Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

I wonder if Hyndburn are contributing? It was because of one of these Open Days that I found out that underneath Accrington's Town Hall was a room, just ozzing with museum items.
I believe its now been classed as "unsafe" for members of the public to go in???????
All this "stuff" could go in a Museum, if a room could be found for it???

Heritage Open Days

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Are there no hidden rooms at the Haworth, or even in the cellar, or that stable block, which could tie in a museum with the gallery?

Or do you think a town centre location would attract more interest?

I know you know Cllr. Wendy Dwyer, she's hoping to make the Haworth more of a centerpiece in the town, so she might be able to pull some strings.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

I'll answer that for you Garinda.

We had a surprise visit from a gentleman who works for H.B.C. at the meeting on Thursday. He is, at the moment, the Acting Manager of the Haworth. He was running a few ideas to us.

It was suggested about using the gallery as a museum too, but when the building was given to the town by the Haworths ....it was specified it should be used as an Art Gallery.

Seemingly, there is a plaque up there which states this, and we cannot go against the beneficiary's last wishes. Did wonder though if we could not insert something on the wording ... (only joking).

The stable block was suggested, but like all things ... H.B.C. have not got the money to even clean it up properly.

Oh Hi, Atarah ... see you have come on line now ... perhaps you could elaborate on my post with regard to where some of the town's artifacts are 'supposed' to be, etc.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Thanks Katex.

Where did the Accrington museum used to be?

Ok, I just remembered.

Doh.

http://www.accringtonweb.com/forum/f...tip-51518.html

Any hidden rooms at the Town Hall, as there are staff at the tourist information.

You could perhaps turf the caretaker out of his little hidey-hole.

:rolleyes::D

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Some were sent to Mercer Hall, which closed as a museum in 19??
Come in Atarah .. you know more than me .. sorry if I have taken your thread over ...x

And Oi, the caretaker at the Town Hall is a friend of mine and a good lad... LOL.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

...and mine.

He'll box my ears next time he sees me, if he knows what I suggested, and throw away the key to our locker upstairs.

:D

It is suprisingly roomy in there though.

:rolleyes:

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Hi, just off to work, but .. .couldnt you "off the record" ask your Town hall friend whats the "up date" on that room below ground where he works????

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Eeew yes, good thinking Batman.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Ah ! But what is art ? Isn't it a perspective thing ? :)

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

I'm sure I've been in the town hall's basement room when I was in the Cubs (maybe 17 - 20 years ago?). I remember being shown lots of old bits and pieces on a guided tour around the place... pretty sure I haven't got this mixed up.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

You arguing the case, that in the name of art, they could have a flash mob of crocheters up at the Haworth?

:eek::D:eek:

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Nah Mate ! Just throwing it out there & waiting for the fur to start flying. ;)

Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Hi Katex, did you manage to "bump into" your Town Hall friend and ask the question re the basement

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

I'm there tomorrow for our meeting, and will try and ask him too.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Spoke to Katex's friend today at the Town Hall..

Explained a room was being sought to house a musuem, and he said in theory there is space down there that would be suitable, in his opinion.

He said to tell Katex to pop in, and he'll take her down and show her it.

:p

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

But .... me thinks we should take this further. In Ann Haworth's will she specified the house, Hollins Hill and grounds, were to be left as "A MUSEUM, Art Gallery and Public Park" - someone in their wisdom must have decided differently as we did have a museum at that time, in Oak Hill Mansion.

Accywebbers - UNITE!! Maybe we COULD have a room up there after all!

Lets make it our quest!!!

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

The plaque just inside the gallery does mention a museum.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

It makes sense to me that any museum should ideally be housed with an existing art gallery.

There are already staff there, as well as it being a secure place to house exhibits, and is already insured.

Plus the benefits of having parking, and other facilities like a cafe.

I know Cllr. Wendy Dwyer is very keen that the Haworth is more well used, than it is at present.

I'm sure if there was a museum there it would only add to it's appeal.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

All well and good Gari, but the exibits in museums soon take up lot of space, then there is a problem of storage facilities. The Haworth has limited space & the storage facility is already taken up, with paintings, and other thing not on show.
Perhaps things could be condensed in the local authority, years ago it was just the town hall, now they have Scaitcliffe, (Bulloughs old drawing office),
and part of the Globe center, & the upper part of the block on the right of Broadway, and probably other places as well, there would be ample room in any of those. What about making use of the Arcade in a similar way to York.
Retlaw.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Nothing really to do with me, and therefore shouldn't really be sticking my beak in, however, since presumably funding will be nonexistent, and it will need staffing, it makes more sense to me that any museum be housed in an already existing place, already open to the public, and showing exhibits.

