Event - Celebration day as institute turns 175 (Epworth)

ARTEFACTS dating back almost 200 years are to go on display at a major event showcasing Epworth’s heritage.


An open day is being held to mark the 175th anniversary of Epworth Mechanics’ Institute Library which will include a timeline depicting the area’s history.

The timeline will feature details of events and activities at the institute since it was opened by businessman William Read in 1873. It is now one of the last remaining institutes in the country.

There will also be a display of old pictures of the Isle of Axholme and copies of the Epworth Bells dating back more than 100 years will be available for people to look at.

Volunteer Chris Pledger, 56, of Sandtoft Road, Belton, said: “This is a major event in the calendar for Epworth and we want as many people as possible to come along and join in the fun.

“It is a great chance to find out about the history of the institute and Epworth in general. People can also see the great work we do here and see what activities are on offer.

“We also have details of Mr William Read who was an eminent local businessman, draper, publisher and grocer.

“The timeline looks fantastic and it has taken a fair few months to pull together through research. You never know, there might be details of some of your friends or family members.”

The celebrations will take place between 10am and 3pm on Saturday, October 20.

A raffle has been organised with the chance to win a number of prizes donated by businesses. Top prize is a 30 minute flight for two from the Real Aeroplane Club near Howden.

A number of community groups and organisations will also have stalls selling everything from books to cakes.

In addition staff will be asking for donations to a fund which will pay for the restoration of old copies of the Bells.

The mechanics’ institute was historically used as a place to provide education to adults, with a specific focus on technical subjects. It was housed in many places before finding its current home in the Manor Court House in Market Square in 1949.

From: http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/doncaster-news/celebration-day-as-institute-turns-175-1-5009466

TV - Spooner gives us window on past (BBC1 Hidden Paintings Sunday 10.25)

AS a painter, Arthur Spooner was a historian's dream. Notts' great painter lived from 1873 to 1962, so his early work was done at a time when photography was more rudimentary and less readily available.

So when strapping TV historian Dan Snow began looking into the artist's work, he liked what he saw.

"It's an incredible treasure trove as to what Nottingham and Nottinghamshire looked like at that time," he said.

"It was a surprising bit of research and it was so exciting to find out how rich and full of detail his paintings were. He was painting like a photographer. As a historian it's the most fantastic source. We were just thrilled to have him,"

"We" includes the team Dan brought to film Hidden Paintings, a BBC documentary airing on Sunday in partnership with the Public Catalogue Foundation, an organisation working to track and display images of all publicly owned oil paintings across the UK.

When the foundation released its Notts book several years ago, it was a revelation – thousands of paintings, some hidden in plain sight in modest public buildings. They tell the story of a place.

And few tell that story better than the works of Arthur Spooner, as Dan found when he began exploring Notts with local historians and art experts.

"They took us on like a treasure hunt around the region," he said. "Armed with those paintings, we had a real understanding with what the region looked like at the time."

Spooner's most famous painting, the image of Goose Fair that hangs in the museum at Nottingham Castle, gets a look-in. But his painting of Welbeck Abbey plays a more important role in the programme.

"It was a fascinating one," Dan said of the Welbeck work. "I've known about the Goose Fair paintings for years and my dad (TV presenter Peter Snow) lived in Nottinghamshire for years so we knew a bit about what happened there."

Dan's a huge fan of the Public Catalogue Foundation and the work it does making publicly owned artwork easier to find and more accessible for the people who own it.

Which is, of course, all of us.

"It's just a fantastic project," he said. "It's a brilliantly logical project.

"We own this artwork, and it's amazing that it's there for us."

Hidden Paintings airs on BBC One this Sunday at 10:25pm.

To learn more about the Public Catalogue Foundation, visit thepcf.org.uk

From: http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Spooner-gives-window-past/story-12827684-detail/story.html