George Stephenson Session at Snibston Miners Morning!

Snibston Discovery Museum is set to host its next Miners’ Morning talk entitled ‘George Stephenson and the creation of Snibston Colliery’.

The second in a series of mining-themed talks, the session will be led by Fred Hartley, Keeper of Working Life, Leicestershire County Council, and will run on Thursday 19th November 2009 from 10.30am until 12pm.

Did you know that railway pioneer George Stephenson lived in Leicestershire from 1831 – 1838? During his time in the county, not only was he surveying some of Britain’s early mainline railways, but he was also supervising the development of Snibston colliery and the creation of the new town of Coalville. Fred Hartley, Keeper of Working Life at Leicestershire County Council, will look at some of his activities during this time in this fascinating talk. The session will run on Thursday 19th November from 10.30am until 12pm.

Future talks are to include:

Thurs 17th Dec 2009 10.30-12.00

• Snibston Colliery Railway – Nick Pell, Curator of Mining and Transport, Leicestershire County Council

Thurs 21st Jan 2009 10.30-12.00

• Mining subsidence – Alan Ratcliffe

Each session costs £3.50 per person to include tea, coffee and biscuits. Pre-booking is required by calling 01530 278444.

For more details please contact Sarah Oakden-Nancarrow on 01530 278444 or see www.snibston.com.

Discover Like Darwin

Celebrating Charles Darwin’s 200th anniversary, the Discover like Darwin programme has run nearly 100 sessions throughout the year to encourage naturalists of all ages to learn more about the natural world, with events taking place in Leicestershire museums, country parks and libraries.

The Chairman of Leicestershire County Council will be hosting the final Discover like Darwin event and a celebratory review of the year’s programme on Wednesday November 25th 2009 at County Hall, Glenfield.

The final event will be a lecture, by local naturalist Dr Anthony Fletcher, which will celebrate Darwin’s unique contributions to natural history. His theory of the evolution of species by natural selection is recognised as giving a new understanding of man’s place in nature and provides the foundation of modern biology. Darwin did not work alone though, and lived in an age when natural history was at the cutting edge of science. A brief mention will be made of his scientific companions, correspondents and helpers, and their Leicestershire connections.

Roger Wilson, the Chairman of Leicestershire County Council, said: “This event honours the bicentenary of Darwin’s birth and will be given only one day before the 150th anniversary of the publication of his masterpiece ‘On the Origin of Species’. This lecture is the culmination of an exciting programme.”

Ernie White, Cabinet Member for museums said “As part of the evening we will also be celebrating the work of local naturalists, who have helped us deliver this year’s Leicestershire Discover Like Darwin programme, as well as the work of volunteers who are helping to enhance the natural history collections and their availability to modern nature detectives and the public alike.”

The lecture is being held at 7.30pm on Wednesday, 25th November 2009 in the Council Chamber at County Hall. Booking for the event is essential as places are limited.

For further information or to book a place, contact the Museums Collection team telephone: 0116 305 4102 or 0116 305 3726, email museums@leics.gov.uk or visit www.leics.gov.uk/darwin

Say No to Bullying: A Tudor Witch Hunt

During Anti-bullying Week (16th – 20th November 2009), Leicestershire school children are getting the chance to explore issues surrounding bullying with a storyline set in Tudor times. The project is being led by Leicestershire County Council’s (Environment and Heritage Service) Museum Learning Team who are visiting a number of schools across Leicestershire throughout Anti-bullying week.

Costumed characters are visiting pupils at their schools to present an assembly which highlights the issues surrounding the folly of judging people by appearances. Pupils will meet Widow Wenlock, a Tudor character who is accused of witchcraft by the bullying Master Worsted due to her large ‘witch-like’ nose. Pupils are encouraged to think of themselves as a Tudor villager and help the Lord of the Manor to consider how they might help Widow Wenlock’s situation.