Purely as a punter, I'd much rather see museum exhibits at the Haworth, which relate to the town, rather some crud, such as an exhibition of work by some amateur painting group from God knows where, from outside of the borough.

Again, from a visitor's point of view, the curatorship at the Haworth has been in unimaginative, not very dynamic, and frankly uninspiring hands, ever since Norman Potter retired, over twenty years ago.

Perhaps some small space could be found to house a museum, if some of the unshown paintings and drawings are stored elsewhere in council owned property?

It is a crying shame that a town like Accrington doesn't have a museum to record it's proud history.

Even sadder that there once was one.

Much of whose world renowned Rimington mineral collection was dumped on a tip in Baxenden.

Which sort of sums up the situation.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

One of the main problems the last curator had, was having to consult further up the management chain, for permission to do anything, other than change the art displays every few weeks.
All the artworks in the storage facility are in a speciall enviromentally controlled room, I doubt they would find funds to relocate, then it would incur all the expense of packing, and transport, when the exihibits were changed, plus heavy insurance costs if stored else where, and moved back and forth.
There must be loads of room in the town hall, even some of the empty space in the market would look better with exhibits in glass cases.
Retlaw.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Apparently, and theoretically, there is room down in the bowels of the Town Hall. Although that doesn't address staffing issues.

As nice as the ladies in the tourist information office, and the caretakers are, they aren't always there, nor are they qualified in curatorship.

Apparently change is underfoot at the Howarth, since the change in the ruling party at H.B.C. Hopefully that can only be a good thing.

We are lucky.

We have a beautiful building in the Haworth, but as a gallery, it doesn't feature on the cultural map of Britain, being all a bit amateurish, and decidely parochial.

Yes there's a half-decent collection of Tiffany glass. Less well displayed now than before it's last refurbishment. But who in Hyndburn knows very much about the art collection?

At an estimated market value of £5 million pounds we should know about it, and cherish it.

As posted earlier that is down to poor and unimaginative curatorship, in my opinion.

These are just my thoughts as a visitor.

Though having my degree in art, and an interest in galleries, and having visited most of the world's major collections, I do think my assesment carries some weight as a punter.

I can think of lots of spaces at the Haworth where I'd rather see items relating to Accrington, rather than some of the shocking tat I've seen 'exhibited' there in recent years.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Just as a matter of interest, how does the displaying of items relating to the town, the Accy Pals and the Stanley exhibition being two succesful examples, differ from if there was a similar display of museum pieces, again relating to Accrington?

After all the given examples are general interest exhibitions, and certainly not art.

Which rather makes a mockery of the claim that there's some legal clause, stating that the Haworth must only be used as an art gallery.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

We don't know for certain that there is such a legal clause. And we are looking to see whether it would be possible to house a small museum at the gallery. Money permitting of course.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Thanks Bernard.

Not totally sure, but think it was Katex who posted that someone in an offical capacity, had raised the point at one of their meetings.

Since there's already been at least two non-art exhibitions at the Haworth recently, perhaps a precedent's already been set.

Since no legal challenges were made, or the place wasn't struck by a thunderbolt.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Here is a list of towns which ARE participating in the Heritage Weekend.
Looks like Accrington ARE NOT taking part!

Heritage Open Days - Directory - Regions

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Seven in tiny Ambleside, yet nowt in Accrington!

Perhaps we're more concerned with being seen as culturally modern, and promote our flash mob, and crocheting sculpture events more.

:rolleyes:

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

It does seem a shame that there are many artifacts hidden around town that are never on display.

Feel sure Hyndburn would have had some notification of this event (would it be the Leisure side, I wonder ?). Perhaps we don't have the staff or funding just now to organise it, after all they don't have a Project's Manager any more.. ;)

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

There's also only one listed event for Blackburn.

I'm sure we must have much more hidden heritage, especially compared to such a small place as Ambleside, with it's seven listed locations.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

I don't think it's up to the council to organise this event - anyone can do something and then get it advertised on the website.
The format was always to have access to somewhere with a historical theme that is not usually open to the public but many churches etc use the event now to have open weekends which are usually well attended.

When I worked at Clough Head Information Centre over grane I was asked by the Civic Trust to host a weekend of events which included exhibitions, tours of the water treatment works, guided walks around the old village and the Grane Tea Party.

It is a bit late to organise something for this year now but maybe next year something could be done if you have enough people who are interested in making it happen

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Fair comment anzac, but seeing as its the "council" buildings we wanna explore", think it would be the Council we would have to ask?????

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

[quote=katex;912981]I'll answer that for you Garinda.

We had a surprise visit from a gentleman who works for H.B.C. at the meeting on Thursday. He is, at the moment, the Acting Manager of the Haworth. He was running a few ideas to us.

It was suggested about using the gallery as a museum too, but when the building was given to the town by the Haworths ....it was specified it should be used as an Art Gallery.

