MUSEUM MATTERS August 2012
Prepare for
The Newsletter of The Friends of The Canal Museum, Stoke Bruerne
Village at War 29th-30th Sept
SCULPTOR RESTORATION EARNS TRANSPORT TRUST AWARD Photo: [L to R] Richard Cox, Friends of The Canal Museum, Transport Trust Patron HRH Prince Michael of Kent and representatives from the Transport Trust
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ach year, the Transport Trust presents a series of awards to recognise and celebrate restoration excellence along with commitment to heritage preservation. In 2011 our project to restore Museum boat Sculptor was nominated and we are pleased to report that on June 18th at a ceremony at Trinity House in London Transport Trust Patron, HRH Prince Michael of Kent, presented a
Inside… • Sculptor & Ilkeston ‘buttied up’ • Braunston cheque presentation • Twinning News & Visit • New Jack James serialisation • Gala News & Photos • Village at War Preview • New Winter Talks
Sculptor’s First Outing for Two Years
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fter several weeks of frenzied activity by the volunteer team to get her ready in time, Sculptor set off for the Braunston Historic Boat Show over the weekend of 22nd-24th June where she was the centre of attraction in the twice daily boat parades and the beneficiary of a very welcome cheque for £1,000 from the event proceeds.
Braunston Marina proprietor and corporate Friends member Tim Coghlan, who presented the cheque, said: “It is great to see Sculptor back and a pleasure, as a financial supporter, to see her in such fine shape. I know there is much internal work still to be done, but the hull and superstructure looked just fabulous, and I know how much work has gone into her.”
Highly Commended Award to the Friends of The Canal Museum for the high standards applied to the restoration project. The Award was collected on behalf of the Friends by Richard Cox who was a member of the volunteer team assisting with Sculptor’s restoration and who helped crew her back to Stoke Bruerne from Brinklow along with Ryan Dimmock with Southern Cross in April. Richard said: “I was particularly pleased to go to Trinity House to collect the award because of its long held connection with ensuring the safety of shipping and the well-being of mariners since it was founded in 1514. Sculptor was used as a fire boat in London during the Second World War and would almost certainly have seen service in the docks.” The Transport Trust is the only national charity established to promote and encourage the preservation and restoration of Britain’s unique transport heritage in all its forms, including the inland waterway system.
[L to R] Tim Coghlan, Braunston Marina, Chris Heaton-Harris, MP for Daventry, Tony Hales, Chairman Canal & River Trust and David Blagrove, Friends of The Canal Museum, aboard Sculptor with a cheque for £1,000 at the Braunston Historic Boat Show Photo: Paul Bennett
totalling £6,000 were made to the sixteen canal and narrowboat preservation societies who attended the rally. The principle recipient was the Friends of Raymond, who received £2,000, followed by £1,000 for the Friends of The Canal Museum.
One boat attending was the FMC horse-boat Ilkeston en route from Ellesmere Port to her Through generous sponsorship by Braunston new home at the London Canal Museum Port. Marina and Canals Rivers + Boats, donations See full story on next page Outwardly Sculptor is now in good shape but there is still a lot of work to be done and bills yet to be paid, including the timber for rebottoming supplied by the Heritage Boatyard at Ellesmere Port. In all we still need to raise around £8,000 or so, so the Sculptor Appeal is ongoing. Donations, however small, will be much appreciated! Sculptor participating in the twice daily historic boat parade at the Braunston Historic Boat Show steered by FoCM Chairman David Blagrove and crewed by members [L to R] Rob Westlake, Phil Kidd and Helen Westlake Photo: David Jowett,
SCULPTOR TAKES ILKESTON IN TOW A FoCM crew, comprising David Blagrove, Honorary Curator Mike Constable, Robert Westlake and Rick Thake, assisted by Helen Westlake, Sarah Borondy and Tom Borondy (DB’s grandson), had all been involved in part or all of the journey from Braunston to Tring with Ilkeston, which attracted a lot of TV and local media coverage and visits from both the Mayors of Milton Keynes and Leighton Buzzard.
Getting ready for the journey south at Braunston. [L to R] Rick Thake, David Blagrove and Mike Constable photo: Rob Westlake
Ilkeston continued her journey south to London with motorboat Roger and a smaller crew from the London Canal Museum.
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fter attending the Braunston Historic Boat Rally, Museum motorboat Sculptor headed south to Cowroast Marina near Tring, with the FMC horse-boat Ilkeston in tow.
