Covering Birmingham ◆ Black Country ◆ Coventry
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D I G I TA L E D I T I O N :
SUMMER 2020
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
V I R T UA L TO U R S F R O M H O M E :
Explore BMAG during lockdown
N O STA LG I A :
First look at new Brumpic archive
R E G E N E R AT I O N :
Coventry gets £500k heritage support
C O R O N AV I R U S :
Museums launch crowd fundraising 1
Brum, we need your help. We’re asking the people to come together as #OneBrum, and to do two things; donate just one pound to support the work happening right now in Birmingham to support our communities during Covid-19 crisis, and do one thing locally to help, whether that’s phoning someone in isolation, or a shopping drop for a local vulnerable person.
Together, we are #OneBrum Justgiving.com/campaign/OneBrum OR
Text ONEBRUM to 70085 to donate £1 Texts cost £1 plus one standard rate message
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Digital edition: Summer 2020
Hello!
The fact you clicked, swiped or tapped from the front page suggests you have an interest in the West Midlands’ proud history and heritage. That’s great to hear. Please allow me to introduce myself and this new magazine – the Journal of History & Nostalgia. I’m a former newspaper editor who now runs a PR and magazine publishing agency. I’ve always wanted to launch a history magazine that is accessible, interesting and engaging. There are so many stories to share about the incredible people and places who have shaped our lives – from footballers and car manufacturers to artists and civic leaders, I’ll do my best to tell them in this magazine. My intention was for you to be reading this on a free, glossy printed magazine, distributed across the East and West Midlands. Then along came COVID-19, which has changed the way we’re living and working. Cover image: Birmingham Museum I still plan to launch the printed version of the magazine, & Art Gallery under but that might have to wait a short while. There are more construction, 1880s pressing matters to deal with. From the Birmingham Museums So, seeing how you’re at home (most of you, anyway... big Trust Photo archive. See Page 20 for details about how to access shout to our NHS heroes and other key workers) I figured now the Trust’s online collections. could be a good time to launch a taster edition to whet your appetite and get some feedback before going full throttle into a printed magazine. In this ‘lite’ edition you can read about recent regeneration project announcements, pore over new images from Brumpic and see what Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is doing to keep its audiences entertained while it has to close its doors to the public. My thanks go to Dave at Brumpic for spending most of his spare time scanning old negatives of city street scenes to share with his thousands of followers and letting us use a few in this magazine. So don’t go anywhere (sorry, couldn’t resist), make yourself a coffee and enjoy. Please get in touch. I’d love to hear what you think about the magazine. Stacey Barnfield, Edwin Ellis Creative Media
www.edwinelliscreativemedia.com All content shared in good faith and with the permission of the featured organisations. Where links are carried to websites operated by third parties these linked websites are not under the control of Edwin Ellis Creative Media and it is not responsible for the contents of any linked website.
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CHARIT Y:
LoveBrum launches #OneBrum Birmingham-based charity LoveBrum has launched a new #OneBrum campaign to help raise vital funds for local causes and unite the city, as it faces challenging times from the COVID-19 pandemic. Replacing LoveBrum’s regular monthly rounds of funding for the time being, #OneBrum will target a number of local causes delivering specific COVID-19 related initiatives, as well as helping LoveBrum to continue its own work. OneBrum has a simple premise; everyone in Birmingham is being asked to do just two things; donate £1 to support the work happening right now in Birmingham to support local communities, and do one thing locally to help – whether that’s phoning someone in isolation or completing a shopping drop to a vulnerable person. Paul Mitchell, executive director at LoveBrum, explained: “Due to the unprecedented times we find ourselves in, we have decided to temporarily pause our usual funding rounds. This decision was not taken lightly, and these funds will remain ringfenced for future funding once we are back up and running at full speed. “We have already identified a handful of causes that #OneBrum will support initially, and we’ll also be organising a whole host of virtual events and activities to keep the city entertained and moving over the next few months.”
HOW TO DONATE To get involved with #OneBrum, go to www.lovebrum.org.uk or follow LoveBrum on social: @lovebrum To find out more about a LoveBrum membership, both individual and corporate, go to: lovebrum.org.uk and click on ‘Get Involved’. You can also donate your £1 via JustGiving at www.justgiving. com/campaign/onebrum, or text ONEBRUM to 70085 to donate £1.
