Monkwearmouth Station Museum Railway Wagon Restoration Project – The Restoration Begins!

Collections & Objects   Exhibitions   Local History
Posted by administrator on June 10, 2011     Permalink     Comments (2)

Moving the wagons outside

The most exciting part of our Wagon Restoration Project began several weeks ago with the arrival of tradesmen from Rampart Carriage & Wagon Services to Monkwearmouth.  With their bespoke shed finished (and looking fantastic!) the wagons are currently undergoing a meticulous restoration.  The two wagons, a Covered Carriage Truck and a Goods Brake Van, both played significant roles in the history of the region; the movement of freight on the railways was critical for the social and economic development of Britain and the prosperity of the North East.  When the restoration is complete, visitors will have an opportunity to explore this exciting piece of Sunderland’s railway heritage in an immersive new display.  But first, the restoration…!

Restoration work on the Goods Brake Van's roof begins

Before we could embark on this exciting project, we needed to determine exactly what restoration work the wagons required.  Our Engineering Conservation Officer created a report, outlining the work to be done.  He concluded that the wood timbers and framing on the body and steps of the wagons were rotted, and need to be replaced.  The metal work was declared mainly sound, but a significant amount of surface corrosion needs to be cleared.  Additionally, the roofs of both wagons are weathered and show signs of deterioration.

Inside the Covered Carriage Truck

Inside the Goods Brake Van

Once we knew which aspects of the wagons required attention, we were able to create a tender documentation, outlining the project.  In November we made initial contact with five restoration companies, and by January had received detailed tenders from two companies.  We were particularly impressed with Rampart Carriage & Wagon Services’ proven track record and competitive pricing.  Following an interview in February, we selected Rampart for the project, and the restoration work began in mid-May.

Inside Rampart's workshop in Derby, where some of the restoration work will occur

Rampart, based in Derby, employs a team of multi-skilled tradesmen who plan to finish the restoration project within seven weeks. With a flexible and innovative approach to the project, their commitment and skills will ensure integrity and recognition of the historical status of the wagons as well as their particular conservation requirements.  Rampart has previous experience with timber framed vehicles, having successfully restored a 1912 Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway dynamometer car, a 1921 Pullman observation car, a 1948 Southern Railway brake coach, and a 1951 Great Western Railway sleeping car.

1921 Pullman observation car before restoration

1921 Pullman observation car after Rampart's restoration

As the restoration project unfolds, we find ourselves once again in the tendering process.  The next step is to interview and appoint a team of designers to assist us with our innovative, interactive display in the Sidings shed.  The project will be completed in the autumn, but visitors can stop by before that to see for themselves how the wagon restoration is progressing.

Royal Wedding Party

Arbeia South Shields' Roman Fort
Posted by administrator on June 9, 2011     Permalink     Comments (1)

26th April 2011 – Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens

To celebrate the Royal Wedding, Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens organised a party to celebrate it.

There were lots of fun activities to participate in from crown making to colouring in paper plates.  It was an incredibly busy day, and loads and loads of kids came along to join in the party/activity day.

 

 

 

One of the crowns we made

The volunteers were in charge of handing out crown parts (red or blue strips, card and tissue paper) and we were also responsible for fixing the paper parts together after the kids had decorated them with stickers, glitter and pens. I think the crowns looked really nice once they had been put together.

To make a crown:

– Decorate the red/blue strips and cross them over in the centre

– put a dab of glue in the centre of the strips to hold them together, and at each end of the strips and attach to a circle of tissue paper

– cut a strip of card to the size of your head and staple the ends together into a circle

– attach the tissue to the inside of the crown using tape

There was also ring making, which I was in charge of; I had to cut out a strip of gold card for each child which they then decorated with a big plastic gem stone and a row of stickers to imitate Kate Middletons engagement ring.

There was also lots of colouring sheets for younger children to enjoy or they could make a commemorative plate using stickers of Kate and Wills.


Stormy times

Art   Collections & Objects   Collections Management   Discovery Museum   Education   Exhibitions   Local History   Military History
Posted by administrator on June 6, 2011     Permalink     Leave a comment
With the Exhibition of Siege and Storm at Discovery Museum came a rather challenging conservation job.
This is how the painting came into the studio. some areas had had varnish removed and the canvas had started to detach from the stretcher bars

Deep within the bowels of the Shipley Art Gallery a rather damaged painting of Charles the first was flagged up on our documentation system as a subject of possible interest for the coming exhibition.    

 At first when I looked at it my heart sank. It was in such a poor state I wasn’t sure if we had the time to get it treated in time. Still I like a challenge and this one was definitely a challenge.  