Ilkeston, which is celebrating its hundredth birthday this year, was en-route from Ellesmere Port to the London Canal Museum, where she will go on display. The boat had recently undergone major restoration in the Heritage Boatyard of the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port – a task which involved the young trainees in the boatyard, supported by the ‘Skills for the Future’ scheme. The Ilkeston was towed south from Ellesmere by the National Waterways Museum’s GUCCC Northwich motor Radiant – visiting the Braunston Rally for the first time.
The Mayor of Milton Keynes [R] with [L to R] David Blagrove (FoCM), Graham Mabbutt of the Bedford-Milton Keynes Waterways Trust and Rick Thake (FoCM) photo: www.photo-doctor.co.uk
For those who would like to know more about the trip, David Blagrove's diary of the journey, complete with photos by crew member Rob Westlake and members of the London Canal Museum, can be found via a link in the news story on the home page of our website at www.friendsofcanalmuseum.org.uk.
“ A brief stopover at Stoke Bruerne and time for a bit of sprucing up. [L to R] Rick Thake, Bill Mann and David Blagrove of FoCM Photo: Rob Westlake
David Blagrove said: “ This was a cooperative venture between FoCM, the Boat Museum Society, the Rickmansworth Canal Trust and the London Canal Museum. It is hopefully the first of many such inter-museum cooperations. Much remains to be done before Sculptor can be shown to the public, but at least the boat is now mobile and can commence a programme that will help publicise our Museum and FoCM.”
David Blagrove, Chairman of the Friends, writes…
“Our waterways have come into the hands of an organisation that has been created specifically to care for and cherish them”
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n spite of dreadful weather, the spring and summer have so far been a busy time for both the Friends and the Museum. David Henderson reports that while visitor numbers have not been helped by the continuing monsoon of May, June and July, other activities, including the continuing raising of the Museum’s profile, have continued apace. We of course have been extremely lucky in that our Gala Weekend just managed to find a window of dry weather between two of the steady stream of depressions that have made up the greater part of this last quarter’s weather. On the brighter side, there are at least no more mutterings of water shortage on the canal and the reservoirs at Daventry, Sulby, Naseby and Tring are now well-filled. This bodes well for next year, since any winter rain should keep the reservoirs and the underlying aquifers topped up for the foreseeable future.
Our Gala Weekend went off splendidly Our Gala Weekend went off splendidly under its new team headed by Lynda Payton. The Pirates this year were even more spectacular than usual and Tim Carter and his team deserve all our congratulations on putting on an excellent show. Once again Chis Whitby acted as compere and Master of Ceremonies from his perch in our garden with his usual aplomb; our old friends Ramshackle busked (and also helped out with the Friday night “comeall-ye”); the Traders Show was bigger than ever this year and there were more craft demonstrations. In particular many were taken by the display by Paul and Kathi Manning of historical artefacts found in Stoke Bruerne over the last few years. These included a brass beer tap and spile found in the paddock adjacent to the canal between locks 14 and 15, which may have come from the longlost pub and “Tommy Shop” known as “The Miners Arms”, operated during the building of Blisworth Tunnel by the contractor Jospeh Ludlam. Bill and Liz Man and their team once more kept
everyone supplied with delicious burgers and bacon baps. The 1960s tribute duo on Saturday night was apparently discovered busking in Daventry and proved to be a talented pair of lads. Not so many historic boats turned up this time, largely because the threatened water shortage kept many from further north away. Consequently the Harbourmaster’s team was able to marshall all the boats between top lock and the Tunnel for once. All in all it was a splendid do with the worthwhile result of an extra £3,000 or more for our funds.
Like the proverbial sewing machine Meanwhile the restoration of Sculptor has proceeded apace. We have been fortunate in getting together a good team who succeeded in making the boat mobile, if not quite habitable, in time for the Braunston Show at the end of June. Those who may have seen the chaotic state of the boat at the time of the Gala may have wondered whether it would ever run again, but the team worked wonders, greatly assisted by Martin O’Callaghan and on Sunday 17th June the engine ran in the boat for the first time since 2010. As a tribute to the Heritage Dockyard team at Ellesmere Port who overhauled the engine last year, it ran like the proverbial sewing machine. There is still much to do but at the time of writing it has been possible to start repainting the cabin top and other parts that have tended to suffer from the long period when the boat was not under the Museum’s direct care. The target date for making the boat a presentable exhibit is the Village at War weekend, and the final date for completion of internal and external refurbishment to exhibition standards is next Easter, for the Museum’s 50th Anniversary. Since 17th June the engine has run for 60+ hours, taking the boat to Braunston and returning with the butty Ilkeston, which was duly delivered to Cowroast in early July. At Braunston Sculptor was able to earn its attendance money by taking part in the parade and we were duly presented with a cheque for £1,000
from Braunston Marina by Tony Hales, formerly Chairman of BW and now the Chairman of Canal & River Trust. After Sculptor went to Blisworth in support of our friends there who are organising a Festival over the weekend 11th-12th August.