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of history & nostalgia WOLVERHAMPTON £7m pub heritage centre plans get the green light
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Plans to transform a Wolverhampton pub into a museum for Wetherspoon’s have been approved by City of Wolverhampton Council. The Moon Under Water in Lichfield Street will undergo a £7m revamp into Wetherspoon’s national Heritage Centre.
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MIDLANDS Add some colour with #BlossomWatch The National Trust has launched #BlossomWatch through its social media accounts, saying ‘during these uncertain times, we want to bring blossom to where you are in the hope that it will lift your spirits. Use #BlossomWatch to share joy and photos with others who can’t see blossom for themselves right now.’
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COVENTRY
War Memorial Park to celebrate 100th
The Friends of War Memorial Park in Coventry are planning a year-long celebration to mark the 100th anniversary of the opening of the park. Organisers are aiming to involve as many people as possible in celebrating the milestone, with a year-long programme of events, starting in summer 2021.
COVENTRY
Favourite 50 from the city’s archives
Why not spend some lockdown time exploring the online catalogue of Coventry Archives, Coventry Transport Museum and the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum? The city’s curators have compiled their 50 favourite objects. http://coventrycollections.org/ collection_highlights.aspx
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Museum project to turn back time to 1940s-1960s The Black Country Living Museum is creating a new historic 1940s-1960s development, new learning spaces and a brand new visitor centre, taking the region’s story up to the closure of the Baggeridge Coal Mine in 1968. The £23m project will engage and inspire visitors of all ages to learn about the Black Country’s heritage and its impact on the world.
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Mosaic pub sign found in city centre
Builders working on a Coventry city centre construction project stumbled across a part of the city’s history when they unearthed a tiled sign for the White Lion pub, which once stood in the Precinct. It is thought to have been left there since the pub was demolished in the 1950s. The city council is now looking at ways of preserving the sign.
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BIRMINGHAM
BLACK COUNTRY
Full steam ahead for Belmont Works Birmingham City Council planning department has given the green light to proposals to transform the 120-year-old Belmont Works cycle factory on Cardigan Street into a £60m innovation centre as part of Birmingham City University’s STEAMhouse initiative.
All images courtesy the featured venues
SOLIHULL Motorcyle Museum profiles ‘Mooneyes’ The National Motorcycle Museum has a new display in Hall 2 of the museum, which will be available to see until the end of 2020. This new feature is dedicated to John ‘Mooneyes’ Cooper and includes, not only his famous ‘Ago beating’ F750 BSA, but also a live interview conducted with Cooper.
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PICTURE THE SCENE Worcester Street, Birmingham, 1883 This is a view of New Street Station in central Birmingham in the 1880s with Worcester Street on the left. The long glass roof of the station – once the longest single-span glass roof in the world – can be seen on the right hand side. Just visible on the far right is the corner of the old Bull Ring Market Hall. This picture was probably painted on a market day as wagons can be seen bringing produce to the markets. New Street Station opened on June 1, 1854 and during World War II suffered considerable bomb damage. The station was rebuilt in the 1960s, completed in 1967 and since then has been completely redeveloped, officially opening in 2015. Picture courtesy Birmingham Museums Trust
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PICTURE THE SCENE Black Country Living Museum, late 1970s The Black Country Living Musuem opened in 1978 on the site of former industrial land that included a railway goods yard, disused lime kilns, canal arm and coal pits. It now features over 50 buildings including shops, houses, schools, industrial spaces and, of course, its legendary fish and chip shop! The museum continues to evolve and has launched exciting plans for a 1940-60s-themed attraction and visitor centre (see page 5). Picture courtesy Black Country Living Museum
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Take your Brumpic of latest city images
We’re like kids at Christmas when we hear a whisper that the mighty Brumpic has unearthed another treasure trove of archive pictures. And just like that Christmas morning I got my beloved Raleigh Super Burner, this latest collection doesn’t disappoint. Brumpic Dave (to his friends) has been working tirelessly to scan this latest batch of negatives for the good people of the West Midlands and has kindly given this magazine first dibs. However, none of the images were captioned on their negative sleeves. Some are blatantly obvious – the Bull Ring, Rotunda, Smallbrook Queensway and the old Science Museum, above, while others need a little more investigation. So, take a look to see if you can identify the ever-changing Brum skyline. Enjoy!
