Those members of Farnsfield Local History Society who visited the Nottinghamshire Archives office in April had a most interesting afternoon. The staff had taken the trouble to look out various documents relating to Farnsfield, including not only old maps, but school records, the diary of a lady who visited the village in the early nineteenth century, the Will of Emily Benson who lived here in the 1500s, school records, cricket club score books. Also we saw a Charter granted by Henry II in about 1155 granting the Burgesses of Nottingham certain rights. There were notes made by Dame Laura Knight in January 1946 when she was attending the Nuremberg Trials as official artist, including a sketch of Goebbels, with a note in margin saying “Dark hair – dyed?” and that he wore make up, lipstick. After we had been shown the rooms where the records are stored and told how they are preserved and how they can be accessed by the public we went into the Conservation room and were shown how some of this is done.
Whilst the Archives Office does not have as many visitors coming through the door, with the internet it has far more enquiries by email and they receive about four times as many documents as they used to have deposited with them (possibly 5000 a week), many because of the closing down of a company, club or society.

Our next meeting in the village centre will be on Wednesday 10th May when one of the deputy Lieutenants of the County, Tom Huggon, will be telling us about “Our Lord Lieutenant and his Deputies, Past and Present, their Roles and Duties”. 7.30, lower hall. Visitors £3.00.

The coach visit to the National Memorial Arboretum on 31st May leaves the church at 9.30 We still have a few seats on the coach. £14 for non-members of the Society.
For more information telephone David and Judith Milnes on 01623 882454

Are you a :

• Sports venue?
• Sports club?
• Heritage site?
• Museum?
• Organisation or Community group?
• Individual who likes sport/social history?

Would you like to benefit from County-wide publicity that reaches across Nottinghamshire?

If the answer is yes, then Nottinghamshire County Council would like to invite you to get involved in Nottinghamshire Sports Heritage 2017.

This year, the Nottinghamshire Sports Heritage celebrations will take place from Saturday 23 September to Sunday 1 October 2017. The week of events will raise awareness of Sports Heritage in Nottinghamshire by publicising the history behind our sports clubs, museums, archives, sports grounds and sports personalities.

The National Sports Heritage Day actually takes place Saturday 30 September.  However, with such a proud sporting heritage to boast about in Nottinghamshire, we realised we needed a whole week of activities to showcase everything the county has to offer.

How can I contribute?

For example, you / your Sports venue/ Sports club /Heritage site / organisation or Museum could put on an:

• Event
• Activity
• Talk
• Workshop
• Guided tour
• Guided walk
• Leaflet
• Exhibition
• Or any other activity or resource you can think of

What’s in it for me?

Nottinghamshire-wide advertising:

Information about Nottinghamshire Sports Heritage 2017 will go out in County Council publications.  For example, County Life magazine will feature an advertisement for the celebrations which is distributed directly to 357,000 households reaching 785,000 Nottinghamshire residents across the seven districts.  We list all events on the County Council website and also send out flyers to all libraries and Tourist information centres.  The event will be mentioned on real time bus stop information and also on our social media which has 6000 Facebook likes and around 33.6k followers on Twitter.

New members/players/audiences:

Sports heritage is invaluable in that it is intergenerational and attractive to all kinds of people. People who are interested in sport may not have considered engaging with heritage and vice versa. Sports heritage can bring people together in new and exciting ways and attract non-traditional audiences to both the heritage and sports sectors.

You can help to conserve the heritage of sport for future generations:

Without raising awareness and conserving the sporting heritage, there will be nothing to use to attract visitors and participants in the future.

Contributing to Nottinghamshire leading the way:

Recently, Visit England named Nottinghamshire as the ‘Home of Sport’. This is Nottinghamshire’s chance to become well known as THE sporting county, set a precedent and act a model for best practice for other areas nationally which will benefit us all.

So, if you would like to get involved in this year’s celebrations, we would love to hear from you.  Please email laura.simpson@nottscc.gov.uk

A major new Viking exhibition is opening at The University of Nottingham Museum at Nottingham Lakeside Arts in November 2017.

