News - Tunnel vision for tourism (Newark)

Ground-penetrating radar is to be used to find out whether a subterranean system of caves and tunnels exists beneath Newark Market Place.

If they are found they could become a world heritage site with significant benefits for tourism, says an archaeologist and local historian who is working on the project.

Anne Coyne, of Farndon Archaeological Research Investigations, said: “Generations of people from Newark have perpetuated the myth of tunnels and passageways running under the town, but there has never been physical evidence of it.”

It is said that tunnels were created to protect townsfolk and aid movement of arms and supplies during the three Civil War sieges of Newark.

Initial research and radar-plotting of cellars and passageways will be carried out by Trent and Peak Archaeology, who have been doing similar work with the Notting-ham cave system. The project will start on April 2.

Anne, who is working with fellow local historian Mr Jim Wishart, said her research had turned up references to tunnels including some in former Advertiser editor Cornelius Brown’s History Of Newark.

She has found a manuscript from 1820 that refers to a vault beneath a market cross in the Market Place that was used as a jail and could have been part of a larger tunnel system.

“To locate this space and any wider network would be fantastic,” she said.

“They could have been built for reasons of security or as storage for treasures. An alternative is that religious leaders ordered them to be built.

“If they do exist, and I really hope that they do, we are potentially talking about a world heritage site. To my knowledge no town has such a system underneath it.

“Newark already has a largely unrivalled connection to the Civil War.”

Anne said a number of buildings had cellars that extended into the Market Place, including those now occupied by Star-bucks, Toni and Guy and Greggs, which was the former town governor’s house.

G. H. Porter Provisions on the corner of Bridge Street and the Market Place is one centuries-old shop with doors in its cellar that are blocked off.

Newark and Sherwood District Council is taking the lead on the research project, which also involves the town council and business club.

The district’s business manager for carparking and markets, Mr Ian Harrison, said: “For many years Newark people have talked of the mythical tunnels and passages that exist under the centre of Newark.

“It has been said that tunnels exist from the castle to the parish church, from the Chauntry to the church and castle, and from the Governor’s House on Stodman Street to the church.

The council is investigating what is beneath the Market Place so removable

 

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Tunnel-vision-for-tourism

News - County gives £1m to civil war centre (Newark)

A £1m contribution has been made by Nottinghamshire County Council to the new National Civil War Centre and museum to be built on Appletongate, Newark.

Mr Roger Jackson, Newark and Sherwood District Council’s cabinet member for leisure services, said: “The county council has always been interested in the museum project and has recognised the benefit it will bring to the whole county.”

A £3.2m Heritage Lottery grant has already been awarded towards the cost of the £5.4m project. Applications are being made to grant funding bodies to help meet the rest.

Tenders will be sought next month and are due to be awarded in June.

Building work should be completed by September, 2014, and it is anticipated that the museum will open on December 14, 2014.

The project will use the grade II listed Old Magnus buildings, including the Tudor Hall. They were used as a grammar school until 1922 when the site was sold to Newark Borough Council for a museum and education offices. They have been empty since 2005.

The single-storey museum building will be transformed into a National Civil War Centre (1642-1646) telling the story of how Newark residents coped as the Royalist town came under siege from the Parliamentarians.

Project manager Mrs Bryony Robins said: “We have a collection of our own but will also be loaning items from other museums. We hope the centre will become a springboard to other places where there is a focus on the Civil War.”

The Tudor Hall will be restored and left as an historic space that can be used for events such as concerts, theatre productions and weddings.

A mezzanine level will be installed where there will be a meeting room.

Two galleries have been allocated to tell the Newark story from prehistoric times to the present, which will mean a return of some of the items formerly in the Appletongate and Millgate museums.

One of the rooms will be used to display the Newark Torc, an Iron Age necklace found by Newark resident Mr Maurice Richardson with a metal detector. It is currently on loan to the British Museum.

Mrs Robins said there would be extra security to ensure the safety of the torc and other items.

A new glass-fronted building will be built to the left of the main building on a driveway between the museum and the Palace Theatre, which will be used as the entrance, with access to a lift for up to 14 people.

The top floor of the museum will be available for gallery space.