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COVENTRY Plans to restore three of Coventry’s prime historic buildings – and support the pioneering heritage organisation behind the project – have received a major financial boost. Historic Coventry Trust has been recognised as national trailblazer with funding awarded by the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF). The AHF’s Transforming Places Through Heritage programme has awarded the Historic Coventry Trust £500,000 as part of a campaign to regenerate and renew high streets and town centres in England by supporting charities and social enterprises to create sustainable new uses for redundant or underused historic buildings. The Trust’s scheme to restore three timber-framed cottages in Priory Row and transform them into unique accommodation for visitors to the city has been boosted by £350,000, while the Trust has been granted £150,000 to help its development as it looks to restore 22 historic buildings across the city – a unique model in the UK. The Trust is one of only four heritage regeneration organisations around the country to receive a Heritage Development Trust Pilot Grant to help ensure its long-term sustainability, community impact and legacy. These grants were awarded to exemplar projects that find alternative uses for buildings that will boost the wider regeneration of the high street or town centre. Particular emphasis was given to projects that present new ownership structures and investment models that act as a catalyst for other owners. Ian Harrabin, Chairman of Historic Coventry Trust, said: “We are really pleased at this huge recognition in a nationwide competition. What we are delivering in partnership with Coventry City Council is really ambitious in both scale and speed, with 2021 firmly in our sights. “The £150,000 grant towards employing staff is extremely valuable with so much to do in such a short period of time. The funding will carry us past 2021 so we can really secure
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‘Trailblazing’ city gets £500k heritage architecture boost TRUST DELIGHT AT MAJOR FINANCIAL INPUT an on-going legacy from the year of culture. “The Priory Row grant of £350,000 allows us to firmly commit to restore these buildings as exceptional places to stay during the 2021 year. We plan to start work in April and open them up to the public before the end of this year. As the last remaining buildings from Godiva’s original Cathedral to survive the Dissolution of the Monasteries they will really be something unique.” The Trust was established in 2011 in response to community action to save the Charterhouse and is now leading a portfolio of heritage projects in the city
Pictured: Lychgate Cottages, so named because they were built near the lychgate, or gate through which coffins were carried into the churchyard for burial Picture courtesy Historic Coventry Trust
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including The Burges and Drapers’ Hall. The Transforming Places Through Heritage programme is funded by a £15 million grant from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and awarded more than £2 million in this round of grant-making. Liz Peace, Chairman, the Architectural Heritage Fund, said: “Congratulations to all the organisations on receiving their grants for projects that will contribute enormously towards transforming high streets and town centres into thriving places, strengthening local communities and encouraging local economies to prosper.”
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BIRMINGHAM The world’s only museum dedicated to honouring and celebrating the important legacy of Birmingham’s 19th Century steel pen trade has launched a Crowdfunder campaign to help it stay open after being forced to close during the coronavirus lockdown. At its height, Birmingham’s pen trade employed an estimated 8,000 workers, of which 70 per cent were women. The mass production of affordable pens helped improve literacy worldwide and wherever a pen was used it most likely had been manufactured in Birmingham. With its unique and extensive collection of pens, nibs, machinery and exquisite artefacts the museum recounts the history of one of Birmingham’s most famous industries and narrates the lives of entrepreneurs, manufacturers and workers whose expertise placed Birmingham at the centre of this worldwide trade. Being an independent museum of charitable status it relies extensively on the regular income from visitors to keep the museum open. However, in view of Government advice in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, it was necessary to temporarily close until further notice and to take the difficult decision to cancel all events until August. The Pen Museum has launched a Crowdfunder campaign to support the venue, with incentives such as annual memberships for two with names on a thankyou plaque (£500) or a free calligraphy taster session with museum entry for £5. “Each year visitors from home and abroad receive a warm welcome to our museum. However, with the loss of this income the Pen Museum now faces an uncertain future and possible closure,” says a spokesperson. “As guardians of the Pen Museum we face our toughest challenge yet and need your help to save a unique glimpse of Birmingham’s heritage.” Visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ support-the-pen-museum
JEWELLERY QUARTER VENUE FACING UNCERTAIN FUTURE DUE TO CLOSURE
Pen Museum Launches coronavirus Crowdfunder Pictures courtesy The Pen Museum
