NUFC. For the love of football

Collections & Objects   Discovery Museum   Social History
Posted by administrator on December 8, 2010     Permalink     Comments (5)

NUFC badge

The next exhibition that I am curating at Discovery Museum is all about Newcastle United. I’m working with Mick Edmondson who owns The Backpage, a sporting memorabilia shop in Newcastle. He is a massive Newcastle fan and has an amazing collection of Newcastle United material.

Apparently there was going to be a Newcastle United ice-cream! Unfortunately it was never launched.

Hughie Gallacher’s Championship shirt, 1926-27

Hughie Gallacher’s Championship shirt, 1926-27

Football is a serious business in the North East and I hope the exhibition will show the highs and the lows of NUFC over the years.

The exhibition will be opening on the 29th January 2011.

Focus on the collections (part 2) – The library of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne

Archaeology   Books   Great North Museum: Hancock   Local History   Social History
Posted by administrator on December 6, 2010     Permalink     Comments (4)

In my last blog update I started looking at the three different collections housed in the library at the Great North Museum: Hancock. This month I’m going to tell you about the library of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Ephemeris Epigraphica, Rome, 1872-1913

Ephemeris Epigraphica, Rome, 1872-1913

The Society of Antiquaries was founded in 1813 by members of the Literary and Philosophical Society who had a particular interest in archaeology and history, and since its formation the library has been at the heart of the Society. The library was originally set up through donations of manuscripts and books and was first housed in the Castle Keep. After a couple more relocations it was finally moved to the Black Gate in 1911, where it stayed until its move to the Great North Museum: Hancock in 2009.

A detail from: Joseph Crawhall’s Olde ffrendes wyth newe faces, London, 1883.

A detail from: Joseph Crawhall’s Olde ffrendes wyth newe faces, London, 1883.

 

The focus of the Society’s library is on local history, architecture and archaeology. There is a section on Roman Britain which contains a wide range of publications on the Roman frontier in the North East and in particular a number of books about Hadrian’s Wall. Books on the history of Newcastle and Northumberland contain a wealth of local information, and local directories and poll books provide a fascinating source of primary evidence. There is a large section on coins and this includes books on Greek and Roman coinage as well as mints and seals.

The library contains many books published before 1850. Of particular interest are many locally published books, for example Henry Bourne’s History of Newcastle upon Tyne, printed in Newcastle in 1736.

Image from: Henry Bourne’s The history of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1736.

Image from: Henry Bourne’s The history of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1736.

As well as books the library also contains over 1500 tracts (pamphlets) and over 200 journal titles. Both the tracts and journals are a treasure trove of historical and archaeological information, the tracts in particular contain material of real local interest. 

The library also holds complete sets of the Society’s own publications: the Proceedings and Archaeologia Aeliana, which contain articles covering all aspects of the history of the North East, from prehistory to the present.

title page of Archaeologia Aeliana, vol. 1, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1822.

title page of Archaeologia Aeliana, vol. 1, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1822.

Many of the Society of Antiquaries’ books have been entered onto Newcastle University library catalogue and we hope to add many more over the next year. Archival material belonging to the Society of Antiquaries is now kept at Northumberland Record Office at Woodhorn.

Everyone is welcome to look at the Society’s books and journals, for library opening times please visit the Museum’s website. or phone (0191) 222 3555 for more details.

If you want to find out more about the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne take a look at their website.  

Some new books in the Society of Antiquaries collection

Northern rock : the use of Egglestone marble for monuments in medieval England / Sally Badham, Geoff Blacker, 2009.

John Bewick : engraver on wood, 1760-1795 : an appreciation of his life together with an annotated catalogue of his illustrations and designs / by Nigel Tattersfield, 2001.

Manuscripts from the Anglo-Saxon age / Michelle P. Brown, 2007.

Roman clothing and fashion / Alexandra Croom, (new ed.), 2010.

Jesmond : from mines to mansions / Alan Morgan, 2010.

Culture Track Museums Careers Conference

Discovery Museum   Volunteering
Posted by administrator on December 1, 2010     Permalink     Leave a comment

On August 13th, we hosted the first ‘Culture Track Museum Careers Conference’ at the Discovery Museum. It was an action packed day, to give volunteers the opportunity to find out more about museum careers through interactive workshops, presentations, and networking opportunities.

Volunteers participating in the Conservation Workshop

Bill Griffiths, Senior Manager Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, talked to the volunteers about how to run museums and galleries. Then the volunteers had the chance to have a go and participate in a variety of workshops to learn more about; curating exhibitions; conserving objects; how exhibitions are built; creating educational sessions; marketing museums and raising money for museums. They could even have a go at curating their own art exhibition in a scale model of the Shipley Art Gallery and to get their hands on some real museum objects!

Behind the scenes tour from Brian Porter, Technician who builds the exhibitions

David Greatrex, who previously volunteered with Culture Track and has since moved into employment as a Museum Assistant at the Laing Art Gallery, gave a really inspirational talk about the importance of volunteering and how it helped him gain relevant experience to help secure his job.

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Volunteers getting a closer look at museum objects. What material is this and how would you conserve it?

The volunteers and staff really enjoyed the day and I would love to do this again in the future.

“It was a day I shall remember for a very long time. The members of your team gave an insight into the day to day running of a museum and helped to give an overall picture of all the different facets which make up the whole.” Comment from volunteer.

Curating an exhibition in the scale model of the Shipley Art Gallery

If you’re interested you can even watch selected highlights from the conference below.