The Old Magnus Buildings will be open for public guided tours a week on Saturday ahead of its transformation.

Places must be booked on 01636 655733 or by emailing bryony.robins@nsdc.info

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/County-gives-1m-to-civil-war-centre-

Community Archaeology - Graveyard Survey (Coddington)

Monday 4th March - Friday 15th March (excluding weekends)

10am to 3pm

Meet in the churchyard.

 

The memorials in Coddington graveyard, near Newark, are being mapped and recorded as part of a Local Improvement Scheme project.  The survey involves transcribing the inscriptions on the headstones, photographing them, and recording their condition.  It's a very rewarding thing to do, as each record sheet forms part of a permanent record, accessible by future generations.  If you want to see some pictures of graveyard survey underway just follow the link below...

http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/learning/history/archaeology/communityarchaeology/communityarcheologyphotos/?album=4332

 

Notts CC Community Archaeology are looking for people who are interested in coming and helping record gravestones at Coddington on the above dates.  No experience is necessary.  There are toilet facilities nearby, but please bring your lunch and adequate fluids.  Dress appropriately for being outdoors; keeping in mind that it is fairly stationary work and you are likely to get a bit chilly around the edges!  You might also like to bring a fold-up stool or chair, or a blanket/kneeling mat for the sake of comfort.

If you would like to come along please let them know what day or days you would like to come.   I need to know who is likely to be coming in case we need to cancel or change arrangements for any reason.

 www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/communityarchaeology 
www.facebook.com/communityarchaeology

Tel:   0115 9696 525

Event - New Work in Nottinghamshire (Nottingham)

Wednesday 14 November 1pm - Djanogly Art Gallery, Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD

Emily Gillott, Andy Gaunt and David Budge - Nottinghamshire County Council Community Archaelogy Team

The team discuss some of their latest projects with community volunteers including their current audit of archaeological sites along the River Trent between Newark and Gainsborough, and their hunt for the Great Fire of Mansfield Woodhouse in 1304.

Come and hear about how these discoveries are providing us with new information about the county. You can also handle objects from the excavations and find out about volunteering for future projects.

All talks take place in the Lecture Theatre next to the Museum at 1pm.

Admission FREE. Places are limited so please book in advance with the Box Office on 0115 846 7777

From: http://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/Exhibitions/ViewEvent.html?e=2070&c=5&d=2305

Event - 10th tractor show aims to plough successful furrow (Newark)

ORGANISERS of a show which celebrates Notts' farming heritage are gearing up for its tenth anniversary.


An action-packed two days is planned when Newark Vintage Tractor and Heritage Show is held at Newark Showground.

Up to 18,000 people are expected to attend the show over the two days, with enthusiasts from across the UK and Ireland expected to bring with them over 850 exhibits.

Adrian Johnston, who helped to found the event in 2003, said: "The show has really exceeded our expectations as it's become the national leader of its type for vintage tractors and farming heritage.

"Notts has a great heritage for tractors. We've gone to great lengths to expand the heritage of the show.

"You cannot help but be impressed by the amazing condition that the tractors have been restored to. In some cases they are better than when they left the factory gate."

The annual show, which marks the end of the ploughing season, will also feature other agricultural heritage displays and craft stalls, as well as a major collection of Perkins tractors and machinery.

Enthusiasts will also perform tractor driving routines to music, while more than 100 rare and British native breeds of horses, sheep and other animals will also do displays.

Mr Johnston said: ''We're so grateful for people's support over the years."

The show is at Newark Showground on November 10 to 11.

Activities take place between 9am and 5pm on the first day, with an auction of agricultural memorabilia starting at 10am.

There will also be a tenth anniversary dinner in the evening. The second day will run from 9am to 3.30pm and includes a Remembrance Sunday service at 11am.

Former Lord-Leiutenant of Notts, Sir Andrew Buchanan, will open a new garden at the showground to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and London Olympics.

Adult tickets can be bought in advance for £8.50, with over 65s £6.50, and children aged under 17 free. Tickets on the day cost £10 for adults and £8.50 for over 65s.

For information call 01636 705796, visit www.newarkshowground.co.uk, or e-mail tractors@newarkshowground.com.