 The painting is of Charles the 1st and is a rather fine copy of a picture held in the National Portrait Gallery.  At first glance it appeared that it was painted on a very old canvas but this proved to be a lining which was covering the original 18th C canvas. The dimensions of the painting had been altered when the two canvases had been pasted together and the image had been extended both top and bottom.  

the brittle and detached backing canvas was removed so the back of the original canvas could be accessed

The old adhesive was removed from the back of the painting

Whilst undergoing treatment to the back of the canvas a protective coating of paper was applied to the front. In this picture the coating is being removed after the back has been cleaned and the edges have been reinforced with new strips of material so the canvas can be attached securely to its stretcher again.

The facing  and the old discoloured vanish was then removed. The canvas distortions were treated and then all other structural problems such as holes and tears were repaired 

Hole before treatment

hole after treatment

 these were then reinforced with some gauze for strength 

back of canvas with tear repairs

After all of the holes had been repaired the canvas was re-attached to its stretcher and any losses were filled ready for re-touching

This is how the painting looked after treatment. the areas around the edges are coverd by the frame now

 All off the losses were filled and retouched using reversible materials and a final varnish was applied. The varnish helps to saturate out the colours giving the darker colours more depth. it also helps to protect the surface from damage. 

The painting is now part of the Siege and Storm exhibition and this will no doubt be displayed many times more now that he’s received a bit of love and attention. Long Live the King!   

Getting put in the picture with BFI Mediatheque Volunteers’ Film Club

Discovery Museum   The Archives   Volunteering
Posted by administrator on June 3, 2011     Permalink     Leave a comment

The BFI Mediatheque Volunteers’ Film Club was created as a result of a meeting between the volunteers, Carolyn Ball (Archives & Records Services Manager), Lauren Prince (Culture Track Project Co-ordinator) and myself. The volunteers wanted to have greater ownership and involvement with BFI Mediatheque and the group thought that a Volunteers’ Film Club was the ideal way to achieve this.  

The group met in May to review and discuss The Optimists of Nine Elms, starring Peter Sellers. The film was Malcolm Hunter’s choice and something of a favourite of his. The Optimists of Nine Elms is a gentle story about two children and their relationship with Sam, an old man who is a busker (played by Peter Sellers) and his faithful dog companion, Bella.

The film was one of Peter Sellers’ own personal favourites and Malcolm had some interesting facts about his approach to the role. Malcolm informed the group that Sellers based his accent on an old music hall entertainer called Wilfred Pickles. Sellers’ parents were music hall entertainers and he was a child entertainer himself. Malcolm went on to say that Sellers actually thought he was channelling the spirit of another music hall entertainer called Dan Leno during his performance as Sam.

Although Malcolm is something of an expert on the film, some of the group had never seen or even heard of it before, including myself. Nevertheless, it got a good response from everyone. Sam Trounson summed it up as “a wonderful mix of farce, comedy and tragedy”.

For such a gentle film, The Optimists of Nine Elms looked at some quite big themes, such as family, friendship, and the hopes, dreams and aspirations of childhood.

Comparing the roles of Sam and the children’s father, it was thought that Sam almost became a replacement father for the children. The children didn’t see much of their real father because he was always working, albeit for a good reason which was to afford a better house for the family.

The parents were practical but didn’t have any big dreams. At the end, Sam reminds the father that looking after children isn’t just about “filling their bellies with bread and butter” but also about “filling their heads with bread and butter” – that is, letting them have dreams, use their imagination and have adventures. This is a valuable lesson for the father to learn.

Although a few actors were in the running for the role, the group agreed that Peter Sellers was the perfect choice to play Sam.

The group thought the ending was moving (the children give their dog to Sam to replace Bella when she dies) and semi-happy. Hopefully, the dog will give the children an excuse to keep visiting Sam.

The next film the Volunteers’ Film Club will watch is When I’m 64, and the group will get together to discuss it in June. Everyone is enjoying the opportunity to watch some gems in BFI Mediatheque and to be budding film critics. Move over, Barry Norman!

Social History Volunteers at South Shields Museum

Collections & Objects   Collections Management   Local History   Maritime History   Social History   South Shields Museum & Art Gallery   Volunteering
Posted by administrator on June 1, 2011     Permalink     Comments (9)
Volunteers' Week logo

Volunteers' Week, 1-7 June 2011

1 to 7 June is Volunteers’ Week, an annual event which celebrates the fantastic contribution that millions of volunteers make across the UK. The Week helps to raise the profile of the countless volunteers who regularly contribute to society, while inspiring others to get involved too.

I’d like to pay tribute to the dedication of my volunteer team at South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, who work alongside me in researching, cataloguing and making accessible the Museum’s fascinating social history collection.