The assembly is presented in a light-hearted way but raises a number of thought-provoking issues. Afterwards, pupils take part in classroom activities which relate the Tudor scenario to present situations that the children themselves might encounter.

The session is part of the on-going programme provided by the Leicestershire County Council’s (Environment and Heritage Service) Museum Learning Team and is just one of the popular range of costumed character-led activities running at Donington le Heath Manor House throughout the year.

Contact:

Andrea Bridge 0116 305 3449, andrea.bridge@leics.gov.uk

Auster aircraft display ‘takes off’ at Snibston!

A new display of Auster light aircraft is winging its way to Snibston later this month.

With support from the International Auster Club Heritage Group, the exhibition will be on show to the public from 26th November 2009, as part of the permanent displays at the award-winning regional museum of science and technology.

On that date, Auster G-AGOH will be suspended from a new stand in the Transport Gallery at Snibston and represents the first steps in redeveloping this display. A new workshop area will accommodate other Austers which will form part of a series of on-going restoration projects at the County Council attraction. One of these will be the earliest surviving example of these light aircraft.

Celebrating 70 years since production of the popular light aircraft first began, members of the International Auster Club Heritage Group will be on hand to watch the Auster plane ‘lifted’ into place at Snibston. The ceremony will kick-start the Auster Club’s Annual General Meeting.

Austers were built at Thurmaston and Rearsby in Leicestershire between 1939 and 1965 by Taylorcraft “England” Ltd. Registered as a company on 21st November 1938, the first planes were produced in February 1939. After a name change in 1948 (to Auster Aircraft Ltd), the Auster became the first post-war civil light aeroplane to go into production. Over 4,000 were built and sold world wide for just over £1,000 each. During the Second World War, the Auster was successfully adapted for military purposes.

The International Auster Club Heritage Group, a group of Auster enthusiasts and historians from across the country, has worked for many years to maintain an archive for the benefit of the aviation industry, local people and fellow aviation enthusiasts. The club has worked closely with the County Council’s Museums Service to share this information and ensure that future generations will be able to find out about this important aspect of aviation history.
The County Council has an internationally significant collection of planes representing the development of the Auster and extensive archives relating its design and production .

Further additions to the displays will be in place in February 2010 and will include objects and photographs from the Auster archive. Volunteers will be recruited and trained to help with the restoration of the aircraft, an exciting opportunity for aviation enthusiasts or those interested in developing new and transferable skills. Further aviation-related activities are planned for 2010.

Mike Preston, Chair of the International Auster Club Heritage, said: “We are awaiting the new displays at Snibston with great anticipation – it will be fantastic to see the plane in its new position. The 70 year anniversary is very significant in terms of aviation history and I am thrilled that these popular and iconic planes and accompanying exhibits will be on display for the public to see.”

Background:
1. For further information regarding the Auster displays, please contact Sarah Oakden-Nancarrow on 01530 278 444, or visit www.snibston.com.
2. Photo opportunities

• 11th-20th November – see the plane being cleaned
• 25th November – positioning and reassembly of the Auster aircraft; see the wings being remounted
• 26th November – final steps to positioning and mounting the aircraft.

3. More information
Further details about the Auster collection are available on the County’s Collections Online facility, together with more information about some of our historic collections.
Please visit:
http://museums.leics.gov.uk/collections-on-line/

Archaeologists discover Stone Age weapons factory near Melton!

Archaeologists have discovered a Mesolithic Stone Age weapons factory on a building site near Melton in Leicestershire.

Thousands of tiny pieces of flint remained hidden and preserved by layers of soil for 10,000 years until property developers started excavations for a new housing estate.

Dr Patrick Clay and his team from the University of Leicester Archaeology Service (ULAS) now have the mammoth task of cataloguing around 8,000 finds.”What we have here is still on the original ground that the Stone Age workers would have been standing on 10,000 years ago, sealed in place by layers of colluvium,” explained Dr Clay.