From: http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/10th-tractor-aims-plough-successful-furrow/story-16988733-detail/story.html

News - Cannon sculpture unveiled to mark Newark's Civil War history

A SCULPTURE of a rusting steel cannon has been placed on top of a 17th Century earthwork in Newark to provide a stark reminder of the town's strong links with the English Civil War.


Newark and Sherwood District Council commissioned sculptor Michael Condron to produce the cannon, which is made to look like it has sunk into the earth on the Queen's Sconce – an earthwork that was used to defend the town during the Civil War, and which is still intact and visible in the town's Sconce and Devon Park.

Mr Condron drew ideas from children at Holy Trinity RC School, which is next to the park. The design of the cannon includes Latin phrases as well as imagery associated with the war such as feathers, roses, weapons and other conflict imagery.

The steel sculpture will rust with age, as Mr Condron intended, to give the impression of an abandoned cannon, the ghost of a battle which raged some 400 years ago.

The chairman of the district council, Councillor Marika Tribe, officially unveiled the sculpture to the public, councillors and park friends groups at the end of last week.

Councillor Nora Armstrong, the district council's cabinet member for clean and green, said: "Michael Condron's striking sculpture serves as an attractive and clear reminder of Sconce and Devon Park's inextricable links to the English Civil War.

"The Queen's Sconce would have provided Newark's primary defence from invading Parliamentarian forces, who would have struggled to scale the slippery slopes to overpower the well-armoured Royalist forces on top of the earthwork.

"The sconce is still very well preserved and this sculpture provides a tangible link for visitors wanting to learn more about the history of the area. It also fits well with our firm belief that the role of parks has moved on. They're now community hubs for learning, history and entertainment, as well as a free resource for play and exercise."

The £20,000 piece of public art was funded as part of a £1.6 million regeneration of the park largely completed two years ago, after the council successfully applied for Heritage Lottery Fund money.

Believed to date from 1644, the Queen's Sconce is considered a heritage feature of international importance and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It covers three acres of land and is distinctively star-shaped when viewed from the air. It is one of nine siege works remaining in a recognisable state in and around Newark.

During the Civil War Newark came under siege three times. Part of the defence system for the town was a series of sconces - fortifications made of earth. The sconce served as a platform that could provide covering fire in all directions, as well as helping to prevent advance of the enemy, and to protect the town.

From: http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Cannon-sculpture-unveiled-mark-Newark-s-Civil-War/story-16874078-detail/story.html

Booklet - Town’s brewing history on tap (Newark)

A Newark pub has helped to pay for a guide to the town’s malting and brewing heritage to be reprinted.

Just Beer, at Swan and Salmon Yard, paid for the cost of reprinting the Malting And Brewing Trail guided walks, which were created by Newark Civic Trust.

They were paid for by the Newark branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), the Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain, and Nottinghamshire county councillor Mr Stuart Wallace.

The trail looks at landmarks from Newark’s brewing past from the 18th Century to the mid 20th Century.

Mr Duncan Neil, of Just Beer, said they were eager for the leaflets to be reprinted as they kept a supply in the pub.

He said: “When I heard it was out of print I was mortified.

“I was having a conversation with Mr Wallace over a pint and I decided I would help contribute and we would get Newark Camra involved as well.

“Camra is not just about focusing on real ales. It is also about the history and tradition of beer and ale and there is a lot history in this town.

“It is so important that we don’t let this history slip away and die.”

Mr Wallace said he supported the Civic Society’s heritage trails since they were first launched about eight years ago.

He said: “I think Newark is the jewel in Nottinghamshire’s crown and I think these trails are a good way to encourage people to come to the town and enjoy their day here.”

A member of the Civic Trust, Mr Rupert Vinnicombe, said a total of 15,000 copies of the trail had been produced.

Mr Vinnicombe said: “I think it is so important for a place like this, which has such a brewing heritage, to have information about it available especially in a local pub.

“We have eight trails and you can quite often see people walking around town carrying one of the leaflets.”

Mr Vinnicombe said some alterations had been made from the original trail including noting that the maltkilns on Lover’s Lane had been demolished since the first map had been produced.

Copies of the trail are available from Newark Tourist Information Centre, Newark Library, Ann et Vin, Millgate Museum, Newark Town Hall and Just Beer.