Viking: Rediscover the Legend — is a collaboration between the British Museum and York Museums Trust and will feature nationally important Viking and Anglo-Saxon artefacts, including recent finds, and will re-examine the influence of the Vikings in Britain.

To coincide with the exhibition, visitors will have a unique opportunity to learn more about the exciting heritage of the Vikings in the East Midlands through a University research project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) called ‘Bringing Vikings Back to the East Midlands’.

Dr Clare Pickersgill, Keeper of The University of Nottingham Museum, said: “This exhibition is an amazing opportunity to examine regional Viking heritage within its national and international context through both the exhibition and in a direct hands-on way through the extensive programme of public events that is planned.”

Viking heritage in the East Midlands

Professor Judith Jesch and Dr Roderick Dale from the Centre for the Study of the Viking Age at the University will lead the research project which is focused on promoting awareness and knowledge of Viking heritage in the East Midlands ahead of the exhibition.

Viking: Rediscover the Legend is a touring exhibition, with only four other venues however, visitors to The University of Nottingham Museum will get the additional benefit of learning about how Vikings shaped the East Midlands, through the research being done by Professor Jesch and her team.

Professor Jesch, said: “The East Midlands was part of the Danelaw, a part of England that was under Viking rule during the Viking Age, approximately 1,000 years ago. Its major towns and cities were Viking centres and the Vikings may still be seen in place-names such as Linby from Old Norse lind ‘lime-tree’ and by ‘farmstead, village’, and local dialect words such as ‘scratin’ for ‘crying.’

“Our project will work closely with the University Museum, and will collaborate with local museums in Nottingham, Derby, Leicester and Lincoln to tell the story of the East Midlands in the Viking Age. It is very exciting for scholars interested in Vikings as well as for members of the wider public who may want to learn more about this vast history.”

Viking life in the East Midlands

The project will seek to highlight artefacts within the travelling exhibition that have Midlands’ connections.

An online gallery will be set up of Viking Age artefacts held at local museums so that people can see what is available to view in their area.

There will also be a an extensive Learning and Public Programme that will include public talks as well as a wide variety of interactive activities including tours, ancient craft, living history, storytelling and object handling that will provide the opportunity to learn about their hidden legacy, such as runes, poetry, domestic life, and other aspects of everyday Viking life in the East Midlands.

Professor Jesch, adds: “By holding an array of activities and events in conjunction with the exhibition,Bringing Vikings Back to the East Midlands aims to embed an awareness of the Viking Age heritage of the region and to foster creative engagement with that heritage by creating material that will outlast the life-span of the project.”

Viking: Rediscover the Legend opens at the Yorkshire Museum in May 2017 and will be in Nottingham from 24 November 2017 and will run until 4 March 2018.

It will also visit The Atkinson, Southport, Aberdeen Art Gallery and Norwich Castle Museum.

More information is available from Dr Clare Pickersgill, Keeper at The University of Nottingham Museum on +44 (0)115 951 4815, clare.pickersgill@nottingham.ac.uk; or Charlotte Anscombe, in the Press Office at The University of Nottingham  on +44 (0)115 74 84 417, Charlotte.Anscombe@nottingham.ac.uk  

The new email is;

office@frameworkknittersmuseum.org.uk

and

nicola.wood@frameworkknittersmuseum.org.uk
Nicola Wood BA (Hons) MA, HSC, PRINCE2, ILM5
Manager and Curator
Framework Knitters Museum
Chapel Street
Ruddington
Nottingham
NG11 6HE
Tel: 0115 984 6914 Mob: 07944613379

Office hours Wednesday to Friday 10.30 till 4pm

Winners of the Nottinghamshire Heritage Awards 2016 for working with Children and Young People.
Winners of The Sandford Award for Heritage Education 2015
Winners of the Heritage in Motion Awards 2015
Winners of the East Midlands Heritage Awards 2015 for Engaging Young people
Laureate at the Best in Heritage Award 2015

David Coleman’s book commemorates the ending of an industry in this country and with it the closing of a chapter on a way of life. Boys will no longer follow their fathers into the dark, deep, damp dungeon of the pit. This is an authentic mining voice telling stories, poems and anecdotes that are tragic, tender, and funny, all based on a career spent in the pits.