“We plot each find using GPS satellite positioning and, due to the amount of finds, we can almost plot where people would have been sitting and standing when they were working and making the weapons.” He added: “We estimate that the area was used by this Mesolithic or mid Stone Age group around 10,000 years ago and most of the finds are fragments of flint and we have also found some pieces of burnt bone.”

The tiny pieces are called microliths and would have been attached to the end of arrowheads and spears. Most of them are around 5-10 mm.

“What’s incredibly rare is that these pieces have not been moved – usually any of these finds have been moved around in plough soil or by other modern activities,” added Dr Clay.

“This is the dim and distant past before farming was introduced and when Britain was still attached to the continent. There were still people moving through Europe into Britain.”

The local council are hoping a selection of the finds will go on display at Melton Carnegie Museum after the ULAS team have completed the long task of cataloguing their extensive finds.

For more information about ULAS visit the University of Leicester Archaeology Service website.

Early Music Concert by Galliarda at Donington

The music of Christmas past will be performed at Donington le Heath Manor House this December 2009.

On Friday December 4th at 3.00 pm and 7.30 pm the Manor House will hold its annual Christmas concert by our now resident early music group, Galliarda.

Last year’s performances were a sell out success, so once again the Manor will host two performances, a matinee performance at 3pm and an evening concert at 7.30 pm. Tickets are selling fast, so early booking is recommended.

The Christmas concert is now into its fourth year at Donington and we have many concert goers who come back year after year to support the concert and Galliarda.

Each year sees a different programme of delightful and evocative traditional Christmas music played on authentic instruments, such as the flute, viol and lute.

The combination of period music, authentic instruments, festive refreshments and the stunning 17th century style decorations throughout the building make this a very special evening in the build up to Christmas.

Galliarda are:

• Wendy Hancock: Recorder, Baroque Flute and Treble viol
• Stewart McCoy: Lute and Theorbo
• Ian Gammie: Viola da Gamba

Ticket prices are £12, £10 Concessions + £8 students to include mulled wine or spiced apple juice and mince pies.

Tickets available from Donington le Heath Manor House now. We regret no ticket purchases can be made via phone.

For further information please contact Alison Fearn Museum Officer on 01530 831259 or Richard Knox Keeper on 0116 3058327

www.leics.gov.uk/Donington

The Twelve Days of Medieval Christmas Explored at Donington!

On December 10th at 7.30pm the Donington talk series for 2009 concludes with a talk by Michael Brown, gardener and garden historian from Prebendal Manor Northamptonshire.

Michael will talk the audience through a sparkling twelve days of the Medieval Christmas. Explaining what food and drink was popular for Medieval feasts and frivolities, the customs enjoyed by rich and poor alike through the Holy Days and feast days of the period. Yule logs, Wassail, mince pies and music were all part of the Medieval Christmas tradition, but what was it to eat humble pie and what exactly was a humble pie anyway?

Come and find out with Michael in the atmospheric surroundings of the Manor house decorated in all its Christmas greenery.

Tickets are £3.50 per ticket and pre-booking is essential owing to limited numbers.

Light refreshments served by the Friends of Donington le Heath Manor House.

On the 12th and 13th December 2009, from 11 – 4pm, the Manor House will be showing the festive season as celebrated in the early 1600s at ‘Christmas at the Seventeenth Century Manor’.

For further information please contact Alison Fearn Museum Officer (Events) on 01530 831259 or Richard Knox Keeper 0116 3058327

www.leics.gov.uk/DoningtonleHeath
www.facebook.com/DoningtonleHeath

Charnwood Museum Hosts Royal Photographic Society Exhibition!

A fantastic array of photographs from around the world will be on display at Charnwood Museum when it hosts The Royal Photographic Society Members’ Exhibition for 2009.

The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday 7th November and is on until 24th December 2009.