All the trails are also available on the Civic Trust website at www.newarkcivictrust.org.uk

l PUBLICISING the reprinted brewing trail leaflets are, from the left, Mr Duncan Neil, Jennie Richards, Mr Stuart Wallace, Mr Rupert Vinnicombe, Mr Michael Hawes, and Mr George Wilkinson.

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Towns-brewing-history-on-tap

Book - Read up on history of printing (Newark)

A history of printing in Newark has been written as the final part of a project funded by a £30,000 Heritage Lottery grant.


Carolyn Drury, of Albert Street, came up with the idea after reading in the Advertiser about the value Newark Local History Society found in the paper’s archives.

She also realised that many young people were unfamiliar with printing before the invention of the computer.

“When I started the research I realised how ignorant I was about the enormous skill involved in being a printer,” she said.

“The long apprenticeships and the passion for their craft fills me with admiration.”

Her book, Printing And The Press, looks at the history of printing in Newark starting in 1788 with James Tomlinson who set up a print shop in Church Street.

He produced the first book to be printed in the town, a copy of which is in Newark Library.

Her book also features information about John Ridge whose print shop was in Newark Market Place. His most important customer was the poet, Lord Bryon, whose family home was Newstead Abbey.

The book looks at the history of the Advertiser and charts its early years when printer William Tomlinson first printed the Newark Advertiser and Farmers’ Journal in 1855, with Mr Samuel Whiles as the editor.

In 1874 Cornelius Brown was appointed editor and moved to live next door to the Advertiser building at 1 Magnus Street.

Carolyn Drury interviewed the Advertiser’s editor-in-chief and chairman, Mr Roger Parlby, and staff.

The book also looks at the town’s printing companies, including Davages Printers, Partners Press, Willsons Printers, Printing. com and For Colour Ltd.

Copies are available from Newark Library and Millgate Museum or by contacting Carolyn Drury at nearlyinstant@gmail.com

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Read-up-on-history-of-printing

News - Newark gets £3.5m fund to create national Civil War museum

Buildings in a Nottinghamshire town are set to become a National Civil War Centre after a £3.5m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund was secured.


Newark and Sherwood District Council plan to restore Newark's Magnus buildings into a museum about the 17th Century war.

The project will cost £5.4m in total and will open in September 2014.

The centre could attract more than 60,000 visitors each year, according to the authority.

Councillor Roger Jackson, the district council's cabinet member for leisure and culture, said: "The new museum will provide a hub for tourism, directing visitors to attractions across the district and Nottinghamshire."

Newark Torc
Newark and Sherwood District Council said it has applied to other grant-funding bodies to make up the rest of the money needed.

The authority has worked with the Heritage Lottery Fund to put together plans to renovate the Magnus buildings, part of which date to 1529.

The Royalists surrendered Newark following a siege in 1646 towards the end of the civil war, which resulted in the defeat of King Charles I by the Parliamentarians.

In addition to Civil War displays, exhibition galleries will focus on the local history of the towns and villages of Nottinghamshire.

The Newark Torc, an Iron Age necklace found using a metal detector near the town, will also be displayed in the centre.

It will be the first time the item will be displayed in the district after being loaned to the British Museum.

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-18267068

Event - Charity status for museum group (Newark)

A group that plans to raise up to £100,000 for Newark’s new Civil War museum has been awarded charity status.


The Friends of Newark and Sherwood Museum Service is working with the district council to create a museum at the Old Magnus Buildings, Appletongate.

The group’s fundraising officer, Anne Coyne, said the charity status was key to the plans to raise between £50,000 and £100,000.

She said it allowed them to apply to grant-making bodies that accepted applications only from registered charities.

An online fundraising website has been created on Localgiving.com

The website has matched funding days, when any donations made online are matched by Localgiving.com Ltd. The next matched funding day is on Monday.

Members of the group will tackle the Trent Vale Challenge next month, a 54-mile walk over four days from East Bridgford to Gainsborough.

The walk, from June 18 to 21, will raise money for the museum service and promote the heritage of the Trent Valley through a series of outreach events and short talks.

Lowe’s Wong Infants’ School, Southwell, and John Blow Primary School, Collingham, will be involved in events run by the museum’s education team.