There are many photographs. For those who know nothing about coal mining there will be much of interest to discover. For those who have experienced pit life, there will be a great feeling of nostalgia. David Coleman’s book ensures that the heritage of coal mining will not be forgotten.

The book is tailored for dyslexic readers but is easy to read by anyone.

“A Nottinghamshire Pitman’s Story” ISBN 978-1-911425-65-6 Available at £8.99 from selected bookshops and also web site: www.dayglobooks.co.uk

CONSERVATION AREA ADVISORY GROUP (CAAG)

and

KEYWORTH & DISTRICT LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY (K&DLHS)

display of images and historic buildings records

Home Farm 17 Main Street, 2 – 4pm Sunday, 4^th June 2017

As part of Graham & Pippa Tinsley’s “Open Gardens”

entrance: £4.00 for the National Garden Scheme

CAAG and K& DLHS Future Events:

Keyworth Nottingham Road Primary School and Nursery Summer Fair

Saturday 24^th June 2017

Keyworth Show Saturday 8^th July 2017

The next CA Census Event “Education” Saturday 25^th November 2017 noon – 4pm in the Centenary Lounge, Village Hall: bring mementoes or photographs of your educational experiences in the village so that we can record them for the archive.  Refreshments will be available.

Click here for brochure and programme

5th, 6th and 7th April 2017. The 3-day Festival includes a wide range of events from talks and workshops to guided walks and living history – and all the events are free. Go behind the scenes at Manuscripts and Special Collection; discover more about family history research in the archives; hear Dr Nick Barratt of BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? fame; walk in the footsteps of the Nottingham 1831 Rioters; find out more about the history and heritage of University Park Campus, Wollaton Hall and St Mary’s Church with our expert guides; step back into the past with living history and reenactment displays; encounter ancient hairstyles and the lives of medieval women; have opportunities to meet curators and researchers; find out more about the history of Nottingham’s Green Spaces and the First World War in Nottinghamshire; and much much more. The events take place across multiple locations including University Park Campus, Manuscripts and Special Collections and in the city centre. Maps and travel advice can be found in this brochure. You can also stay updated with the Festival via Facebook, Twitter and Instragram. We hope you enjoy the Festival and look forward to seeing you at the events.

The History Festival has been coordinated by the History Department at the University of Nottingham and brings together staff, students and community partners. Special thanks go to Dr Ross Balzaretti (Head of History), anonymous History alumni donors who have helped to fund this Festival, the student Festival Coordinators – Arthur Cain, Anna Honey, Flo Sandford-Richardson, Rosie Whillock, Mary Thompson, Laura Caley – and all the contributors and community partners engaged with the Festival. Festival Organiser – Dr Sarah Holland

Booking Page: http://store.nottingham.ac.uk/product-catalogue/schools-and-departments/humanities/the-history-festival-2017

2017 Facebook: @uonhistoryfestival

Twitter: @uonhistoryfest Instagram: @uonottinghamhistoryfest #UoNhistfest

CONSERVATION AREA ADVISORY GROUP

and

KEYWORTH & DISTRICT LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY

Can you assist in a survey about our heritage?

Come and see how we are getting along!  Refreshments will be available

There are 3 displays each year: in spring and autumn in the Centenary Lounge, Village Hall, and a stall at the Village Show in the summer……………

If you have anything related to property in the Conservation Area

e.g. an illustration, old photograph(s), letters or old legal documents, or other artefacts

please bring them, or let us know:

someone from CAAG/K&DLHS will collect and return it safely by arrangement with you.

Thank you!