The Royal Photographic Society, founded in 1853, is the foremost Photographic Society in the world and its aim is to promote excellence in the Art and Science of Photography. The society is an educational charity with a worldwide membership of over 10,000 and in 2004 it became a body incorporated by Royal Charter. Since 2003 the society has held a Members’ Exhibition every second year.

Entries for the 2009 Members’ Exhibition were submitted from around the globe, and the 100 prints that were selected by the judges, showcase the diverse styles and techniques adopted across the membership and the high quality of their work.

For more information please call Charnwood Museum on 01509 233754.
Charnwood Museum Website: www.leics.gov.uk/CharnwoodMuseum

Local Artist to Showcase Works of Italy at Snibston

Clock Quadrant on side of Rialto Bridge by Mike Burton ©

Snibston Discovery Museum is hosting a stunning display of Italian-themed photographs from local artist, Mike Burton. Running from 2nd November until the end of December 2010, the exhibition will be displayed in the Community Gallery which is free to all visitors to Snibston.

Featuring a wide range of inspiring images, Mike’s latest collection, ‘Italy: A Sense of Place’, will appeal to lovers of art and the Italian way of life.

Mike Burton said “This is the third time I have held an exhibition at Snibston and I am thrilled to be able to display my latest work here. It is vitally important that local artists have space to showcase their work; Snibston is a high-profile venue and its free-to-view Community Gallery provides lots of opportunities for artists and visitors alike”.

For those keen to meet the artist, enjoy the exhibition and sample some delicious Italian cuisine, join Mike Burton at Snibston on the evening of 14th November 2009, between 7pm and 9pm. Mike will be on-hand to discuss his art, his travels and the techniques he uses to create such beautiful images. It will be an excellent opportunity to pick up some useful tips from a photographic expert, and to buy some of his works at a discounted rate. Mike is a renowned artist, whose techniques have been compared to those of Charlie Waite, a top UK Landscape Photographer.

Tickets for Saturday 14th November cost just £10 and include a mouth-watering Italian buffet. Take the opportunity to browse these wonderful images of Italy and treat yourself, or a loved one, to a unique Christmas present. Tickets need to be booked by Wednesday 11th November.

For more details please contact Snibston on 01530 278444, snibston@leics.gov.uk or see www.snibston.com.

New Fashion Exhibition Launches at Snibston

On Wednesday 18th November 2009 Snibston Discovery Museum will launch a new exhibition entitled ‘In Sheep’s Clothing’ which will showcase the creative talents of second year students from Nottingham Trent University’s Fashion Design course.

The students’ work has been created as part of a project which brought together the Fashion Collections at Snibston, The Woolmark Company, fashion retailer NEXT and two Savile Row Tailors.

Part of a second-year fashion design module, entitled Commerce and Innovation, the project encouraged students to create innovative designs in wool for a modern customer. The added challenge was to use the Museum’s historic fashion collections as the inspiration for the new designs.

Almost one hundred students took part in the competition before fifty were short-listed to create their designs in top quality wool fabrics, provided by some of the World’s greatest weavers.

From these fifty finalists, thirty outfits have been selected to be displayed in the exhibition within the Changing Room at Snibston’s award-winning Fashion Gallery.

The final competition winners were announced in July and the winning students spent a week at Gieves and Hawkes and Henry Poole, two of the most famous tailors from the prestigious Savile Row in London.

Students from the University’s School of Business Fashion Marketing course were able to join the competition in developing a brand for the project, and an identity for the actual exhibition. The winner of this part of the competition spent a week at the London Press Office of high street giant NEXT.

The winners of the competition were

• Zabela Targosz (Womenswear)
• Jacques Turner (Menswear)
• Georgina Cashman (Marketing)

The exhibition will run from Thursday 19th November until May 2010. Entry to the museum is £6.75 for adults, £4.50 for children and under 5s go free. Entry to the Fashion Gallery is free on Wednesday afternoons.

The Fashion Gallery is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.