Museums and heritage

A museum in Wakefield was closed for several days last week after staff went on strike over pay.

Museums + Heritage Advisor reports that union members at the National Coal Mining Museum went on strike last Wednesday (26 October), with the industrial action concluded on Sunday (30 October).

Unison’s Wakefield branch secretary Sam Greenwood said 94.4% of members, on a turnout of 87.8%, had voted in favour of action.

“Last week we attended what we believed would be pay negotiations with the employer but museum representatives merely restated that pay offer that had previously been made and stated they were not prepared to improve upon it," he said.

“Inflation is currently at 10 per cent and the museum’s offer is less than half of that. Members don’t want to go on strike but the museum is leaving them with no choice.”
 

The National Trust has opened what it says is the world’s first stately home entirely reimagined for children.

Sudbury Hall, a 17th-century country house in Derbyshire, has been redeveloped into the Children’s Country House after a two-and-a-half-year renovation project.

National Trust staff consulted with 100 young ambassadors, aged up to 12 years, to devise and test ideas for the property.

The Hall welcomed visitors for the first time last weekend. There are almost no ropes or barriers in the property, allowing visitors to explore the space freely, with colour coding to signal what objects can be touched.

The house features activities, games, a photo booth, children’s books and a shadow puppet theatre in various rooms. Children can learn the basics of heritage conservation in the pantry, which features an interactive display of heritage hazards.

National Trust Director of Curation and Experience said he hopes The Children’s County House “will spark a lifelong love of heritage in the children who step through its doors”.

“We try to be imaginative in how we interpret our places: trying new ideas, where it’s appropriate, to engage people’s different interests. But, as we’ve done at Sudbury Hall, we always do this through careful research, and with the utmost respect for the historic fabric we look after.”

London dance music venue fabric will become the world’s first nightclub-in-residence at a museum, it has been announced.

The establishment, which has been running for more than 20 years, is partnering with the Museum of London as part of the museum's move from its current London Wall site to the General Market in West Smithfield, across the road from the Farringdon nightclub.

The partnership will kick off next Tuesday (25 October) with a performance commissioned by artist Ta Shani titled My Bodily Remains, which includes a live score by Maxwell Sterling as well as Richard Fearless - also known as Death in Vegas.

The one-night-only performance will take the form of a chamber play and celebrate the Museum of London’s impending relocation. The museum is closing its doors at its main site at London Wall on 4 December ahead of its relocation to West Smithfield.

The museum will collaborate with Fabric to mark the nightclub's 25th anniversary in 2024. Fabric will then be involved in the museum’s opening in 2026, where it will formally undertake its position as nightclub in residence.

Sharon Ament, Director at the Museum of London, said: “From DJ EZ to Jossy Mitsu, fabric has been at the forefront of the international electronic music scene for decades. As we embark on our exciting new journey, we are thrilled to join forces with fabric – our soon-to-be neighbours and one of London’s most iconic cultural spaces. Our collaboration will create special moments and memories for Londoners and visitors to the city. The first of many collaborations to offer new perspectives on London’s story.”

A new permanent venue for the Museum of Homelessness will open in London next year, it has been announced.

The museum said Manor House Lodge, in Finsbury Park, will be its base of operations as well as a centre for creativity, healing and community cohesion. 

Plans for the site are being developed by people with experience of homelessness alongside Stephen Greenberg, a museum planner who has worked on more than 100 museum projects. 

The museum said it hopes for the venue to be "a world class creative hub" that hosts performances, talks and workshops developed by people with experience of homelessness. It will provide 250 support sessions per year designed in partnership with those in need, which are likely to include regular surgeries focused on housing and legal rights as well as the provision of essentials during the cost-of-living crisis.

The plans for the site also include an open access professional standard arts studio for people experiencing homelessness and a home for the national archive and collection for homelessness, poverty and social action. 

The museum has been granted a 10-year community lease from Haringey Council which is currently undertaking initial works on the site. The Museum of Homelessness team is due to be onsite later this year and will undertake a six-month community development period prior to opening to the public in spring or summer next year.

Museum of Homelessness Co-founder Matt Turtle said: “After working in borrowed venues for seven years and relying on the generosity of partners especially the Outside Project, we are delighted to be putting down roots in Harringey. 

"We are excited about transforming this precious site into a museum space like no other, a place where people can hear stories they won't hear anyone else and receive practical support when they need it.

"Our community will work with partners including the council and people experiencing homelessness locally to make a space for everyone.”

The Victoria and Albert Museum is in talks over returning looted artefacts to Ghana.

Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A, has said he is “optimistic” that a new partnership can create a pathway for Asante artefacts “to be on display in Ghana in the coming years”, after visiting the country in February to hold discussions on the issue.

The items, including 13 pieces of lgold court regalia, including a decorated flower-shaped pectoral 'soul' disc and a pear-shaped pendant, were seized during a punitive raid in 1874.

Current restrictions incorporated in the 1983 National Heritage Act mean that the V&A is not able to 'deaccession' artefacts. Hunt hopes the 40th anniversary of the legislation next year can offer an opportunity to debate whether this needs to change.

In the interim, the museum can only offer the artefacts on long-term loan. 

In the V&A’s latest annual review, he wrote that he visited Ghana “to begin conversations about a renewable cultural partnership centred around the V&A collection of Asante court regalia, which entered the collection following the looting of Kumasi in 1874”.

A new museum and gallery membership scheme in Tyne and Wear has launched as part of efforts to attract people "back to culture".

Local museums and galleries in the area say they have been struggling to return to pre-pandemic visitor levels after a drop in numbers of up to 50% at some venues. The new scheme covers 10 galleries and museums run by Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums. 

The venues offer free entry, but admission is charged for special major exhibitions. Under the new tiered membership scheme, visitors can purchase an annual membership that includes free entry to ticketed exhibitions, invitations to special events and priority booking.

Membership fees will be used to fund the running costs of venues including Laing Art Gallery, Hatton Gallery and Discovery Art Museum, Shipley Art Gallery and South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, as well as two Roman forts and a steam railway.