‘To My Dear Girl’

We have a small exhibition of embroidered silk postcards made mainly by French and Belgian women during 1914-1918. Not only are the works exquisitely executed, but they are superb examples of front-line patriotic art. Alongside the postcards, is a display of other items and paintings relating to WW1.

The exhibition runs until 18 December 2014

‘The Poppy Trail’

Around the museum displays, ‘poppies’ are placed against objects and paintings with stories to tell about WW1. The Poppy Trail booklet expands on the stories which cover many of the issues of The Great War, such as the role of women at home and at the Front, conscientious objectors, special constables, families coping with death and injured loved-ones.

The Poppy Trail is suitable for families as there is a parallel trail for children.

The Town Hall Museum is open from 1030am to 3.30pm Monday to Saturday (closed Sundays and Bank Holidays) and it is FREE.

There is also much else to see in the Georgian Grade I listed building. For further details, please look on our website:  www.newarktownhallmuseum.co.uk

 What is National Sporting Heritage Day?

National Sporting Heritage Day will be celebrated for the first time on 30 September 2014 and with such a wealth of sporting heritage it seems that now is the time for Nottinghamshire to shine.

Nottinghamshire Sports Heritage Week

In Nottinghamshire we have decided to extend National Sporting Heritage Day into a week, running from Monday September 29 to Sunday October 5 2014. During this time we will be raising awareness of sporting greats in Nottinghamshire as well as publicising our local heritage sites, sports clubs and their sporting history. Sports heritage is a great way of attracting new audiences who do not traditionally engage with either heritage or sport.

This year’s event has the theme of World War 1 to tie in with the commemorations. However, if you have a sporting heritage idea that doesn’t link to World War 1, still feel free to join in – the aim is to celebrate the diversity of sporting heritage.

 How do I get involved?

If you would like more information on how you can get involved in the Nottinghamshire Sports Heritage Day then please contact Laura Simpson, Heritage Tourism Officer on laura.simpson@nottscc.gov.uk

Further information can also be found on the National Sporting Heritage Day website.

Notts Historic Gardens Trusts are planning a re-launch meeting at 10:00 am on 23 September 2014 of the Nottinghamshire Historic Gardens Trust Research Recording Group. Virginia Baddeley has kindly agree to host it at the Rushcliffe Council offices where the Historic Environment record is held, and to talk about what is there. The address for the meeting is Rushcliffe Civic Centre, Pavilion Road, West Bridgford, NG2 5FE. The Civic Centre is a large, curved, white building that stands right on Trent Bridge.  There is no parking available there and it can be a bit of a challenge, though you can usually park in the Forest football ground car park for a fee. Alternatively there are buses that run over Trent Bridge coming from the city centre and by the railway station You might also wish to bring along any previous research that you have been working on, or lists of sites etc. For more information about garden trusts go to The Association of Gardens Trusts

By John Parker

Old graveyards bring about mixed feelings in people; some find them eerie while others find them places of peace and memory. This dichotomy of feeling is easy to understand. They are, at the same time, both places of mourning and places where lives are celebrated, and snippets of history encapsulated. They are an important genealogical resource; there is nothing like the feeling of connection when you discover the grave of a great-great ancestor. Graveyards are often overlooked as an historical resource, and yet they are full of information. Each one is unique, some having distinctive styles of gravestone, others charting the rise and fall of local industries or families. Each graveyard plays memory to bygone days, and each contains curiosities urging the researcher to learn more. There is a lot of information that can be gleaned from grave markers, but they are being continually eroded by the weather. Graveyard surveys aim to record the inscriptions on the stones, as well as the style and design. A condition survey is a standard element; this records how damaged the stones are, and if they are being damaged by something that could be prevented.

The Community Archaeology team at Nottinghamshire County Council has been involved with several graveyard surveys across Nottinghamshire, including Cuckney, Woodborough, Bramcote Old Tower, Norwell, Cromwell and more. They are always looking for people to join in the ‘Graveyard Shift’, to come along with them to graveyards and help record the information on the memorials and gravestones. If you are interested in finding out more please go to Community Archaeology

Dunkirk and Lenton Partnership Forum are looking for volunteers to help with a Medieval Martinmas fair  to be held on Saturday 15 November 2014.

In the Middle Ages Lenton Priory’s Martinmas fair was world-famous and people travelled from across Europe to attend it. Now it’s been totally forgotten.

The fair is being revived as part of an HLF bid for a community archaeology project sparked by the medieval Lenton Priory remains uncovered during the recent tramworks. If successful the hope is that it can become an annual event.

The Forum has been able to obtain financial support from Nottingham City Museums and
Galleries, who are also providing a Robin Hood and Marian plus a pair of stocks. They’re potentially also lending costumes for volunteer characters/actors. The Forum has a sheriff, who will be hunting down Robin Hood, and the City Council will be helping with promoting the event.
There’ll be all kinds of Medieval merriment, plus stalls and entertainment.

The Forum are  looking for people who could volunteer on the day as:

Event stewards to help with the general running of the event – strolling costumed characters (your choice – be someone famous or a bog standard medieval person, and build up atmosphere by interacting in character with visitors).
A town crier to announce events/stir up enthusiasm.
A fool or jester!

Travel expenses will be paid (the event’s at Gregory Street, which has its own tram stop), and you can do as much or as little as you want – even an hour or so would really help. The Forum will make sure you have time to enjoy the event yourself.

The Forum are also in search of
– people to help in making basic costumes for the stewards and for a class
of teeny tiny people from Dunkirk Primary who are getting involved (these
will be very basic tabards or similar, worn over their own clothes). We can
provide patterns, material and workspace if wanted.