Seemingly, there is a plaque up there which states this, and we cannot go against the beneficiary's last wishes. Did wonder though if we could not insert something on the wording ... (only joking).

The stable block was suggested, but like all things ... H.B.C. have not got the money to even clean it up properly.
I've just been up the Haworth, yes there is a bronze plaque over the fire place, and it does say Museum and Art Gallery.
As for exhibiting things things as a museum would, there isn't room, they inherited some of the things that used to be in Oak Hill along with the items that Ann Haworth left.
Trouble is they have no room to permanently display them, and as for making use of other parts of the building, like the stable block etc, that again is a non starter. The Haworth is a listed building, not only the outside, but a large part of the inside as well, including the stable block & garage, they can't even change the door handles, unless with like, thats why I've had to repair two of them recently, nothing matching available.
Retlaw.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Thanks for that Retlaw. But ... as they have some museum items already, which ARE ALREADY stored in a room, would be nice if we could have THAT room and just make them more "display friendly".
Think its time for an official letter to be sent out .......
We could type one out and get all the folk who go to the next reunion on 13th August to sign it ????????????????

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Without wishing to be too contrary, the Accy Pals exhibition isn't art.

Nor was the Accrington Stanley one.

Both crowd pullers.

Perhaps the museum could be an annual exhibition, which could then change it's theme, industry, transport, social/civic history etc., and could be stored somewhere off site?

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Perhaps the local hysterical, whoops, historical society, should try and liase with the borough and county council, and try and encourage them to take part next year?

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

I don't really think the society is hysterical.

Though I'm sometimes amazed at the passion local history can induce.

:D

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

It will not be possible to make the storeroom into an exhibition room, remember the Haworth was designed as a house, vey little inside or out can be changed, the question raised by Gari about things stored off site, again the cost comes into consideration, there was only enough money for a big office for britcliffe, and his medals & plaques, money for museums, extra storage, which will incur extra transport & insurance etc, will not happen.
Retlaw.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Think its time for an official letter to be sent out .......
We could type one out and get all the folk who go to the next reunion on 13th August to sign it ????????????????[/quote]
Thats a laugh, they'll all sign it, an I'll bet on Sunday 1/2 of them won't remember, how many of those who sign have ever been inside the Haworth, or Blackburn Museum, or the one up the Valley.
As Spock said to Cptn Piquard, the needs on the many out weigh the needs of the few.
Retlaw.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

[quote=garinda;923905]Without wishing to be too contrary, the Accy Pals exhibition isn't art.
Maybe it is not classed as art, but they are pictures after all, and July 1st this year was a special occasion, as was July 2006. Does that mean I shouldn't ask to put my pictures up every year for July 1st.
I wish some one would let me know, then I can either keep them or get rid of them.
Retlaw.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Get em up every July, as long as yeh can.;)

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

No, of course it should be there.

Just pointing out that it isn't 'art'.

It's a disgrace a town like Accrington hasn't some sort of museum.

Where there's a will, there's a way.

Very few problems are insurmountable, with enough determined effort.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Only my opinion, and I've said as much before, but the curatorship of the Haworth, as an art gallery, has been dire for a number of years.

If someone in charge had flair, and vision, it could be a cultural destination, and put Accrington on the map.

They don't, and it isn't.

Besides the Tiffany glass collection, how many people know anything about the permanent painting/drawing collection, which has an estimated worth of over five milion pounds?

Very few I suspect.

Some of the exhibitions of recent years have been woeful.

Perhaps it might be an idea to ditch some of the monthly exhibitions, if they're going to be so pitiful.

Refuse exhibition space to amateur painting groups from outside the borough etc., and give it over to exhibits that actually relate to the town, just as the Pals/Stanley displays did.

It just takes a little vision.

Always a handy thing to have if you're running a gallery.

Yet sadly there is very little of that in evidence up at the Haworth.

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Heritage Weekend! Loads of fab things to do over Burnley way!!!!
Heritage Open Days

Re: Heritage Open days Sept 2011
 

Heritage Weekend Sept 2011

Have been to Towneley Hall in Burnley today, seeing as there didnt seem to be anywhere in Accrington to go to, on this once a year event! What a fantastic day it turned out to be! Excellent! Lots of folk had made the effort and turned up. We watched a battle re-enactment, there were lots of "side stalls" - e.g. owls on display, food stalls, free tours around the wonderful house - we went through doors you are not normally allowed through. We went in the cellar, down long long passageways, we went up to the very top floor of the house, along the paths of the original house servants, we were allowed to go behind the glass window which normally keeps visitors from going into the victorian kitchen, and allowed to touch the exhibits if we so wished. We went shown the Priests Hole etc. etc. Smashing family day out. Well done Burnley!