Video of presentation – Top Tips When Applying for Jobs in Museums and Galleries

Monkwearmouth Station Museum Railway Wagon Restoration Project – The Beginning

Volunteering
Posted by administrator on November 25, 2010     Permalink     Leave a comment

Following on from the refurbishment of Monkwearmouth Station Museum in 2007 a new building to house the two historically significant railway wagons displayed in the Sidings since 1977 was planned. The wagons, a prototype Goods Brake Van built at Shildon in 1915 and a Covered Carriage Truck built, according to records, at York in 1939, have suffered from being out in the open in all weathers and are in need of restoration to bring them back to good order.

Covered Carriage Truck

 

Goods Brake Van

It is clearly not worth spending money on them just to sit out in the open again. Plans to provide a shelter building started to be drawn up in earnest in 2008, money having been secured from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. Construction started in May this year and that building is now complete and was handed over to the Museum on 9 November. The wagons were ceremonially winched into their new home on the following day, Wednesday 10th November.

The Shed

Inside the Shed

In the meantime a lot of work by the staff of Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums to secure funding for the restoration work and grants have been awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, The Fund for the Preservation of Industrial and Scientific Material (PRISM), Garfield Weston Foundation, Trusthouse Charitable Foundation, Tyne & Wear Museums Archives & Museums Business Partners and Friends of Sunderland Museums (FOSUMS). This has raised £145,806 to not only restore the wagons but to also have first class interpretation and develop a learning programme to involve members of the community and interested people to be involved and to learn about their heritage through both formal and informal learning events and projects. If you are interested in being involved in the project please contact me and let me know.

Winching the new vehicles in

winching the new vehicles in

Through me as your guide through this blog you will be able to learn about the project, the people and the processes involved. If there is more you want to know ask me what and I will ask our team of specialists to provide the answer if it is not something I can not help you with myself. You will meet them all here as the project progresses through its various stages towards its completion and the opening of the new attraction due in September 2011.

The first thing we must do is dry the wagons out having stood out in the rain (and there has been a lot of it recently) and so they will be left to dry out in their new home for about three weeks. This will give us time to appoint the restoration contractor to do the specialist reconstruction work and the design consultant who will lead on the interpretation.

winching the new vehicles in

 

the wagons established in their new home

Watch this space for more on the background of the project and updates! Next time, learn more about the two wagons themselves

A Revolta da Chibata – ‘The Revolt of the Lash’, November 22nd 1910

Maritime History
Posted by administrator on November 22, 2010     Permalink     Comments (6)
On this day 100 years ago, 22nd November 1910, sailors on board the Brazilian battleship, Minas Gerais, mutinied and took control of their ship. So, you might reasonably ask, what has that got to do with Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums? Well, four ships took part in the revolt of which Minas Gerais, and the light cruiser, Bahia, were both built by Armstrong Whitworth at Elswick (a district of Newcastle) on the River Tyne. At the time Minas Gerais was the most powerful dreadnought battleship in the world and Bahia was the fastest cruiser.
Artist’s impression of ‘Minas Gerais’ on the launch card

Artist’s impression of ‘Minas Gerais’ on the launch card

The revolt was so serious because of the huge destructive power that would have been unleashed if Minas Gerais had fired her broadside of ten 12 inch guns at Rio de Janeiro. The crews of both Minas Gerais and Bahia had been sent to Newcastle to learn how to operate their ships and then to sail them back to Brazil. It is believed that the men’s experience on Tyneside, including their exposure to trade unionism, may have influenced their decision to revolt. After fitting out and sea trials both ships sailed for Brazil early in 1910.

Minas Gerais firing a broadside of her 12 inch guns

Minas Gerais firing a broadside of her 12 inch guns

Leaving aside the Newcastle connection the mutiny itself is of great interest. A large proportion of ordinary Brazilian sailors were black and were either freed slaves or more often the sons of freed slaves – slavery was only made illegal in Brazil in 1888. They were badly treated, not able to become officers, badly paid and badly fed. They were also subject to severe punishment floggings, even though this form of punishment was illegal.

Some months after the ships returned to Brazil the crew of the Minas Gerais mutinied following a particularly brutal flogging of a black sailor on November 22nd 1910. They were quickly joined by the crews of the Bahia and two other ships. The mutineers were led by an experienced and clearly charismatic black sailor, Joao Candido, who the press named ‘The Black Admiral’. He ordered normal drills to be continued and threw all supplies of alcohol overboard. The mutineers demanded better pay and conditions and the end to flogging. They backed up their claims with a threat to shell Rio de Janeiro. As the ships moved through Guanabara Bay on the morning of the 23rd November they discharged their 4.7 inch guns as a signal that the revolt had begun.

One of the 4.7 inch guns on the museum’s model of Bahia

One of the 4.7 inch guns on the museum’s model of Bahia

 

The government gave in after a few days and granted the rebellious sailors amnesty. However it did not take long before the rebels were being persecuted, forced out of the Navy, imprisoned and even killed.

Joao Candido (fourth from left) with reporters, officers and sailors on the battleship, Minas Gerais, 26 November 1910, the final day of the mutiny

Joao Candido (fourth from left) with reporters, officers and sailors on the battleship, Minas Gerais, 26 November 1910, the final day of the mutiny

Less than a month after the revolt Candido was imprisoned in a small cell with 17 other sailors. Only he and one other man survived the first weekend of confinement. He was later sent to a mental hospital before spending the next 40 years working as a fish market porter. Two years ago a statue of him was erected on the waterfront in Rio.

So today I salute Joao Candido and his comrades, who, 100 years ago today, threatened to use the most mighty instruments of war to pursue just treatment and the end to flogging.