Challenges of running the waterways On 12th July the new Trust held its local launch ceremony at the Museum (the Trust’s regime in fact took effect as from 1st July) with some sixty or so persons involved in the new partnerships attending. It is pleasing to record that Lynda Payton has a place in the new local partnership, based in Milton Keynes, which has taken over the waterway responsibilities previously the remit of BW’s South Eastern Region. It is obviously early days yet, but there is good reason to believe that the new organisation will be able to respond quicker and more positively to the challenges of running the waterways than was possible under the previous BW regime. It is good to see that the new Trust has the advice of a number of persons who are experienced in the operation of various enterprises and organisations connected with the waterways. It was also good to see that several “hands on” representatives of the Environment Agency’s navigations were present. This augurs well for the future, if we are to see a better-coordinated waterway system that truly covers the whole country.
Nothing succeeds like success As we go to print, preparations are well under way for the Village at War event, which takes place this year in late September rather than early October. On 30th June a preliminary Blitz Shelter Party was organised at Roade. This was wellorganised and much appreciated by those who attended, although more could have perhaps responded. Nevertheless the event also made a profit. On which matter we might comment that nothing succeeds like success. The previous Village at War events have been sufficiently popular to persuade a number of local businesses to assist with sponsorship this year. We are most grateful to those who have already stepped up to the plate and will be publishing a list of all such sponsors once the event is over. I write this as the Olympics are in full swing, topping off a summer when even the rain did not dampen spirits at the Diamond Jubilee; when at
Ahoy There Me Hearties
long last our waterways have come into the hands of an organisation that has been created specifically to care for and cherish them rather than picking up bits of a nationalised industry that nobody else wanted; when some signs of better economic times began to appear; and when at least we were relieved of a water shortage. Enjoy the rest of the summer, and I hope it keeps fine for you all.
Our Gala Weekend goes with a bang would have been like on the historic waterway with a display of working narrowboats, canal craft demonstrations, children’s storytelling workshops and one woman theatre shows about life on “the cut” from Roundham Theatre’s Kate Saffin.
THE FRIENDS OF THE CANAL MUSEUM
As usual the weekend kicked off early with an evening performance on the canal side by
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING to be held on Thursday 18th October at 8pm at The Canal Museum, Stoke Bruerne
AGENDA 1. 2.
3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Apologies for absence Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting of The Friends of the Canal Museum held on Saturday 11th June 2011 in the marquee on the Museum Green, Stoke Bruerne Matters Arising Chairman’s Report Treasurer’s Report Subscriptions Election of Members of Council Any other business
This year’s pirates put on a brilliant display! photo: James Rudd
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irates raising money, an impressive display of pyrotechnics on a floating treasure island and boats galore were on parade as part of a fun packed timetable of entertainment at our Gala Weekend in June.
With the Northampton Carnival cancelled at the last minute, visitors flocked in to enjoy the spectacle and get a glimpse of what life
At the time of publication of this notice, there are two vacancies on the Council which also includes one ex-officio seat held by the Manager of The Canal Museum at Stoke Bruerne. Under the terms of the Constitution, Denis Atkinson retires by rotation and seeks reelection. Trevor Allum, who was co-opted during the year, stands for election for the first time. Any other nominations for Council must be received by the Chairman, David Blagrove, Wharf Cottage, The Green, Bridge Road, Stoke Bruerne, NN12 7SE by 1st October 2012. All those voting must be fully paid up members of The Friends of The Canal Museum at Stoke Bruerne. {signed} David Blagrove, Chairman, The Friends of The Canal Museum at Stoke Bruerne.
Following the AGM there will be a speaker who is yet to be confirmed. Please check the website or watch your e-mail box for details.
The pirates are coming! photo: James Rudd
Children’s story telling with Kate Saffin photo: James Rudd
demonstrations in his forge at the tunnel entrance and on Sunday, hundreds of vintage pre 1931 Sunbeam motorcycles dropped in as part of the Annual Rose of the Shires run through Northamptonshire. There was even a best dressed pirate competition! All-in-all the watery weekend was a wow with everybody. David Blagrove, Chairman of The Friends of the Canal Museum, event organisers, said: “We were absolutely delighted to see so many people enjoying the waterside and all the activities we laid on and our grateful thanks go to Northamptonshire County Council, South Northants Homes and the Cooperative Society who helped cover some of our costs this year enabling us to raise even more money to help support projects at the Museum.”
