The launch at the Council House was attended by over 100 people from across the city, including members of the Civic Society, Thoroton Society, Canalside Heritage Centre, Wollaton Local History Society, Mapperley and Sherwood Local History group, Nottingham Industrial Museum, Green’s Windmill,   Canalside Heritage Centre, Friends of the Forest, Friends of Victoria Embankment, SKN Heritage, Woodthorpe House, Green Spaces Project, Newstead Abbey Partnership, NTU, Nottingham University, Malt Cross, Museum Service, Libraries, etc . as well as a number of funding, consultant and business development organisations.

The introduction by Cllr Nick McDonald , stressing the importance of promoting the heritage of the city as part of a plan to promote economic development and regeneration across the city.  This was developed through examples given by a number of speakers through the day ( Kathy McArdle, Chief Executive of the Culture Quarter, who focused on restoration of buildings across the Lace Market through promotion of new business and employment, and the Malt Cross presentation, on restoring an historic building through developing multiple use and business opportunities.)

John Beckett followed with a plea to preserve the heritage of the city but for the city not to become ossified. He stressed that a city must adapt and change over time although the rich variety of the city’s heritage of buildings must be protected.   This was also a theme taken up by other speakers and specifically by the Civic Society presentation by Ian Wells and a representative from Historic England..

A further theme running through the day was the success of the city in gaining the significant grant aid from the Heritage Lottery Fund for developing the Castle.  This was to include refurbishment of the Castle building itself and extension of the museum to include the “rebellion gallery”, and also to develop the grounds and entertainments which would promote the Castle as a significant visitor attraction.

Two presentations focused more on engaging local people in local history.  Louise Butterworth, NCC Audience Engagement Officer, on the use of volunteers at city historical venues , like Wollaton Park, Brewhouse Yard and Newstead Abbey, with an excellent short film on the responses of these volunteers. The second was by Dr Anna Souto of NTU who reported on the project on Mapping Nottingham’s Identity and its work in Sneinton, Carrington and West Bridgford.

There was only a limited opportunity to engage in open discussion on the proposals.   General contributions were in the form of questions from no more than five people, raising questions about the past role NCC in protecting buildings, the shortcomings of the museum service, how the development of Broadmarsh  area is to enhance the heritage of the Carrington Street area, and the importance of remembering the historic  ties to Calais in the lace industry ( with a visitor from Calais speaking).   I can report from two of the workshops. The first workshop focused on  identifying and enriching a “local list” of places across the city that needed to be protected or marked in addition to those already protected as listed buildings/sites. This led to interesting discussion on the importance of not focusing only on buildings, especially listed buildings, if  we are going to encourage engagement across the city’s communities , and the need to reflect  memory of place, people , events through the use of plaques, events, etc. The issue was also considered of those features of the city landscape that needed preservation which are shared with surrounding areas , such as the canals, and the importance of working with neighbouring local authorities .

The second workshop was on general reflections and responses to the consultation document, although many had not seen it, and how we could contribute to it .  The overall approach being taken, to review and promote the heritage story of the city, combining renovation and preservation of buildings , historic landscape and business development, was supported.   The Issues raised included the danger of the strategy being city centre focused, and also focused on buildings before communities. It was felt that there was need to engage people across the city in  their heritage and that this should be given more focus.

The question was asked how the Heritage Panel had been selected and it was stated that others could join  it if they were willing to be working members.  The need of the Heritage Panel to report on its work and its proposals was stressed. ( I suggested that NLHA has a network to help disseminate regular reports to many in the local history network across, and around, the city, if this was of use.)

The Heritage Panel is composed of Cllr. McDonald and one other City Councillor , officers for the Partnership ( Alice Ullathorne is the principal officer), and representatives from the Civic Society, Nottingham University ( Richard Gaunt), Nottingham Trent University, two representatives from local business and two from  voluntary groups.

The stated intention is that this forum of local representatives meet again annually to review the progress of the partnership strategy.