South Shields Museum staff and volunteers

Staff and volunteers at South Shields Museum & Art Gallery

The first volunteer I ‘recruited’ was Dorothy in 2008. Dorothy had been instrumental in securing an important collection of artefacts relating to the South Shields born poet and author James Kirkup, for South Shields Museum, and in 2008 she agreed to help with the cataloguing of these items.

Portrait of James Kirkup

Portrait of James Kirkup by Maurice Feild. TWCMS : 2007.5814

They included several beautifully crafted silk kimonos (owned by James when he lived and worked in Japan); an oil painting by Maurice Feild of James as a young man; a typewriter used by James to draft many of his works; as well as other personal family mementoes, including a barometer owned by James’ Granny Kirkup who lived on Ada Street in Westoe, South Shields.

James Kirkup wearing a kimono

James Kirkup wearing a kimono, 1960s. TWCMS : 2011.282

Dorothy, a retired schoolteacher, has admired James’ work since her student days, and she now curates the James Kirkup Collection, which is housed between South Shields Museum and South Tyneside Central Library, following James’ death in 2009.

Click here to go to the James Kirkup Collection website (opens in a new window).

Following on from Dorothy’s success at cataloguing the Kirkup items at the Museum, I persuaded (she might say coerced!) her to stay on and catalogue a collection of photographs taken by Miss Amy C. Flagg, showing the grounds of her house at Westoe Village, South Shields, in the 1930s and 1940s. Amy lived in a grand villa called Chapel House, with a large adjoining garden, and her photos also record bomb damage to the house and garden during the Second World War.

Amy Flagg of Westoe Village, South Shields

'Miss Flagg of Westoe Village', a watercolour by Albert Ernest Black, 1955. TWCMS : K20722

Chapel House, Westoe Village, South Shields

Chapel House, Westoe Village, South Shields. TWCMS : 2008.3372

News of Dorothy’s volunteering endeavours at the Museum soon spread, and it wasn’t long before she was joined by another keen recruit, Margaret. Dorothy and Margaret teamed up for the next task – to sort through, research and catalogue a large collection of personal effects owned by the late James Shepherd Hooper, a sea captain who was born in South Shields in 1894. The Hooper Collection is a fascinating record of one man’s life and career at sea, including service in both World Wars.

James Hooper in Merchant Navy dress uniform

James Hooper in Merchant Navy dress uniform, First World War. TWCMS : 2009.2162

Dorothy and Margaret did such a sterling job with the Hooper Collection that they won the ‘Collection Care Award’ at the North East Regional Museums Hub Volunteer Awards in 2009.

I’m convinced that good things come in pairs, because I was soon to gain not one but two new volunteers, Jean and Wendy. With a passion for local history and plenty of enthusiasm, Jean and Wendy set about their first task – to research and catalogue a collection of items relating to Mr Maurice W. Mackay, a sea captain in the Merchant Navy who received medals in 1917 and 1919 for his actions in connection with enemy submarines and for saving lives at sea.

Medals awarded to Maurice Mackay

Medals awarded to Maurice W. Mackay. TWCMS : 2009.5232, TWCMS : 2009.5233

Between them, Dorothy, Margaret, Jean and Wendy have helped to research and document many items at the Museum. In addition to the projects mentioned above, they have also worked on a fascinating collection of items relating to Joseph Cunningham, who ran a hairdressing business from the front room of his terraced house in South Shields, from the 1930s to the 1960s; a collection of glass slides, taken by members of the South Shields Photographic Society in the 1920s; a large collection of 35mm slides taken in the 1960s and 1970s by South Shields resident Ronald Sanderson; a set of caricatures depicting local sporting personalities, drawn by Mr J. Foreman of Whitley Bay in the 1930s (using the pseudonym ‘Bos’); photographs taken in the 1970s and 1980s by Bob Renaut, a lecturer in art, design and photography at South Shields Marine & Technical College; and many more items and collections besides.

Launch of the Turkistan at Readhead's shipyard, South Shields

Launch of the Turkistan at Readhead's shipyard, South Shields, early 1960s. Photographed by Ronald Sanderson. TWCMS : 2010.253

Having a dedicated team of volunteers working with me at South Shields Museum is so beneficial; Dorothy, Margaret, Jean and Wendy are passionate about their local history and have a wealth of local knowledge, which is something that I constantly draw upon, not being from the North East myself. But, with their help and guidance, I’m learning!

I’d like to say a big thank you to my volunteers at South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, and to the 500+ individuals who volunteer at Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums venues each year.

If you’d like to find out more about some of the projects mentioned above, check out Dorothy’s and Jean & Wendy’s blog posts.