Contact: Sheila Barton: sheilakingdom@gmail.com or telephone 0115 937 3068

Best known for the extensive tunnels he built underneath the family home at Welbeck Abbey on the Welbeck Estate, the eccentric and reclusive 5th Duke of Portland is revealed in a new light through his “extraordinary collection” of miniature paintings says Senior Curator of Paintings at the Royal Collection, Vanessa Remington.

Having catalogued the ‘miniatures’ in the Royal Collection, Remington was invited to curate a new exhibition of more than 25 paintings opening at The Harley Gallery on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire on 31 March and running until 30 September 2017.

Josephine

Napoleon

She describes the Portland Collection’s miniatures as “probably second only to the Royal Collection” and the new exhibition focuses on the 5th Duke to show a man very different from his public persona. Despite his reputation as a recluse with little social life who avoided the outside world, Remington’s research shows a Duke who was nevertheless fascinated by youth, beauty, celebrities and high society.

“Unfortunately, we have no diary or memoirs from the 5th Duke and so he’s been very much defined by the miles of tunnels he built under the family home. By examining his collection of miniatures though we see a man fascinated by women, despite being a recluse who had no personal relationships with them other than his sister.

“There is a very clear focus on beautiful and famous young women so it’s a sad irony of his life that he felt unable to engage and enter that world despite the access his wealth and social status gave him,” says Remington.

Miniatures were very popular across Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries and were usually intimate and informal portraits painted by specialist artists for rich patrons who often gave them as love tokens. The 5th Duke was an avid collector and amongst more than 80 miniatures he collected personally are key pieces including:

• Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and Empress Josephine of France
• The beautiful but doomed mistress of Louis XIV, the Duchess of Fontanges
• Two young girls dressed as angels
• Louis XV, King of France and his consort, Marie Leczinska, Queen of France
• The famous soprano, Adelaide Kemble, with whom the Duke was once in love, and her sister, the actress Frances ‘Fanny’ Kemble.

Also on show will be a series of pastel paintings of the opera singer, which he commissioned.

Painted on vellum and ivory, the miniatures of the Portland Collection are displayed very infrequently and for short periods because of the risk of light damage. Many of the miniatures are painted with watercolour paint which is light sensitive. A specialist viewing area uses sophisticated PIR technology to manage light levels in order to protect the works for generations to come.

The Portland Collection at Welbeck houses treasures assembled over 400 years by the Dukes of Portland and their families. It opened to the public on Sunday 20th March 2016 and includes masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s Madonna del Silenzio, on show for the first time in 50 years; Van Dyck’s paintings of a young Charles II in armour and Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, not publicly exhibited since 1960; as well as the pearl earring worn by Charles I at his execution in 1649.

The Portland Collection was named RIBA East Midlands’ building of the year, as well as winning the East Midlands Sustainability Award, Heritage award and a prestigious national RIBA award. The Gallery most recently won a silver award in the American Architecture Prize, and is currently in the running for a ‘Building’ award and a Civic Trust award.

For more information visit: www.harleygallery.co.uk

For her next book Rowena Edlin-White is researching Nottingham women who went to work in Hamburg in the 1900s. She inherited the letters of her great-aunt Jennie Dexter (1876-1950) who was in Hamburg 1906-1909, and those of her four cousins:  Violetta Forkel, nee Wealthall (1869-1946), her sister Lilian Wealthall (1881-1975), and twins Hilda and Lizzie Noble (b. 1886). All were going back and forth as governesses, the hub being Violetta’s home in the Eppendorf area of Hamburg.

Rowena is also interested in three other Nottingham women connected to this group: Grace Harvey (b. 1895, her family kept a market garden on Blyth Street, Mapperley), Annie Jane Wolfe (1878-1919) whose home address was Edgar Rise in St. Ann’s, and ‘Dot’ (probably Dorothy) Wing, of whom almost nothing is known.

If you know anything about these families, or others who may have been involved, Rowena would really appreciate hearing about them. She’s trying to discover why there was a steady stream of Nottingham women going to Hamburg at this time.

Contact Rowena Edlin-White at:  ro@edlin-white.net