Roger Tanner

27^th November 2016

Our objectives are to provide financial and other support to the Centre for English Local History at the University of Leicester, and to its students, and to support the study of local history more generally.

Membership of the Friends is open to anyone with an interest in local history – no qualifications are needed, and there is no need to have been a student of the Centre for English Local History, or of the University of Leicester . Members receive a number of benefits. These include an invitation to local history seminars and an annual lecture, which are free of charge, and free use of the research library at the Centre. The Friends of the Centre for English Local History also organises a programme of study days, weekends, conferences and outings, which are open to members and non – members alike. The annual lecture is also open to non-members, upon payment of a small entrance fee. These events aim to increase people’s knowledge about local history .

The Centre for English Local History at the University of Leicester is widely respected because it helped to found local history as an academic discipline, and because it continues to be a source of high quality research and fresh ideas . It remains unique because it is devoted to the study of local history everywhere in England and Wales . The Friends of the Centre for English Local History provides bursaries and financial support to MA and PhD students who wish to pursue courses or research within the Centre, including payment of, or towards, course fees, the cost of field courses and research-related travel expenses. This helps students in financial need from any part of the world and all walks of life to pursue their interest in English and Welsh local history at the highest level.

The Friends of the Centre for English Local History also assists the Centre by providing volumes for its library, which students and members of the Friends may use for their research, and by assisting both financially and with practical help in the organisation of academic conferences, which further the spread of knowledge and are ope n to everyone with an interest in the subject. A small publication programme also makes high quality research available to anyone.

More information from friends.englishlocalhistory.org

As Paul Baker, the manager of the Framework Knitters Museum in Ruddington, moves on to pastures new it seems the perfect time to take stock and consider the impressive journey the homage to Nottinghamshire’s past has taken over the last 5 years.

During a period that has been challenging for much of the heritage sector, this museum continues to go from strength to strength and has witnessed a remarkable increase in visitors. With Paul at the helm what was once a small village museum has transformed into an internationally renowned, multi-award winning visitor attraction.

Paul Baker said, “When I started the role in 2011 I could not have imagined the journey we have since taken. I’ve really enjoyed my time here, and am immensely proud of what the museum has become.”

Paul instantly saw huge potential in the historical site. Drawing on his extensive experience in redeveloping museums he set about reimagining the visitor’s experience, and how it might be made more appealing to families and school groups.

After securing over £100,000 of funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Museum Development East Midlands and Nottinghamshire County Council, Paul and his team started a year-long project to redevelop the site. Among their achievements was the creation of the first museum gallery dedicated to the Luddite uprising, and a unique new educational programme which has won international accolades.

Paul continued, “I’ve been blessed with an incredible team of staff and volunteers who have embraced this period of change and growth and have provided me with outstanding counsel and support. The many accolades we have received and the growth in visitor numbers has been as a consequence of the dedication and hard work by my team.”

The museum’s subtle use of state-of-the-art sensory devices and technology has created a unique and dramatic experience which encourages visitors to explore their surroundings, to engage and participate in a fun way. As a consequence visitor figures have increased by 59%, including a 300% increase in family visits.

It wasn’t long before the awards started flooding in; particularly for the new education programme which features an innovative interactive film. Over the course of a year the museum became the only British winner at the European Heritage in Motion Awards 2015, received the coveted Sanford Award, and won two accolades at the East Midlands Heritage Awards and another at the Nottinghamshire Awards ceremony. The museum was also recognised by Visit England who made it the first museum in Nottinghamshire to receive the prestigious Best Told Story Accolade. Due to the European achievement Paul was also invited to be a laureate at the 2016 Best in Heritage IMAGINES Conference, a highly regarded international conference that showcases the best in the museum and heritage field from across the world.

Paul also used his earlier retail background to transform the museum shop into The Textile Emporium, specialising in unique contemporary textile products. The shop has become a destination in its own right and celebrates the creativity of local makers. This quirky approach has been popular with both visitors and the local community, and has seen revenue increase by 1170%.

