nothing, an excuse to jump on the London bandwagon, to cause as much trouble as possible for the police.

"The police were much tougher in those days. They had to be because so many problem families had been pushed together in the flats.

"They wanted to get back at the police and it all escalated from there."

Chris Cope, 44, who lived in Fisher Street, said: "It didn't come as a surprise. London was happening and it was copycat stuff.

"It wasn't racial, it was just the young against authority. In those days, there was only black and white and they clubbed together."

Former police constable Steve Eley, 60, who was on the front line during the riots, remembers the moment the trouble broke out.

"We were already out and about, around a dozen officers with riot shields and protective clothing.

"A man was distributing leaflets calling for Babylon...it meant 'burn down the police station'.

"He was arrested and it kicked off. He and the officer went through a shop window and that was it.

"Within half an hour it was bedlam. We were being attacked with bottles, poles, concrete blocks, anything and everything.

"We backed up against a church wall, across the road from the Cricket Players pub. They threw a load of what we thought were petrol bombs at us. Fortunately, it was paraffin and it did not ignite.

"One of our lads, Ross Davies, was on his first operation. He was knocked out by a house brick, which scratched my visor as it came past me."

It would be 14 days of 12-hour shifts before PC Eley and his colleagues were told to stand down.

They were helped through the ordeal by the support of law-abiding Hyson Green people.

"They came out and gave us tea and sandwiches. They were lovely people, salt of the earth, and they didn't want the trouble any more than us."

There are many stories and legends that have grown up from the riots – like that of the Nottingham City bus driver who was en route to Hyson Green just as the trouble was flaring up on that Friday night in July 1981.

As his double-decker nosed its way through the trouble-strewn streets, trouble broke out on his bus.

According to local legend, a youth attacked a woman on the bus but, led by the brave driver, passengers grabbed the young thug and threw him off.

In a night of running battles, hundreds of youths attacked police, fire-bombed vehicles and looted shops.

Rachel Bennett, 40, was ten years old at the time. "The riots changed everything," she said. The looting ruined the south side of Radford Road and I don't think it has ever really recovered.

"The night before the riots, I can remember youths piling up bottles on the flat roof behind the Cricket Players. They had planned it for a couple of days."

Now, a major project is under way to sort the myth from fact and build a social history of Hyson Green during those troubled times. It has been launched by the city-based Partnership Council with a £43,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant. An exhibition based on people's memories is planned at the end of the year at the Museum of Nottingham Life, in Brewhouse Yard and everything the researchers collect will be lodged with Leicester University's oral history archive and Nottinghamshire's public archives.

If you would like to take part in the Hyson Green flats project, contact Helen Bates at the Partnership Council, Unit C, Tennyson Buildings, Forest Road West, Radford, NG7 4EP; telephone 0115 970 8200, or e-mail helenb@partnershipcouncil.co.uk

If you have a story about living in the flats, or memories of the riots, contact Andy Smart at Bygones, Nottingham Post, Castle Wharf House, Nottingham, NG1 7EU or e-mail andy.smart@nnmg. co.uk

From: http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/summer-81-s-riot-Green-racial-excuse-jump/story-13078302-detail/story.html

Volunteers - Volunteers needed for Nottingham City Museums and Galleries

Nottingham City Council is seeking volunteers to help at Nottingham Castle, Brewhouse Yard, Green's Windmill, Wollaton Halland Newstead Abbey.

To celebrate the European Year of Volunteering, Nottingham City Council is supporting local people to be able to volunteer and engage with the work that is done in museums and galleries. Volunteers play a very valuable role, enhancing the visitor experience, whether they carry out work directly with the public or behind the scenes.

We are looking for people who can spare some time to join our friendly team of volunteers in a variety of exciting new roles across the museum sites. These roles range from helping with fun family learning activities, working at events, supporting our local industrial heritage, or working with our fascinating collections.