Mikron Theatre kick off the festivities on Thursday evening photo: James Rudd
the waterborne Mikron Theatre Company on Thursday evening and a get-together with a musical jam session and bar on Friday evening. The weekend continued with live music, model boats, cream teas, champagne and strawberries, tombolas and trade stalls, children’s games and face painting, vintage canal films, guided heritage walks and a real ale bar. In addition, Stoke Bruerne’s new blacksmith Bob Nightingale was giving regular
This year visitors travelled to the Festival from as far afield as northern Italy. Canal Museum Manager David Henderson said: “We were very pleased to be joined by guests from the Museo della Navigazione Fluviale, Battaglia Terme, with whom we are now twinned and which is not far from Venice. Like our Museum, our Italian twin was started by a canal worker, Riccardo Cappellozza, one of the last bargemen who amassed a collection of artefacts and persuaded his friend, the local librarian, to help put them on display. Our Italian friends were most impressed by Stoke Bruerne, our Museum and the Gala Weekend.
Above: We be buccaneers! Two of the children competing in the Best Dressed Pirate Competition photo: Northampton Chronicle & Echo Left: President & Kildare call in to entertain the crowds on their way back from the Diamond Jubilee Thames Pageant
F
WAR CABINET IN READINESS FOR INVASION 29th‐30th September
or the fifth year in succession our War Cabinet is ready to take Stoke Bruerne back in time some seventy years to the days of the Second World War. As in previous years visitors to the canalside village will be able to experience life in the forties including air raids, watch detachments of the Home Guard undertaking their duties, take cover in a bomb shelter and learn to ‘do’ the Lambeth Walk. Members of living history groups from all around the country will be in evidence and the Women’s Land Army will be ‘digging for victory’ and Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Winston Churchill PC, and Field Marshal Montgomery will be once again inspecting the troops. This year on Saturday at 1.30pm, a Spitfire from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will be buzzing the skies overhead and on Sunday morning there will be a Drumhead Service on the lock side. As in previous years musical entertainment will be provided by singer Lola Lamour and George Formby look-alike Paul Casper, while the Village Hall will be hosting a Tea Dance provided by Ruzzit Buzzit (with full instruction for novices) and on Saturday evening there will be a Swing Dance at nearby Roade Village Hall with Sticky Wicket and Linda Morris. Tea and cakes will be available at the Nippy Tea Rooms (aka Stoke Bruerne Primary School) and a collection of military vehicles will be on parade. On Friday night there will be a forties music night with Lola Lamour in The Navigation pub and on both days there will be a reminiscences exhibition and fashion show at the Church. David Blagrove said: “Stoke Bruerne has changed little in the last seventy years and the canalside provides a setting that is unrivalled for both its intimacy and its ambience. We are immensely grateful to the residents of Stoke Bruerne who not only put up with the bangs and air raid sirens but enthusiastically decorate their houses in appropriate 40s style for visitors to enjoy. We couldn’t do it without their co-operation and really appreciate their support”
Various items of military hardware will be on display and there will be an assortment of working boats tied up along the canal. A representative of the Ministry of War Transport will be on hand to ensure that traffic is kept moving and that boatmen do not spend valuable working time in the licensed premised beside the canal. Refreshments, hopefully off ration, but not Black Market, will be available on both days.
Because of the open nature of the village we will be asking for an admission fee of £5.00 per adult and £2 per car payable at the village car parks. Admission for Children under 16 accompanied by an adult is free. All surplus proceeds directly raised by the Friends go to help with our work supporting the Museum. Other local charities and village organisations will be raising funds independently. As always, any help volunteers and villagers would like to give would be much appreciated by the War Cabinet. Contact Jenny on 07530 069238, Mick Butler on 01604 473756 or Trevor Allum on 01604 863865.