Never one to rest on its laurels this year has seen a new partnership which has created another draw to the museum for visitors. Coupling up with the Nottingham Society of Artists, a new art gallery has been opened in the nineteenth century chapel featuring work from some of the finest artists in Nottinghamshire.

Although Paul is moving on there are exciting times ahead for the museum. They are currently in the midst of a huge fundraising drive to redevelop the existing site and expand into a recently-purchased adjoining cottage. Once complete, the project will double the existing exhibition space, create a new visitor route and offer new and improved facilities to visitors and other users.

For more information about the Framework Knitters Museum visit www.frameworkknittersmuseum.org.uk

From February 2017, following a £1million Heritage Lottery Fund supported project The Galleries of Justice we will become the National Justice Museum. Using the UK’s largest collection relating to law, justice, crime and punishment, the Museum will continue to deliver high quality educational experiences at authentic legal and heritage sites both in Nottingham and across the UK.

The Museum is currently going through a major redevelopment, which will see the whole museum being refurbished and new displays, exhibitions and performances being created. There will also be a big volunteer recruitment drive for a new volunteer role. At least 50 new volunteers are needed for Front of House. The role will be to assist the visitor to engage with the museum, new exhibitions, activities and interactives and to help visitors orientate around the site.

Nottingham Women’s History Group is reorganising the way it records the names of its members to comply with data protection.

Please let NWHG know if you wish to remain on the distribution list and become a member. Membership is free and, once confirmed, you will receive updates about activities and two newsletters a year. You will also receive information about other appropriate events and historical societies in Nottingham. These will be forwarded by NWHG – your details will NOT be passed on to other groups.

If you wish to become a member, please contact by 30 November 2016, confirming whether or not you wish to remain on our correspondence list.

If NWHG do not hear from you by the end of November, they will remove you from the list, but will email you to inform you of this.

nottmwomenshistory@gmail.com

Kimberley WEA are running a course in January ‘The Austerity Years …and beyond’ which will take place at Rumbletums Cafe, 2a Victoria Street, Kimberley NG16 2NH on a Tuesday between 3:15pm and 4:45 pm for nine meetings from 10th january to 7th March 2017.

YOU’VE NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD said Harold MacMillan in 1957. What did this mean for Great Britain and for Nottingham? The course will look at major Nottingham industries including Boots and Raleigh.

The 1960s were also the decade of the Korean war and the decline of the British Empire.

We will include the development of the Cold War and study detailed Soviet cold-war maps of Nottingham including a map showing where a  nuclear bomb was targeted north of the city.

The course will also study the murder of the Drummond family from Watnall.

The course tutor, Ann Parker, was a lecturer in the Adult Education Department of Nottingham University and is a specialist in modern history who has worked for the Atlantic Council, the Defence Academy and NATO

The course fee is £52 (free to those on benefits)

More information from the Workers Education Association, 39 Mapperley Road Nottingham NG3 5AQ telephone 0115 962 8400

A new branch of the Newcomen Society has recently been formed to cover the Yorkshire / Lincolnshire / Nottinghamshire / Derbyshire region  and will meet at Kelham Island Industrial Museum in Sheffield.

Based in London but with branches across the country the Newcomen Society, as the world’s foremost group for the history of engineering and technology, offers an extensive and lively lecture series, publishes the leading journal in the field and a quarterly newsletter for members.

The Society covers all aspects of the history of technology and engineering from Roman aqueducts to Cold-War weapons, from railway and canal history through to modern engines, computers and aircraft. Meetings which are free and open to all are a focus for spirited discussion and a chance to hear some great speakers.