We will be holding two induction days for volunteers on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 July at Wollaton Hall. These induction days will introduce potential volunteers to the museum service and the specific roles available to them. Booking in advance is essential - please call Jenna Stevens on 0115 876 2205.

The volunteering opportunities offer many benefits:

• Meet new people and make new friends

• Increase your confidence and gain new skills

• Gain valuable work experience within a museum

• Have a fun and enjoyable experience!

We welcome applications from all sections of the community. No experience is necessary, just an enthusiasm to want to help out. Training will be provided, and reasonable travel expenses are paid.

Whatever your interests or skills, we would love to hear from you.

Emma Lowton, Family Learning Volunteer for the backpacks at Nottingham Castle, said: "For me, volunteering with the Museum Service is a great way to enjoy Nottingham's unique heritage, and share that enjoyment with others. I love seeing families enjoying their visit to the Castle. And knowing that I've contributed to that is extremely rewarding."

Councillor David Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Tourism, said, "Nottingham City Council values the fantastic work done by volunteers. The Museums' volunteering programme offers an excellent opportunity to introduce many people to what Nottingham has to offer and to enable them to develop lifelong skills."

For further information on the opportunities available and how to apply please contact: Jenna Stevens, Volunteer Programme Co-ordinator, Nottingham City Museum and Galleries. Email: Jenna.Stevens@nottinghamcity.gov.uk Tel: 0115 876 2205

From: http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=14946

News - Would you like to be part of an exciting new exhibition for Nottingham? (Hyson Green)

A local history project called ‘On the Flats’ is looking for photographs and other memorabilia from the 60s, 70s and 80s for an exhibition celebrating the life and times of the former Hyson Green Flats in Nottingham,
due to be held at The Museum of Nottingham Life at Brewhouse Yard in the summer.

Can you help?
The Flats, which were built in 1965 and demolished in 1988, stood where Asda does now in Hyson Green and were considered a landmark in their day.

The ‘On the Flats’ project, which is being run by the Radford-based Partnership Council charity, was launched earlier in the year to discover the untold stories of people who lived in the Flats.

Residents’ memories will be featured in the exhibition and also in a booklet about the Flats, together with old maps and other information about the local area including what Hyson Green was like before the Flats were built.
 

The project is also looking for people to loan photographs for the exhibition, taken inside or outside the Flats, or in the local area. Together with memorabilia from the 60s, 70s or 80s, such as clothes, shoes, records, ornaments, household objects, magazines, newspapers and toys.
 

Helen Bates from ‘On the Flats’ says: “We’re looking for family photographs and other everyday objects to help us tell the story of life in Hyson Green through the eyes of the people that lived there.
 

Often, history neglects to tell the story of so-called ‘ordinary’ people so we want to put that right via this exhibition.
 

The project has already revealed some amazing memories of life in the Flats including recollections of the Nottingham Riots in 1981 and the spontaneous street party held in honour of reggae music legend Bob Marley when he sadly passed away the same year.
 

Plus everyday memories like playing outside the Flats and the great community spirit there.
 

We’re really looking forward to being able to share these memories with people across Nottingham and beyond.”

Anything loaned to the exhibition will be well looked after by the organisers and returned once the exhibition has finished.

‘On the Flats’ is being featured in a new BBC2 television show due to be broadcast later in the year, called the Reel History of Britain, which will focus on the history of Britain in the 20th century.
 

Many former Flats residents have joined the project as volunteer community researchers and are currently helping to gather memories and research for the exhibition and booklet.
 

The project is being funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

To find out more please call Helen Bates on 0115 970 8200 or email Helen@hysongreenhistory.org

Article - Trawl through old albums for pics of doomed flats (Hyson Green, Nottingham)

ORGANISERS of a history project are appealing for photos and other memorabilia for an exhibition about the former Hyson Green flats.

The exhibition will be staged at the Museum of Nottingham Life, at Brewhouse Yard, this summer.