There will be evening pub quizzes at the Royal Oak, East Bridgford, on June 17, at the Saracen’s Head, Southwell, on June 18, and at The Prince Rupert, Newark, on June 19.

The walk is supported by Trent Vale Landscape Partnership and RWE nPower at Staythorpe Power Station.

The group is also organising a vintage tea party on Saturday, May 26, at Millgate Museum and a tour of the ground floor of the Old Magnus Buildings.

Call Millgate Museum for details on 01636 655730.

Donations for the group can be made online at https://local giving.com/charity/friend sofnewarkandsherwoodmuse umservice

To join the walk or for event details email Anne Coyne on vcoyne@btinternet.com or call 01636 611640.

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Charity-status-for-museum-group

News - Clean Sweep for museum (Newark)

Schools, churches and parish councils could be offered some of the historical items owned by Newark and Sherwood District Council’s museum service.

 

Mr Roger Jackson told the council’s cabinet the museum service owned about 70,000 items, of which 17,000 were on display at Millgate Museum.

He said they needed to look at their collections before renewing their museum accreditation next February. Members agreed that a review of its collections, policies and plans should be carried out.

Mr Jackson said: “We should be looking at quality not quantity and it might be that some items are more appropriate for other areas.”

He said the aim was to go through the collections, come up with a disposal policy and look at what they wanted to keep.

He said some of the items could be returned to their original donors or given to Newark Town Council for its museum. He suggested that items could be given to Ollerton, Southwell and other parts of the county.

Mr Roger Blaney asked if schools could be given appropriate items too so they could start their own local history museum.

He said: “We have an outreach project where the items are taken to schools so could we take them and leave them?”

Mrs Nora Armstrong said churches and parish councils might like to be offered items.

Mr Jackson said they were waiting to hear if their bid for Lottery money to turn the former Magnus buildings on Appletongate, Newark, into a National Civil War Centre had been successful.

He said it was planned to charge for entry into some of the exhibitions and they hoped to borrow relevant artefacts from other museums.

 

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Clean-sweep-for-museum

News - Cannon ball kid digs up Civil War relic (Balderton)

A youngster has had his enthusiasm for history fired up after unearthing a cannon ball in his back garden.


Charlie West, 8, of Kennedy Walk, Balderton, was digging a vegetable patch for his mum at the weekend when he made the discovery, which is believed to date back to the English Civil War.

“I don’t know exactly how old it is, but I know it’s very old,” he said. “I would like to do some research and find out where it came from.”

Charlie’s mother, Mrs Lorraine West, said they hoped to visit Newark and Sherwood District Council’s resource centre on Brunel Drive to try to verify the date of the cannon ball.

“His spade just hit metal. It is amazing it happened to be in the dirt and not under the garage or the path,” she said.

Charlie, a pupil at Chuter Ede Primary School, Balderton, plans to take the cannon ball to show his class on Monday.

During the English Civil War Newark was under siege three times. In the final siege in 1645 Colonel Rossiter, a Parliamentary commander, was camped at Balderton.

Mr Glynn Hopkins, of Carlton-on-Trent, a member of the English Civil War Society, said it was likely the cannon ball wasn’t fired but was left behind by the Parliamentarians.

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Cannon-ball-kid-digs-up-Civil-War-relic

News - War museum passes first planning step (Newark)

District planners have given the green light to plans to create a national Civil War museum in Newark.

The application — put forward by Newark and Sherwood District Council — features a glass extension between the Palace Theatre and the Georgian Old Magnus Buildings, as well as internal and external alterations.

Its planning committee expressed reservations about how a modern glass extension would look, but approved the proposal.

However, because the council cannot determine its own applications, it will go to the Government for a final decision.

The committee was told the buildings had been empty since 2005 and, including the Tudor Hall that dates from 1532, were grade two listed for protection, putting them in the top 6% of heritage assets in the country.

A bid seeking £3.5m has been submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund to pay for the project.

The committee was told the Civil War museum would have national and international significance and could attract 60,000 visitors a year.

It would also feature exhibitions relating to other parts of Newark’s history and the history of the wider area, as well as offering educational and meeting space, a café and a shop.

