English Heritage to offer food bank users free days out

English Heritage and the Trussell Trust have announced a new initiative to provide free days out for people who access food banks. 

Following a successful pilot scheme last summer, people on the lowest incomes will be able to receive a voucher for a free visit to their local English Heritage site alongside their emergency food parcel.

More than 100 food bank centres in the Trussell Trust network and 25 English Heritage properties across England will be taking part in the 2024 partnership. 

English Heritage sites participating in the 2024 scheme include Stonehenge in Wiltshire, Osborne—Queen Victoria’s seaside home—on the Isle of Wight, Corbridge Roman Town on Hadrian’s Wall, and Clifford’s Tower in York.

Nick Merriman, English Heritage’s Chief Executive, said: “As a charity, one of our key aims is to ensure that as many people as possible can enjoy the great historic sites in our care. 

"And although we’ve seen our visitor and member numbers increase, we know that for some, the opportunity of a day out is simply out of reach. 

"We’re really delighted to be teaming up with the Trussell Trust to help those who are often most in need of some time out with their family and friends.”

The offer will be valid until 3 November 2024 and is available to anyone receiving emergency food and support from one of the participating Trussell Trust food banks.

British Museum sues former curator over collection thefts

The British Museum is suing a former curator of Greek and Roman Art, alleging that they stole or damaged more than 2,000, mainly unregistered, artefacts from its collection. 

The museum’s lawyer, Daniel Burgess, said Higgs, who was fired in 2023, “abused his position of trust” and took the items, including ancient gems and gold jewellery, over a 10-year period, according to the Associated Press.

Burgess alleged that Higgs tried to conceal his activities by using fake names and documents, manipulating museum records and undervaluing items when he resold them.

Higgs, who has not yet been charged in a separate ongoing police investigation, denies the allegations. He did not attend a hearing on March 26 because of poor health, but Associated Press reports that he intends to dispute the British Museum’s claim.

The museum has said 351 stolen items have been returned, with 300 further missing items identified.

Orders from High Court judge Heather Williams require Higgs to list or return any items from the museum still in his possession within four weeks and to disclose his records from eBay and PayPal.

The theft of around 1,500 Greek and Roman objects by a British Museum employee between 1993 and 2022 first emerged in August 2023, causing considerable reputational damage to the organisation and resulting in the resignations of Director Hartwig Fischer and Deputy Director Jonathan Williams.

An independent review into thefts has made a series of recommendations to the museum on risk management, auditing, governance and security, as well as introducing a comprehensive register of all eight million items in its collections.

English Heritage trials body-worn cameras to prevent crime

English Heritage is trialling the use of visible body-worn cameras on its staff at four locations in an attempt to discourage antisocial behaviour and crime.

Used at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire, Tilbury Fort in Essex, Kenwood House in north London and Marble Hill in south London, English Heritage says that footage is being recorded "on the basis of our legitimate interest in deterring and detecting crime".

"Experience of these cameras has shown that they are useful at helping defuse confrontational situations and provide a reliable version of events, which can help us to clarify any dispute or serve as evidence in the event it is believed a crime has been committed."

The move follows the recent publication of research commissioned by Historic England and the National Police Chiefs' Council that examined heritage and cultural property crime in England.

The report highlighted problems, including the theft of historic lead and stone, burglaries targeting cultural objects, unlawful metal detecting, and the removal of artefacts from protected wreck sites. It also found issues with antisocial behaviour, including arson, vandalism, and graffiti, recommending a "more effective prevention and active enforcement of heritage crime".
 

Police investigate vandalism of portrait by activists

Police are investigating an incident of vandalism at Cambridge University which saw two pro-Palestine protesters spray paint on then slash a portrait of former Conservative Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour.

On 8 March the group Palestine Action posted a video online of an unidentified person defacing the 1914 painting, which was on display at Trinity College.