The Society would be very pleased to welcome members of other Societies who can join us at the inaugural lecture on the 23rd January 2017 when Deborah Jaffe will be speaking on:- Frank Hornby and mechanical toys – Britain, Germany and the USA, 1880- 1950. This will be followed on the 21st February by a joint meeting with the Sheffield Metallurgical and Engineering Association, the Ken Barraclough Lecture when, Professor Lord Mair will speak on:- Brunels’ Thames Tunnel – a Great Legacy to Modern Tunnelling. Robert Mair is Professor of Civil Engineering at Cambridge and his extremely interesting talk will discuss some of the tunnelling and geotechnical challenges encountered in the driving the Cross Rail Tunnels under central London. (Please note this meeting will be held at the Royal Victoria Hotel.) On the 13th March David Perrett, one of the leading experts on early steam engineers, will speak on:- Henry Ford’s Holiday – Collecting British steam engines in 1928, while on the 24th April Professor Barry Chambers will bring us fully up-to-date with modern technology in his talk on:- Stealth – its history and technology.

Kelham Island Industrial Museum is on the northern side of Sheffield City Centre some 15 minutes walk from the railway station, it is accessible by public transport and has on-site and nearby free parking for some 40 cars. Full details can be found at:-http://www.simt.co.uk/find-us

There are a number of pubs and restaurants near to the Museum which serve excellent food and beer.

For information the officers of the new committee and key contact details are:-

David Eaton – Chair – chair.syorks@newcomen.com
John Suter – Meeting Secretary – meetings.syorks@newcomen.com

The National Archives, working with members of the archives sector, is calling for blog entries from academic researchers which explore the connections between archives across the UK and around the world.

Archival research can lead you to surprising locations – and conclusions. Have you consulted a record in one archive whose value only became clear when contextualised with a record held elsewhere? Tracked down a document and found yourself as intrigued by its location as its content? Or aimed to link collections together? We’d like to hear about your eureka moments, but also the hard work of research, with days with little to show.

For this series, we’re as interested in your methodology and experience of archival research as we are in what you’re studying. We hope your story will both enrich people’s understanding of the possible connections between archives, and encourage researchers to be adventurous when planning their own journeys.

Your blog should be no longer than 750 words. It must reference material in The National Archives and at least one other record or object held elsewhere, and include at least one image (this includes images of text) with a descriptive caption. If you want to use images from collections outside of The National Archives, please include information about their copyright restrictions with your submission. Contributors whose submissions are selected for publication will be notified of which copyright permissions they will then need to obtain.

Published posts will be selected by a panel made up of representatives from The National Archives and archives across the UK.

Better research expands the world for us all.

For further information and to submit a blog post, please visit: http://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/blog/connecting-collections-tell-us-research-story/

Deadline for submissions: 5th December 2016

Four notable building projects – in Edingley, Keyworth, Southwell and Upton – have won for their owners the prestigious biennial Harry Johnson Award 2016.  A ceremony on Friday, 25^th November at 6.30pm in the Media Room, The Minster Chambers, Church Street, Southwell, will celebrate their achievements with the presentation of certificates by NBPT Chairman Cllr Mrs M Stockwood.

The Awards, for the best restoration and the best new building in an historic Nottinghamshire setting, are sponsored jointly by the Nottinghamshire Building Preservation Trust and the Campaign to Protect Rural England in recognition of the part played by the late Harry Johnson in his work for both organisations.

The judges, from both organisations, have chosen Turncroft Farm, Carver Hollow, Edingley owned by Andrew Hill and Laura Wardell as the winner in the Conservation section and commended The Hop Barn, Hopyard Farm, Southwell owned by Stuart and Mary Poole. The two entries in the New Build section were both of high quality but Wrights Place Development, 22-30a, Selby Lane, Keyworth, submitted by the Keyworth Conservation Area Advisory Group, has provided substantial visual benefits to the village. The Babworth Trust almshouses on the edge of Upton village were commended for their design qualities.

The Nottinghamshire Building Preservation Trust, which administers the Award, will hold its AGM following the presentation and will continue, with the help of its volunteers, to protect and enhance the historic built environment of Nottinghamshire.