The vice-chairman, Mr Ben Wells, was the only committee member to vote against the proposal.

He described the glass block as a “carbuncle, a monstrosity to be placed in the centre of Newark” as well as dull, boring and uninspiring.

Mrs Sue Saddington felt the design was too clinical and could be home to flats, a hospital or similar instead of a building of culture.

Mr Dennis Jones suggested the glass frontage be etched with images of Roundheads and Cavaliers.

Mr Julian Hamilton said the buildings’ progression through the ages appeared disjointed.

He said: “It doesn’t look like a museum to me. It doesn’t look appealing. There is a lack of originality.

“However, what is behind the facade will be an iconic museum making Newark a destination rather than a visit.”

The cabinet member for leisure, Mr Roger Jackson, told the committee that the glass and the visible steel girders behind it were necessary to house a complicated lift system opening at different levels and in different directions, a requirement of the Disability Discrimination Act.

The committee felt they would have a chance to tweak the scheme as the process went on.

Committee chairman Mr David Payne said: “It is an important project, an exciting project. It is the council’s own project.”

Describing the glass section of frontage, he said: “It’s novel for Newark but not for the rest of the country.”

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/news/view.asp?id=9d046d1a-a93c-102f-b2bc-83945e1963a8&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

News - Museum bid progresses (Newark)

The creation of a £5m museum at Newark’s Old Magnus Buildings is progressing after councillors agreed to submit a bid for about £3m to the Heritage Lottery Fund. 

Newark and Sherwood District Council’s cabinet agreed to the latest application, after previously receiving £200,000 from the fund to create a design for the project.

The project would see the Old Magnus Buildings, Appletongate, which include the historic Tudor Hall, transformed into a national Civil War museum.

District councillor Mr Roger Jackson, at a meeting last week, said the project was an exciting prospect.

“Hopefully our application for funding will go through and we will be able to create a better museum service in the district and bring a lot more people to Newark and Sherwood and the surrounding area,” he said.

Mr Tony Roberts said the museum would highlight Newark’s role in the nation’s history.

Mr Roger Blaney thought the project would encourage more tourists.

“It will give tourists the justification to come to Newark not just for the day, but to stay,” he said.

 

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Museum-bid-progresses

News - Newark's £5.5m Civil War museum plans move forward

Plans to turn historical buildings in a Nottinghamshire town into a £5.5m national centre about the English Civil War have moved a step closer.

Newark and Sherwood District Council wants to restore Newark's Magnus buildings into a museum incorporating exhibiting about the 17th Century war.

The authority has now submitted a bid for £3.5m of funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

It will learn if the application has been successful in May.

'Exciting time'

Councillor Roger Jackson, the district council's cabinet member for leisure and culture, said the museum and learning centre could be opened in 2014 if the funding bid was successful.

He said: "It's a very exciting time for Newark. We've got a business plan put together and hopefully we could generate an income from having the museum. 

"Hopefully it will bring a lot more people into the town as well and bring more money into the town."

The council has been working with the HLF to put together plans to renovate the Magnus buildings, part of which date back to 1529.

The Royalists surrendered Newark following a siege in 1646 towards the end of the civil war, which resulted in the defeat of King Charles I by the Parliamentarians.

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-16808781

News - The winners and losers of ACE's major museum funding (Notts/South Yorkshire)

Today's announcement of major museum funding from Arts Council England (ACE) is generally sound. It's reassuring that by applying strict criteria and a transparent process ACE has arrived at a pretty well-balanced portfolio of major partner museums — with one or two exceptions.

The list of 16 successful applicants includes most of the great Victorian city museums in England such as Bristol, Birmingham, Newcastle (as part of Tyne and Wear Archives & Museums), several in Manchester, the Fitzwilliam and the pre-Victorian Ashmolean.

All well deserve their funding.

But there are striking omissions: in Yorkshire there's no Sheffield, Hull or Bradford. And there's nothing in the whole of the East Midlands – no Leicester, no Nottingham, which is a fairly predictable effect of the requirement for major partner museums to have a collection officially designated as of national significance. Neither Nottingham nor Leicester are designated.

There were always going to be winners and losers in the rush for the £20m of major grants funds and ACE will be working hard to fill the East Midlands gap using some of its £15m strategic support fund that still remains to be allocated.