Sally Davies, Master of Trinity College, said in a statement: “I am shocked by [the] attack in our college on our painting. I condemn this act of vandalism. We are cooperating with the police to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

Palestine Action said in an online statement: “Arthur Balfour, then UK Foreign Secretary, issued a declaration [in 1917] which promised to build ‘a national home for the Jewish people’ in Palestine, where the majority of the indigenous population were not Jewish.

"He gave away the Palestinians’ homeland – a land that wasn’t his to give away. Britain’s support for the continued colonisation of Palestine hasn’t wavered since 1917.”

Others have interpreted Balfour's declaration differently. The full declaration states that "nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine”.

Fitzwilliam Museum’s painting galleries to reopen

The Fitzwilliam Museum’s five main painting galleries will reopen entirely on Friday (15 March).

The galleries at the Cambridge-based museum have been closed for a major refurbishment and redisplay project.

Built between 1837 and 1843, the galleries, located in the Fitzwilliam’s original Founder’s Building, have been equipped with better lighting, new silk wall coverings and new glass in the ceiling domes.

The refurbished space will feature over 190 works of art dating from the 1600s to the present day and from across Europe. The museum says each of the five galleries will be focused around a theme that brings the historic, modern and contemporary together.

“This redisplay juxtaposes historic and contemporary works to offer a narrative that links past and present,” said the museum’s Director, Luke Syson. 

“We can do this so well because of the depth and range of our magnificent collection and because of some exceptional new acquisitions. Many of our most famous works of art now take their place alongside more unfamiliar pieces in a rich array that deliberately leaves space for a range of responses and asks us all to think anew.”

The refurbishment and redisplay has been supported by the Albert Reckitt Charitable Trust and the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust.

Trip Advisor analysis ranks London first for culture

A tour operator company has ranked London the best city in the world for museums and galleries.

Audley Travel’s analysis revealed which cities have the highest number of five-star rated museums and galleries on Trip Advisor.

There are over 170 museums and galleries in London, enough to visit a new one every week for over three years, and 97 have a five-star rating on Trip Advisor.

London outranked Prague for top position, with Paris, Istanbul and New York rounding out the top five.

Jacqui Kaliouby, a UK specialist at Audley Travel, said London’s museums and galleries are “constantly changing with fresh exhibitions, new talks and innovative interactive experiences”.

She added that many of the city’s biggest and most renowned museums being free and easy to access helps strengthen its position.

Blackburn in line for £20m revamp

King George's Hall in Blackburn will undergo an £8m renovation, it has been announced.

The Lancashire Telegraph reports that the money will come from a Levelling-Up grant of £20m to Blackburn with Darwen Council from the government, with the work concentrating on the interior of the building.

The remainder of the new money will go on refurbishment of nearby Tony’s Ballroom, the redevelopment of Blackburn's historic town centre The Exchange building, and transforming the Imperial Mill for employment and cultural use .

Blackburn with Darwen Council Leader Phil Riley said: "The announcement comes after months of hard work between council and government officials, who have together developed a strong investment package to support town centre growth priorities.

"At the heart of the bid is an impressive £8m to renovate the ever-popular King George’s Hall - a key element of Blackburn’s new £50m Cultural Quarter.

"There’ll also be new investment for the likes of Tony’s Ballroom, The Exchange and Imperial Mill.

"I am delighted with the money for King George's Hall which is an vital part of the cultural, artistic and leisure life of the borough and wider area."

Tate Britain plans new garden

A garden in front of Tate Britain to integrate art with nature will open in 2026, it has been announced.

Museums and Heritage Advisor reports that the gallery is working on the garden project in collaboration with landscape design practice Tom Stuart-Smith Studio and architects Feilden Fowles.

The project, dubbed the Clore Garden, after its backing by the Clore Duffield Foundation, has also received advice and guidance from horticultural experts at the Royal Horticultural Society.

Tom Stuart-Smith, who has previously created gardens for Hepworth Wakefield in Yorkshire and the Royal Academy of Arts in London, said: "Since this area was last redesigned, the world has changed and we all feel that public spaces in the heart of our cities need to work harder. 