JACK JAMES ...a serialised biography by David Blagrove
PART 1
M
uch is talked about Jack James and his connection with the Museum, but he had quite a remarkable career before settling down to an active retirement as caretaker of the Museum that he did so much towards inaugurating. Much of what I know is hearsay, but from either Jack’s lips or from other reasonably trustworthy sources and some can be verified by references elsewhere. In any case it is, I believe, important that some sort of record be made before the inevitable overtakes those of us who once knew him. I first met Jack on 10th March 1962 when he was lockkeeper at Stoke Bruerne, but
RATIONING WE URGENTLY NEED YOUR BOTTLES & GIFTS FOR OUR
TOMBOLA STALL BRING THEM TO THE CANAL MUSEUM OR CALL
Denis or Marie to arrange collection
on 01327 340297
Jack James at work as a lock keeper at Stoke Bruerne Top Lock I had heard of him some seven years or so previously when I met his oldest son, John, when he was manning the IWA stand at the Boat Show at either Olympia or Earls Court. I forget which. I was still at school at the time, but remember being enthralled by John’s account of
his upbringing as a youngster on the Kennet and Thames in my then home town of Reading. Later I came to know Jack very well as a result of my temporary incarceration at Stoke Bruerne due to ice in the hard winter of 1962-63 and would listen to him for hours sitting over a pint or two in the cosy top bar of “the Boat Inn”. On my return to Reading after the thaw I met his sister and brother-in-law, Millie and Jack Garner who told me a good deal more about his activities in the 1920s and early 1930s. Over the years I have managed to piece together more of Jack’s history and very interesting it is too. I should however mention that Jack’s story is typical of his generation of boatmen. Other boaters that I spoke to told me essentially similar stories. It was a hard life, but not unrewarding, and with a better quality to it in many ways than that of other contemporary working people in other jobs. It is up to the reader to judge whether this assessment is correct or not.
“Come out of Wales” Jack James once told me that one of his forebears had “come out of Wales”, and the surname James is indeed common in Wales. However it has not been possible to trace any Welsh connection, but several earlier generations of the James family have been traced to Minster Lovell a short distance west of Witney. His maternal (Hedges) grandfather’s family may have originated from Wales. It is interesting to note that Minster Lovell was a place where a settlement for Chartists was founded in 1845 by the working class champion Feargus O'Connor to help working class people satisfy the landholding requirement to gain a vote in county seats in Great Britain. This was one way that O’Connor hoped to obtain representation for working class people in Parliament and his National Land Company acquired land at Minster Lovell, which land became known as Charterville and was the third and largest of the Chartist estates. 300 acres (120 ha) were divided into 80 smallholdings with model cottages. 40 oxen and 18
pigs were provided to the winners of the plots, drawn by lot from the shareholders of the National Land Company, along with manure, firewood and seed. The area is still called Charterville Allotments, and the original plots still survive as freehold bungalows set in large gardens. Whether the James family was influenced by Chartism is not known, but the movement was very strong in South Wales, where in 1839 a serious uprising took place, being suppressed by the military. It is just possible that one of Jack’s forebears may have left South Wales at this time.
Born on a canal boat What facts are verifiable are that Jack was born on a canal boat at Swinford, near Eynsham on the Upper Thames on 18th April 1896. His parents were George Frederick and Fanny James (nee Hedges). George is described in the 1891 Census as “a labourer”, but he was in fact a boatman. He had come ashore temporarily and appears to have been working in a mineral water factory in Eynsham when he married Fanny Hedges at St Leonard’s Church, Eynsham on 6th July 1895. Fanny’s father, Richard, is described as a labourer on the marriage certificate.
Boat and bargemen George James’ father, Henry, born in 1852 was the youngest son of John James, born at Ramsden near Witney about 1811 and described in the Census of 1871 as a thatcher. He had married on 15th June 1831 a girl called Eliza Basson, who originated from nearby Cumnor on the other side of the Thames from Eynsham and then in Berkshire. It would seem that Henry, Jack’s grandfather, was the family member who became involved with boating, for on 30th May 1870 he married another Eliza Basson. The Bassons were an oldestablished Thames family of weir and lock -keepers and boat and bargemen. A photograph in Jack James’s possession showed Henry in old age sitting outside “the Trout” at Godstow smoking a churchwarden pipe.
Tied up in Oxford Basin George is stated on his marriage certificate of 1895 to be 21 years old, so he was presumably born in 1873/4. This is of particular interest to me for he lived to a great age and was still alive in early 1963 when Jack related some of his story to me, but he died soon after at Headington, Oxford. Jack told me that his father, as a small boy, had witnessed a hanging at Oxford. Although public executions were abolished in 1868 and the law stated that executions were to take place in prison thereafter, it would seem that the authorities found a way to satisfy the public demand for spectacle, by carrying out the deed in a place where the public could see it although within the bounds of the prison. In this case the hanging took place on the Castle Mound at Oxford, which may still be seen by visitors to that city, although Oxford Prison is now a hotel and no longer part of the penal system. Jack told me the story of the crime concerned. A young farmer from Bladon, where Sir Winston Churchill is now buried, had discovered that his sweetheart was two-timing him with another man at nearby Cassington and took a shotgun to the two of them, giving them a barrel apiece before handing himself in to the police. On my recounting this tale to an ancient aunt of mine who had lived at Kidlington all her life she told me that the farmer was in fact a relation of hers! According to Jack’s father the boaters who were tied up in Oxford Basin, by the foot of the Castle Mound, had a first class view of the proceedings and the wall of the basin that backed on to Bulwarks Lane adjacent to the old Oxford Canal Company offices was crowded with spectators. George James would only have been about three of four years old at this time, which my Aunt thought was about 1876. She was born nearly ten years later, but the event was still fresh in people’s minds when she was a girl. To be continued
A Visit to Battaglia Terme by Denis Atkinson
ously and successfully to maintain a splendid collection in a splendid setting. It was interesting that the museum relied almost entirely on the efforts of a small group of volunteers, a number of whom we met. Had we not been delayed 24 hours by an unwelcome puncture we would also have been received by the Mayor!