It is being put together through the On the Flats project, run by the Partnership Council to tell the history of the flats, which were demolished in 1988.

The exhibition will feature residents' memories and old maps and information about the area, including what Hyson Green was like before the flats were built.

Organisers are looking for people to loan photos taken inside or outside the flats and elsewhere in the neighbourhood. They are also appealing for memorabilia from the 60s, 70s and 80s, such as clothes, records, household items, toys and newspapers.

All items will returned once the exhibition has finished.

To find out more or to donate an item, call Helen Bates on 0115 9708200 or e-mail Helen@hysongreenhistory.org.

From: http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Trawl-old-albums-pics-doomed-flats/article-3601292-detail/article.html

News - Council set to discuss budget and £33m in cuts (Notts CC)

CITY councillors are meeting on Tuesday to discuss budget plans for 2011/12.

The council is proposing to cut £33 million, which would hit libraries, theatres, schools and museums.

Spending on the Theatre Royal and the Royal Concert Hall will be slashed by two thirds – but the Royal Centre would become an independent trust, allowing it to apply for grants.

The council has also revealed that Carlton Road library could close, in addition to the closures of St Ann's and Bulwell libraries announced previously.

Opening hours at Newstead Abbey, Brewhouse Yard Museum and Green's Windmill and Science Centre, in Sneinton, could be reduced.

The council is considering cutting the workforce by about 370 posts next year, saving more than £11 million.

Funding for capital projects such as roads, schools and housing has also been reduced or scrapped.

City council deputy leader Graham Chapman said: "We have been among the most successful councils in protecting jobs and frontline services but because of the scale of these cuts, there will inevitably be some significant impacts. We are approaching the Government about the damage another settlement like this next year would inflict." Proposals will be discussed by the executive board on Tuesday and ratified at full council on March 7.

From: http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Council-set-discuss-budget-163-33m-cuts/article-3242880-detail/article.html

News - Nottingham city museum opens up archaeological stores

Nottingham City Museums is offering a chance to go behind the scenes at its archaeological stores, offering a rare look at its prehistoric collection.

 

Manager Ann Inscker said: "Visitors will see material that hasn't seen the light of day for a long, long time."

 

The objects include flint tools from 50,000BC and an array of axes, hammers, spears, swords and pottery.

 

Most of the items in the collection were found in Nottinghamshire or the East Midlands.

 

Many have been found on the banks of the River Trent, through dredging in the 1960s and 70s.

 

"One of the former county archaeologists refers to it as the richest river in Europe for archaeology," said the collections manager. "The richness is here but it is behind the scenes."

 

The reason for this, Ms Inscker explained, is down to space and the national curriculum in schools, which starts with the Romans.

"[This has meant] we have a lot of material that doesn't have a front end," she said.

 

The archaeological collection began life at the Castle Museum in 1878. It has been built up over the last 130 years through donations.

 

It generally has less than one per cent of its 23,000 objects on display at any one time.

 

"People don't understand how much material we have," said Ms Inscker.

 

The objects are available for research and scientific analysis and Ms Inscker stresses the importance of keeping a local collection.

 

She said: "If everything is in London it will go into deep storage and it will take six months for an enquiry for you to actually get access to that material.

"By having it here it means that it is more accessible to the public.

 

"We want to learn and understand the local area from which this material comes," the collections manager added.

 

"If we left it all to people in London - they're not going to want to come up to the provinces and learn about archaeology here, not to the same extent and with the same passion we do.

 

"We need to make sure the facility stays here."

 

Behind the scenes tours of the prehistoric collections at Brewhouse Yard, Museum of Nottingham Life, will take place on 18 February, 6.30pm to 7.30pm, and 24 February 2011, at 10.30am and 2.00pm. Advance booking is advised, as places will be limited. Telephone: 0115 915 3620

 

From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/nottingham/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_9398000/9398120.stm