Other than the costume making these roles require little commitment other
than on the day itself.

There’s a short meeting at 6pm on 9 September for people who are interested
and want to find out more. This is being held at the Dunkirk and Lenton
Partnership Forum, Church Square, Lenton, NG7 1SL (opposite the Crocus Cafe,
behind the Lenton high-rise flats and the Savoy Cinema). Just turn up!

For more information contact Fiona Corbett (manager@dunkirkandlenton.co.uk / 0115
9588590).

Grace Fyles tells us  that West Bridgford & District L H S treasurer David Dunford has created a new website  at http://www.bridgfordhistory.org –  He has also created a page on Facebook.

Your Towns & Cities in the Great War

Using the military events as a background, this new series
aims to tell the story of how five years of world war
affected local communities in this country.

The impact of the war was dramatic, making lasting
changes to the social order, as men died or were maimed
in their hundreds of thousands. Women, who had been
engaged in the struggle for emancipation, were suddenly
launched into occupations formerly occupied by men,
forcing a change in attitudes towards the role of women
in society forever.

Through words and pictures, the series records how each year of the war brought about a change in the spirit of the populace, as the huge battles taking place in Belgium, France, Gallipoli and elsewhere, took their toll.

Our expert authors tell the stories of the cities and towns by researching the local newspapers of the day; letters, diaries, photograph albums, parish magazines, trade
journals and contemporary printed pamphlets located in the local library archives.
The result is a personal and moving account of how one of the most important conflicts in human history affected those on the homefront.

NEW BOOK RELEASE

RRP: £14.99
ISBN:9781783831678
240 PAGES • PAPERBACK
PUBLISHED: AUGUST 2014 by PEN & SWORD MILITARY
KEY POINTS
• A new series to mark 100 years since the Great War.
• Over 100 titles due for release over the course of the anniversary.
• Examines the experiences of individual towns and cities from
1914-1918.
• How the war impacted on families and businesses, changing
the way we lived forever.
• Eyewitness accounts and personal stories.

MARKETING COORDINATOR
Heather Williams 01226 734679
pr@pen-and-sword.co.uk

The Framework Knitters Museum in Ruddington will be holding their annual Garden Party and spectacular musical event on Bank Holiday Monday, 25th August, and this year, for the first time, it will include a unique Summer Craft Fair. The event, which runs from 11am to 4pm, offers FREE entry to the museum and is suitable for all ages.

The Summer Garden Party gives you the opportunity to relax in the beautiful garden at the Framework Knitters Museum and enjoy a day of musical entertainment, tea & cake and crafts.  Chill out with the perfect soundtrack to a summer’s afternoon with live music performed by local artists, including the return of King Ned Ludd.  Of course the Garden Party would not be complete without a wide selection of naughty cakes served on the lawn. This year the entertainments include a Summer Craft Fair with makers from around the region.  The museum also offers an opportunity to have-a-go at the circular knitting machines, see craftspeople in action and visit the new Luddite Gallery.

This is one garden party the weather can’t spoil, as this year the museum’s chapel will play host to an indoor craft fair which will be an ideal addition should the sun be in short supply.  Paul Baker, the Museum Manager, said “we’re extremely excited this year.  Last year was an overwhelming success with our beautiful garden full of families enjoying the entertainment and cakes and this year we intend to offer a wider range of performers and crafts.  We look forward to welcoming visitors to this wonderful free event.” Further details of performers will be advertised on the museum website, facebook and twitter pages

The event takes place on Bank Holiday Monday, 25th August, from 11am – 4pm.  Admission is free.

The museum, including the two new galleries, is open Wednesday to Sunday. For opening hours, and for more information, visit [FRAMEWORK KNITTERS MUSEUM].

The Big Poppy Knit with BBC Radio Nottingham.  During the 100^th anniversary of World War 1, BBC Radio Nottingham wants you to get knitting or crocheting poppies – 11000 poppies to mark each of the 11000 fallen men from Nottinghamshire during the Great War.

Whether you knit one or one hundred poppies, you will be commemorating those who lost their lives in the WW1.

Look at [BBC RADIO NOTTINGHAM] for patterns and further details.  You can also find lots of free poppy patterns online.

The poppies will be donated to the Poppy Appeal and the deadline is 22^nd October 2014.

You can post or bring your poppies to BBC Radio Nottingham, London Road, Nottingham NG2 4UU or ring 0115 9550500.

Thank you for being part of this project.

Sophie Shardlow

Ass/Editor BBC Nottingham

Sophie.shardlow@bbc.co.uk

@sophieshardlow

Bromley House Library and The First World War 1914 – 1918

 The Bromley House Library World War I commemorative exhibition has been made possible by the generosity and enthusiasm of the library’s members, who have offered to loan their precious photographs and mementos, and to tell the ‘stories’ behind their families’ experience of the Great War.

Most of these families were Nottingham people, and many had links with Bromley House Library.

The exhibition will be displayed in the Bromley House Gallery and in the main reading rooms, and will take the form of a series of family stories. Two and three dimensional objects and artefacts will be displayed alongside photographic images of those involved in the war – many of whom lost their lives.

A Resources Room will contain additional information packs, maps, and relevant printed material from the Library’s own book collections. There will be screen-based audio and visual information, and an opportunity to access online information resources.

We are grateful to the Lady Hind Trust for their generosity in supporting this exhibition.

September-December 2014

Exhibitions (Open Wednesdays, 10.30am – 4.00pm from 10^th September)

Lectures

Readings

Talks

Bromley House Library

Angel Row

Nottingham

NG1 6HL

0115 9473134

enquiries@bromleyhouse.org

For more information go to
[BROMLEY HOUSE LIBRARY]