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he Museum at Battaglia Terme has already established links with The Stoke Bruerne Museum. Battaglia Terme is a charming small town which owes its existence to its development as the nodal point of the extensive canal and river network in the area, the canals having been constructed to carry the quarried local stone to pave Venice. The once important spa establishment has closed, and there is now virtually no movement of boats on either the canals or rivers, except for the local rowing club. Since the first canal there dates from 12th Century it could truly be said that an era had ended. However the Canal Museum represents a significant enterprise to keep the memories of the waterways alive, and it owes its existence to a former boatman, the splendidly named Riccardo Cappellozza, in much the same way that the Museum at Stoke Bruerne does since it was founded by Jack James and Charles Hadlow. The contents seem to be virtually entirely items which Riccardo has collected over the years.
Denis & Marie Atkinson with Friends and Volunteers at the Museo della Navigazione
The contents, arranged on three floors, consist of some superb models of river and canal boats, various water related artefacts and photographs (including one of Stoke Bruerne!). There are sections devoted to boatbuilding, life on board, propulsion and to navigation routes. Whilst there I was able to
Helping to keep it open We therefore felt privileged to visit Battaglia Terme where we received a warm welcome, (in every sense!), from Lucia Boaretto, the Culture Councillor, and her volunteer colleagues. The building, a former slaughter house, provided by the Commune, is about the same size as The Stoke Bruerne Museum, and is beautifully maintained and presented. It is the property of the Town, and administered by the local Council. It was gratifying to learn that linking with Stoke Bruerne had been instrumental in helping to keep it open. The Museum volunteers had fought strenu-
Displays in the Museum are superbly arranged
talk on the phone to Ricccardo Cappellozza, the Director, whose dedication at the age of 80 was still obvious, despite our lack of a common language! At least two waterways meet at the Museum. Interestingly one had been a very popular
Message from the Museum Manager David Henderson brings us up to date Overview After a very good year 2011/12, when the Museum managed to achieve the income target, and was 7% up on the previous year’s target the new financial year has been one of major disappointment. Venetian style bridges at Battaglia Terme
swimming site as it was fed by hot springs. Although little used, the canals seemed to be in very good order. Their only use appeared to be for an annual rowing festival and occasional other events, but canal cruises from Padua are planned for next year. In the town the canal was held between substantial but attractively mellowed stone walls, and crossed by a Venetian-style bridge, the only one of its kind outside Venice itself. In our brief tour we saw what had been the boatmen’s houses. These were substantial and most attractive. It seemed that the social status of the boatmen was substantially higher than that enjoyed by their English equivalents. We also visited Mussolini’s lock. This was opened by him in 1937, one of many such enterprises initiated by Il Duce. It appeared that the lock had hardly been used and remained in near pristine condition.
Plans to develop the Museum We were able to exchange gifts, and the Stoke Bruerne Museum will be enhanced with texts describing the history and geography of the Battaglia area. Our hosts, who provided us with a lovely lunch, were Myra Robinson, her partner Bill Varley, Clare Wenley, friend and canal enthusiast from Oxfordshire, Alessandra Romano and Francesco Zuin. We also met Riccardo Pergolis, formerly of Venice University. Their dedication to Museo della Navigazione Fluviale was obvious and their plans to develop the Museum, and the use of the waterways, can only be admired.
photos: Denis Atkinson
I would like to record my thanks to all at Battaglia Terme for their hospitality and interest. If you get the chance to visit, please do. You will not easily forget it! (July 2012)
CAN YOU HELP? Friends are needed at weekends to talk to visitors in the Museum galleries, show off Sculptor, steward a temporary canal painting exhibition in the School Room, run family activities and help café staff with washing-up at busy times. Training will be given. If you can manage a two hour slot, or more, on a regular basis please contact Louise or David at the Museum on 01604 862229 or e-mail Louise at Louise.Stockwin@canalrivertrust.org.uk
ies, schools museums.