"Mown lawns and clipped hedges are hard pressed to do this on their own. We hope to make Tate Britain a haven for wildlife, and bring beauty, complexity and joy into this garden in the heart of London.”

Chiswick House reveals 'creative campus' plans

Chiswick House & Gardens Trust (CHGT) has unveiled plans to create a new learning hub with facilities to support 200 volunteers and artists’ studios.

The project aims to address the charity’s long-term viability and will also work with local residents to turn an unused outdoor space into a fruit garden.

CHGT said creating its new "campus”, Cedar Yards, will support the growth and accessibility of its volunteering and community activity. The addition of affordable workspaces for up to 100 artists and makers will also offer a new source of income for the trust.

So far, a third of the project cost has been raised, underpinned by funding from London Borough of Hounslow through Strategic Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) grants and funds from the Thriving Communities and Creative Enterprise Zone Grants. The rest of the funds are being raised from charitable and private sources.

Xanthe Arvanitakis, Director of Chiswick House and Gardens Trust, said: “This ambitious project has been designed to directly impact the wellbeing of our local community as well as enhancing cultural and creative enterprise activity in London Borough of Hounslow.

"By creating more public green spaces for local people, we can expand our learning and community programme, which is currently running at capacity. With the introduction of affordable workspaces for artists and makers, we will foster a local creative economy and generate much-needed new income for the trust.”

Activists arrested after Kelvingrove protest

Two climate activists have been arrested following alleged vandalism at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow.

Climate activist group This is Rigged said protesters staged a demonstration on 3 March to raise awareness about rising food insecurity in the UK. They are calling on the Scottish Government to implement a community food hub for every 500 households in Scotland.

In footage posted on social media, protesters were seen pouring porridge and jam on a bust of Queen Victoria and graffitiing its plinth.

In a statement, the group said: "We refuse to be dragged back to the Victorian era. Diseases such as rickets, which once haunted Victorian slums, are now on a sharp rise in Scotland, with 356 diagnoses in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area last year."

Police Scotland said officers were called to the attraction in Glasgow's West End at about 11:55 on Sunday and that two women, aged 23 and 30, were charged following the incident involving a Queen Victoria bust.

They were released to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court at a later date.

Emergency roof repairs at British Museum due to 'endless leaks'

Emergency roof repairs were carried out across four galleries at the British Museum last week following an "endless series of leaks", according to a report in Arts Newspaper.

The action was taken in galleries containing Greek, Cypriot and Japanese artworks, where buckets were being used to catch drips and extra heaters to reduce humidity levels.

In a speech last year, museum Chair George Osborne acknowledged issues with the museum's fabric: "For decades, it has been patched up in a piecemeal way and by closing galleries when the rain comes in."

Plans to upgrade the entire building, starting with galleries on the ground floor, are in place. However, progress was impacted by the resignation of director Hartwig Fischer following the revelation last year that over 2,000 artefacts had been lost, stolen or damaged over a 19-year period.

Last December, the British Museum signed a 10-year partnership with oil giant BP to fund a significant redevelopment of its Bloomsbury premises in a move that environmental groups have heavily criticised.

The museum said the £50m from BP will help it deliver its master plan and ensure millions of visitors can "continue to access the collection for generations to come".

In a statement to Arts Newspaper, a museum spokesperson said: "We have been open about the fact it is in need of full-scale renovation." They added that the museum's master plan represents "one of the most significant cultural redevelopment projects undertaken anywhere in the world."

Museum’s £4.7m extension paused due to rising costs

A £4.7m extension to Nuneaton Museum has been paused after a council review of capital projects said the expenditure in the 2019-2020 business plan had not accounted for soaring interest rates and costs.

As a result, the project to add a double glass extension on either side of the building has been put on hold indefinitely.

However, the museum will still get a new lift and a steel bridge over the River Anker to improve access for visitors.

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