For the next year most of that strategic support money will go to museum services that used to get Renaissance funding from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), but now are not in the major museums club.

As well as those I've mentioned already, other casualties in need of care include smaller museums that have been doing fantastic and innovative work over the past few years such as Luton, Coventry, Chatham, Preston and Colchester.

I empathise with these museums, and others that achieved such good things with their Renaissance funds. But in the longer term they have a good chance of getting strategic funds.

An interesting fact: apart from the East Midlands, with its big round zero, every English region has exactly two major partner museums, although in some cases these include three museum services and many more museum sites. In fact no less than six services are funded in the North West. And of 45 former Renaissance-funded museum services, only 21 are in, some as part of a consortium, and 24 are out.

In all there were 29 eligible applications for funding, seeking a total of around £40m a year against the £20m available. That £20m is to be split between 16 major partners, consisting of single museums, museum services and consortia.

The 16 are members of an elite club: not only will they be regarded as a sector leadership group by ACE, but they are all being invited to join the great and good in the National Museum Directors' Conference. They'll also get highly desirable three-year funding agreements, something the over-bureaucratic MLA has never managed to achieve.

Shockingly, not a single Renaissance hub has survived intact. The only bright, shining partnership spots are Beamish and Bowes in the North East, Exeter and Plymouth in the South West and Oxford University and Oxfordshire. From one point of view, today's announcement is a little disappointing in its robustness and safe predictability – I'd hoped the new assessment process would give just a few more imaginative and unexpected groupings.

The only innovation is in Cumbria, where two museum trusts have partnered with Carlisle's Tullie House Museum. The Cumbria group stands out as appealing, inventive and new.

Overall, there are just three new funding recipients: the two in the Cumbria consortium and Thinktank, by dint of its merging with Birmingham Museums in a new mega-trust. The lack of novelty is understandable; it would be hard, if not impossible, to support major funding for entirely new bids when so many good — even excellent — Renaissance museums have lost out.

And I remain optimistic; there's still £15m a year to play for and that can both support some of the losers and allow a few new, bright sparks in.

From: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture-professionals-network/culture-professionals-blog/2012/jan/24/winners-losers-museum-funding?newsfeed=true

Event - Help needed with war centenary exhibition (Newark)

Volunteers are being sought from the Newark area to help with an ambitious project to mark the centenary of the first world war in 2014.

 

An exhibition will begin on August 4, 2014 — a century to the day Britain declared war on Germany — at Nottingham Castle and will continue until Remembrance Sunday that year.

A large amount of work is needed before the exhibition starts and people with an interest in the war are being asked to help.

The project is being led on a voluntary basis by Major John Cotterill, of the 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment (Worcesters and Foresters).

 

He is a trustee of the Sherwood Foresters Museum.

He said the Trent To The Trenches exhibition would explain the impact the war had on Nottinghamshire.

The conflict claimed the lives of about 11,000 people from the county.

A launch day for volunteers takes place at Nottingham Castle at 10.30am on January 22, for which people need to register.

Major Cotterill said there were several components to the project, being jointly funded by Nottinghamshire county and Nottingham city councils.

A database will be compiled with the details of every person from Nottinghamshire who died in the war.

 

Large data screens will be displayed at the exhibition mapping casualties by parish so visitors can view those who died in their area. The database will be available online.

Major Cotterill said volunteers were needed to research names from war memorials and hoped someone could co-ordinate the work in Newark and Sherwood.

About 1,500 people from the district died in the war.

Another part of the project is to bring war memorials to life through volunteers giving talks at memorials about those commemorated and their links to the area.

These talks will be throughout 2014.

Tours will be organised of war memorials of particular significance, such as those that include noteworthy names.

Enthusiasts are needed to identify which memorials in Newark and Sherwood should be included, and help research and deliver their part of the tour.

The impact the war had on organisations such as sports teams, factories and businesses also needs to be researched.

Those with links to schools are asked to come forward to help organise the involvement of children, which is expected both in the school holidays and in term time.

During the exhibition experts will be on hand to help visitors research their family links to the war.

Antiques Roadshow-style events will enable people to bring along first world war-related items so they discover more about them.