From his Architects practice at Wadworth Hall, Harry advised both Charities on conservation matters and on his death in 1988 the two organisations decided to provided an Award in his name which would continue his passion for village conservation and the preservation of traditional building methods. The integration of new buildings into existing settlements was important to him and his ideals have encouraged the expansion of the Awards to include isolated buildings in rural settings.

For the first time the Conservation Award has been given to such a building. Turncroft Farm, Carver Hollow, Edingley owned by Andrew Hill and Laura Wardell who acquired the 19^th century farm three years ago and who, with Newark Architect Bernard Martin and builder Chris Healy have conserved and restored the farm house, which had been empty for 15 years, to a comfortable home, re constructing the Yorkshire sliding sash windows and repairing brickwork and the pantile roofs. The house and hot water are heated by a ground source heat pump. There is more work to be done on the adjoining farm buildings which will be tackled when work with organic beef herd permits. (see image A)

A Commendation in this class is given to The Hop Barn, Hopyard Farm, Southwell owned by Stuart and Mary Poole. The barn, now redundant in an age of extended farming methods, was decaying in the Poole’s back yard and the courageous idea to convert it into a Centre for music and creative performance with adjoined sleeping accommodation has now been realised with advice from the Newark and Sherwood Conservation Officer and builder Colin Jewitt. Conservation has included rebuilding bulging walls , retaining the bulge and restoring the exposed roof timbers.

The Award for the best New Build property is won by Wrights Place Development, 22-30a Selby Lane, Keyworth. In a derelict garage site, next to the Keyworth Conservation Area, the volunteer Area Advisory Group were supportive of this particular choice of redevelopment of the site by William Davis Homes with the help of architects, Stephen George and Partners. The design acknowledges  the existing older cottages and newer house designs on Selby Lane in a restricted palette of brick and rendered walls and slate roofs, dormers and porches and provides a variety of property types for private buyers. A tremendous improvement to the area.

The new semi-detached bungalows at Upton for the Babthorpe Trust received a Commendation in this category. The Trust, which already provides two bungalows in another part of the village for elderly individuals and couples with connections in the Parish, was entered by Upton Parish Council. The site was made available on the edge of the village for these and three future dwellings. The careful choice of traditional forms and materials, by designer Martin Hubbard Associates Ltd, brick, natural slate, timber bays and porches, provide an attractive setting for residents.

Playing the Blues by Lynd Child

November brings more Nottinghamshire artists to the Chapel Art Gallery at the Framework Knitters Museum in Ruddington. Celebrated at this fourth exhibition will be Lynda Childs, Dawn Wilsher and Nigel Boughton-Smith. The exhibition will open on Saturday 19 November and run until Saturday 25 February.

Paul Baker, museum manager at the Framework Knitters Museum, said, “We’re really excited for our visitors to see the fantastic artwork coming up in this next exhibition.”

The gallery, which opened earlier this year, is a partnership between the Nottingham Society of Artists and the Framework Knitters Museum. It features work from some of the finest artists in Nottinghamshire, and a contribution from the sale of any art is split between the museum and the society.

Paul continued, “We’re proud to work with such a prestigious organisation as the Nottingham Society of Artists, and our visitors certainly seem to enjoy the added attraction the gallery provides.”

Nigel Boughton-Smith, one of the artists featured in the exhibition and the Nottingham Society of Artists coordinator for the Chapel Gallery, said, “We thought we’d do something special for Christmas so as well as the artwork, there will also be cards and miniature prints available that people will be able to buy as gifts.”

The Chapel Gallery will be open Thursday to Saturday, 11am to 4:30pm until the 23 December 2016, and Thursday to Saturday, 11am to 2:30pm during February 2017. Please note that the museum and gallery are closed during January.

Entrance to the gallery is FREE, whilst normal admission fees apply to the museum. The museum shop and café is open to all visitors, as well as the general public, to purchase refreshments and souvenirs as usual.

For more information on the Framework Knitters Museum and the Chapel Gallery please visit www.frameworkknittersmuseum.org.uk For information on the NSA, please visit www.nottinghamartists.org.uk