and
other
The Canal Partnership has produced a “Stoke Bruerne and its Canalside” visitor guide. It is handed out free of charge to The Environment Agency has stated that April visitors paying admission or is priced at £1.50 to June has been the wettest 3 months of this for a non- admission sale. period since records began. A visit to Stoke The strategic marketing plan is to promote the Bruerne very much depends on reasonable visit through different agencies at a reduced weather. Visitors do not mind the cold, but rate using Tesco 2-4-1 vouchers and the Heriwalking in the rain is not very popular. tage Explorer Pass. The Tesco and Explorer I attended the AIM conference at STEAM in offer will be reviewed after 12 months before Swindon and a Northampton Forum & Historic renewal. Houses AGM and at both meetings it was Promotional Offers reported that most Museums and tourist sites ‘Hudson’s Heritage Explorer‘ pass programme are well down on visitors compared to the involves the Museum receiving 50% of admisprevious year. Many outdoor events in the sion promoted at tourist information sites. We area have actually had to be cancelled includare also participating in the ‘Sunday Telegraph ing the IWA Boat Gathering at Northampton. 2–4–1 promotion. It was agreed that all sites The Rushden Steam and Railway weekend will accept Tesco vouchers in 2012. It is bewas also cancelled. lieved that the national marketing of Tesco will Visitors improve visitor numbers at all three sites, inVisitor numbers are down on target by 33%. cluding spend per head. The Olympic Offer This equates to 1,503 less people which had with the Visit England/NEP website (download a knock-on effect to both shop and café sales. 2-4-1 voucher) and Days Out website Admissions are down 25%. (download 2-4-1 voucher) is expected to do well. Shop Sales Shop sales are down by 34% reflecting the Heritage Awards The Heritage Awards were held on Thursday decrease in visitor numbers. 5th July with HRH Duke of Gloucester in attenCafé dance. The Museum was asked not to enter The Waterside Café income is down 40%. In The People’s Choice Award to allow another June we changed our coffee brand to Douwe museum to win it. We have no entries this year. Egberts as they trade from Milton Keynes. We will re-enter The People’s Choice in 2013 The Café has been promised better support as well as enter the Gala Weekend as Best with training and maintenance of café equipEvent as it is the 50th birthday celebration of the ment. The coffee beans are cheaper to purMuseum’s opening in 1963. chase and we can have a weekly delivery. Our previous supplier expected a 5 case or- Curatorial A new exhibition case for the costume display der to save delivery costs. funded by the Friends was delivered in March Marketing and has improved the quality of the exhibition. The Museum has produced excellent new A new Sony TV has been installed in the Café leaflets that are distributed by an agency to to play Rosie and Jim productions during the hotels, supermarkets and Milton Keynes weekend and school holidays. Weekdays they Shopping Centre. A new leaflet on courses will show old waterway images from Jim Payler was produced and distributed through librar-
(a photographer from Blisworth). The Friends assisted with technical advice and set up. The new audio trail handsets, towards which the Friends contributed 50%, arrived in March and volunteers will be helping with a new script linked to proposed new interpretation signage in connection with a Heritage Lottery bid by the Canal Partnership. Twinning Italian representatives from the Museo della Navigazione attended the Gala weekend in June and Friends members visited Italy in July (see report elsewhere). The Italian Museum was able to gain extra funding for its international relations. We are now seeking to produce an exhibit on the Museum at Battaglia Terme (they likewise). Anyone linked to the Museums can gain free entrance on a visit to Italy or England. Their website www.museonavigazione.eu is linked to our website. The Curators and Friends are very excited about this project. I have been invited to attend a Tourism/Museum conference to be held at Catajo Castle at Battaglia Terme on 12th October. It may be possible to do a presentation on the history of the Canal Museum linked to the industrial revolution in English.
Treasurer’s Report August 2012 Current finances Currently the combined funds of the Friends charity and the Friends trading company amount to about £16,000. The trading company has a balance of £5,800 and the charity has about £10,200. The expenditure on Sculptor has exceeded the Sculptor fund by £4,600. The Friends have agreed a loan to the Sculptor fund of up to £8,000 to be repaid to the Friends general charity fund when further funds are raised for Sculptor. The accounts for the year ended 31 March 2012 are currently with our independent examiner and will available at the AGM on 18 October.