The exhibition will take up the ground floor of Nottingham Castle. People with an interest in design are being invited to help with the layout.

Young people in particular are being encouraged to get involved and may be able to earn a qualification through their contribution.

Anyone interested should contact Major Cotterill on 0115 957 2010 or 07733458971, or email john.cotterill613@mod.uk or john.cotterill@btinternet.com

 

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Help-needed-with-war-centenary-exhibition

News - Roman ear pick among artefacts for adoption in Newark

A Roman ear pick is one of 18 items put up for adoption to raise funds for a Nottinghamshire museum.

Newark's Millgate Museum's adopt-an-artefact initiative will help towards a new national centre for Civil War learning in the town.

Objects have been chosen by museum staff from the 60,000 items in stores.

Sue Rodgers, from The Friends of Newark and Sherwood Museum Service, said the scheme was a way for everyone to engage with the heritage of their local area.

Other artefacts chosen include a pair of ladies' shoes from 1817 and a Roman lead coffin discovered at Brough in 1971 which held the skeleton of a young female dating from 300AD.

For donating a minimum of £10, people will receive a certificate of adoption and an information sheet on their chosen object.

Bryony Robins, from Millgate Museum, said: "Hopefully it will get people interested in the collection and raise awareness of the museum's extensive stores, which are open to the public on request."

Adopt-an-artefact

Items up for adoption include...

• A Roman Cavalry Helmet's copper cheek piece
• A post-medieval gold pendant
• A polished stone axe head
• A military tunic
• An Anglo-Saxon gold cross pendant

The scheme is the first of several fundraising projects planned by the Friends of Newark and Sherwood Museum Service who aim to raise between £50,000 and £100,000 for the Civil War Centre over the coming years.

The museum, on Appleton Gate, is expected to cost about £5m and is due to open in 2014.

Newark and Sherwood District Council has received about £200,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to carry out initial development work on the museum.

It will be bidding for a further £3.4m in February, with most of the money being used to restore the Old Magnus building which is housing the exhibits.

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-16197010

Course - Trent Vale Oral History (Newark/Beckingham)

Interested in Oral History?  In the new year there are two Oral History Workshops for individuals and community groups, arranged through the Trent Vale Landscape Partnership.  The course is free and all are welcome, but you will need to book.

 The courses will be delivered by Colin Hyde from the East Midlands Oral History Archive (EMOHA). Dates/locations are:

Tuesday 1^st May 2012, Harthill Room, British Waterways Building, Newark 10am to 4pm

Thursday 14^th June 2012, Beckingham Willow Works, Meeting Room 10am to 4pm

(times to be fully confirmed).

  There is space for around 12 people per course. It will cover the following:

• Setting up a project, why? How?
• Linking with local resources, museums and collections
• Contacting interviewees
• Developing subjects
• Developing questions
• Conducting interviews – process and structure
• Recording, managing and storing information
• Where to go from there…

Groups or individuals who have recording equipment can bring that along too and use of these can be included in the workshop.

If you want to come along please can you book with Helen Keating;

07884 392429, helen.keating@britishwaterways.co.uk

Via Community Archaeology e-mail

Event - Chance to adopt an artefact (Newark)

An Anglo-Saxon gold cross, a lead coffin, the bell from HMS Newark and a Roman silver earpick are among historic objects being offered for adoption as part of a fundraising initiative.

Mrs Rae Elliott, with an 18th Century smock, and Mr Glyn Hughes, with the bell from HMS Newark. (051211MW4-23)

The Friends of Newark and Sherwood Museum Service will launch the adopt-an-object initiative a week today.

Money raised will help with the restoration of the Old Magnus Buildings on Appletongate, where a new museum is being planned.

People will be able to browse displays at Millgate Museum, Newark, from 6pm to 9pm to see some of the objects not usually seen by the public.

Objects can be adopted for a minimum donation of £10 per year.

In return, people will receive a certificate of adoption, an information sheet on the adopted object and a credit on the group’s website for the duration of the adoption.

For more information contact Millgate Museum on 01636 655730.

From:  http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/news/view.asp?id=8a7b1e0a-7231-102f-ad62-73917bb4195d&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter