News - Newstead Abbey Byron Society calls for higher security

A Nottinghamshire literary society is calling for security to be increased at Newstead Abbey after it was targeted by thieves twice in a week.

Several lengths of lead piping were removed from the building last week and days later more pipes had disappeared. 

Newstead Abbey Byron Society said the metal thefts should not have happened.

Nottingham City Council said it has been liaising with English Heritage and Nottinghamshire Police and had stepped up security with a range of measures.

Newstead Abbey, the ancestral home of poet Lord Byron was founded by Henry II as an Augustinian priory in the 12th Century and is one of eight city council-owned museums.

'Secluded and isolated'

Ken Purslow, chair of the society, said the large historic house needed to be better protected by the Nottingham authority.

"Newstead is obviously dark at night, secluded and isolated," he said. "The city council know perfectly well that this isn't the first time they've been subjected to criminal activity.

"In the past, tractors and gang mowers have been stolen, workman's huts and storage blocks have been broken into and things have been taken.

"So the council was aware that there's a problem long before this came to light."

Mr Purslow said the drain piping was "beautifully crafted architectural work of art", which had distinctive emblems in the lead and scrap metal dealers would recognise its historic value. 

He added that the cost of replacing the pipes would be "enormous".

Ron Inglis, service manager for Nottingham City museums and galleries, said people stealing lead from its historic buildings was a widespread problem.

"It's happened to our other museums," he said. "We do have security measures in place and we do our best to stop this sort of thing... we take it very, very seriously."

Mr Inglis said he believed the metal thefts at Newstead Abbey were "well organised" and while a police investigation was being carried out the remaining "accessible lead" had been removed.

He added that they had contacted scrap dealers in the hope of recovering the lead pipes.

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-16136533

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