Gala
COUNCIL 2011/12 Chairman David Blagrove 01604-862174 also member of the Curatorial Group
Vice-Chairman Lorna York
Treasurer Laura Sturrock treasurer@friendsofcanalmuseum.org.uk
Minutes Secretary Denis Atkinson
Membership Secretary
Financially, the Gala this year was very successful. The surplus was about £3,700. The weather was better which resulted in receipts being good on both days. Of particular note are the burger and bacon stand and the two tombola stalls that between them raised £1,800. This year, for the first time, we obtained grants of £752 to assist in the costs of running the event.
Sandie Morton membership@friendsofcanalmuseum.org.uk
Treasurer: Laura Sturrock
David Henderson (ex-officio seat), Jenny Copeland, Bill Mann, Trevor Allum and Michael Butler
50th Anniversary We are seeking funding to have life size COUNCIL MEMBER JOINS sculptures of Jack James and Sister Mary and are hopeful that Prince Charles, Patron of MUSEUMS & ATTRACTIONS Canal & River Trust will attend one day in PARTNERSHIP 2013 to unveil them. John Alderson, FoCM Council member and previously our representative on the MuseCanal & River Trust We are pleased to join the new organisation ums Management Board, has joined the Caand were honoured that Stoke Bruerne was nal & River Trust’s Museums & Attractions chosen for the local launch on 12th July work- Partnership. Introduced to waterways at a ing closely with Jeff Whyatt Senior Waterway tender age, John worked on River Dee pasManager to ensure the event went smoothly senger vessels and for one of the very first canal boat hirers (ICA later to become IHC) (and the sun came out). following an engineering career with major We now report to a new post Acting Head of diesel engine builders (including Bolinders Museums and Attractions Debbie Lumb. She UK) on marine and industrial engines, concuris a Project Manager in the North West and rent with boat ownership. John is also a past has vast experience of projects and the workChairman of IWA Northampton Branch. ings of British Waterways. She is certainly helping the three waterways museums under- The new Partnership will be advising and supstand what we need to do to in merging with porting the team developing the strategy for the Canal & River Trust. As a person who has the Museums & Attractions and building relaworked in operations at many levels she is tionships with key organisations and people to well qualified to lead the 5 attractions to per- help further the work of each museum or attraction. form well in challenging times.
Publicity, Newsletter & Website Lynda Payton 01604-861205 publicity@friendsofcanalmuseum.org.uk
Museums & Attractions Partnership John Alderson Other
Events Sub-Committees Dennis Atkinson, David Blagrove, Bill Mann, David Henderson, Lynda Payton (Gala SubCommittee Chairman), Rick Thake, Tim Carter (occasional), Laura Sturrock, Jenny Copeland and Michael Butler (Village at War SubCommittee Chairman), Trevor Allum, Helen Westlake, Mike Partridge, David Daines (corresponding), Terry Richardson, Roger Hasdell (corresponding), Graeme Scothern (corresponding) and Victoria Powell.
Non-Committee Posts Roger Hasdell - Joint Newsletter Editor Terry Richardson - Assistant Publicity Officer Brian Collings - Curatorial Group Rose Granaghan - Winter Talks Organiser
www.friendsofcanalmuseum.org.uk
DIARY DATES
Talks will be given through the winter in the Schoolroom at the Canal Museum on the third Thursday of the month from September through to March inclusive. Details of speakers will be available on our website and in future newsletters. A donation is appreciated to help cover expenses.
Please put the following dates in your diaries: Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th September Introduction to Traditional Canal Painting Course at the Museum. For more details tel. 01604 862229 Thursday 20th September at 8pm Talk - Speaker TBA at The Canal Museum Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd September Introduction to Traditional Canal Painting Course at the Museum. For more details tel. 01604 862229 Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th September Village at War Weekend at Stoke Bruerne Admission £5 (Parking £2 per car) Thursday 18th October at 8pm AGM and Talk - Speaker TBA at The Canal Museum Thursday 15th November at 8pm Talk - Speaker TBA at The Canal Museum Saturday 8th December 4.30 onwards Illuminated Boats & Carols, Canalside on the Museum Green with boat trips Thursday 17th January at 8pm Talk - Speaker TBA at The Canal Museum Thursday 21st February at 8pm Talk - Speaker TBA at The Canal Museum Thursday 21st March at 8pm Talk - Speaker TBA at The Canal Museum
The Friends of The Canal Museum at Stoke Bruerne may not agree with opinions expressed in this newsletter, but encourages publication as a matter of interest. Nothing printed may be construed as policy or an official statement unless so stated. The Friends of The Canal Museum accept no liability for any matter, errors or omissions contained within this newsletter. We will, however, gladly publish corrections if notified. The editors reserve the right to shorten or modify articles published in the interests of clarity or space.