COFFIN WORKS REACHES £3,000 FUNDS TARGET After launching a similar crowdfunding campaign, Birmingham’s unique Coffin Works museum reached its £3,000 fundraising target 14 days before its deadline. It takes £10,000 to run the grade II* listed building per month, but £3,000 was the target to keep the
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site heated and collections safe during its coronavirus closure. The Coffin Works offers visitors the opportunity to ‘step back in time’ and experience the factory as a time-capsule, set in the 1960s, Newman Brothers’ heyday, producing some of the world’s finest coffin furniture, including the
fittings for the funerals of Joseph Chamberlain, Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother. The Coffin Works has launched a new scheme of memberships through its Crowdfunder appeal. Visit https://www.crowdfunder. co.uk/support-the-coffin-works
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BIRMINGHAM Essential roof repairs are complete at the main Gala Pool in the Grade II* listed Moseley Road Baths, Birmingham. After a year of specialist repair work, the stunning Edwardian architecture takes centre stage again. Thanks to partnership working between community groups, national and international organisations, and Birmingham City Council the Gala Pool is now able to play an important role as an arts and culture venue while its longterm future is decided. Historic England has so far grant aided £707,000 to Grade II* listed Moseley Road Baths in Balsall Heath, one of its largest grants to a project in the Midlands. This funding has ensured the roof is safe and secure, preventing any further weather-related damage to the pool area, which closed in 2003. The baths were first opened in 1907 and have been on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register since 2005. With the roof repairs complete work can take place on restoring other elements of the Gala Pool’s deteriorated infrastructure, including the balcony area. This will sit alongside on-going repairs and maintenance of the rest of this magnificent building. The baths are so significant because of the architectural quality and remarkably complete interior. Rare fixtures and fittings are still intact, including an almost complete set of 46 private washing rooms known as the ‘slipper baths’ – the only complete set in the country. The oak ticket offices and attendants’ kiosks, and possibly the only surviving steam-heated drying racks in a British swimming pool, also remain in place, making this space a real time capsule. Moseley Road Baths is one of only a handful of Grade II* listed swimming baths operating in Britain and an iconic element of this part of Birmingham. They are the only baths in the country built before 1914 to have continuously hosted swimming since they opened. The smaller pool is operated by the community formed group the Moseley Road Baths CIO, and is open for public swimming. It has taken a coalition of the CIO, Friends of Moseley Road
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Images courtesy Historic England
City baths restoration reveals stunning roof architecture YEAR OF SPECIALIST WORK ON GALA POOL COMPLETED Baths, Historic England, National Trust, World Monuments Fund and the building’s owner Birmingham City Council, which has contributed £100,000 to a programme of repairs, to ensure the whole of the building was saved from closure. The hope is that now the Gala pool space is weatherproof, it can be used for events and fundraising activities to help with the costs of running the baths. “Moseley Road Baths has been a key Heritage at Risk project for us for some time now and we’re so keen to see this special building’s future secured,” said Historic England’s Regional Director Midlands, Louise Brennan. “The completion of the roof repairs is a major step towards returning this extraordinary site to its former glory.”
RELIEF AS BOULTON BIBLE TO STAY IN BIRMINGHAM Matthew Boulton’s 18th century Baskerville family bible will permanently remain in the city at the University of Birmingham’s Cadbury Research Library. Birmingham Assay Office had announced plans to sell part of its archive collection, including the family bible of one of its founders, at a London auction in March, but the bible was withdrawn from sale at the last minute. The auction withdrawal follows a fundraising
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campaign to buy the bible to keep it in the region, with thousands of people supporting the appeal after the Assay Office said it was ‘unable to store and preserve such a volume of books’. Type historian Dr Caroline Archer, who helped lead the rescue campaign, described ‘the remarkable support of people in Birmingham, Britain and around the world’ and thanked them for their support in raising awareness of the bible.
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Archaeologists working on HS2 have unearthed what is thought to be the world’s oldest railway roundhouse at the construction site of the project’s Birmingham Curzon Street station. The roundhouse was situated adjacent to the old Curzon Street station, which was the first railway terminus serving the centre of Birmingham and built during a period of great significance and growth for the city. Built to a design by the 19th century engineer Robert Stephenson, the roundhouse was operational on 12 November 1837 – meaning the recently discovered building is likely to predate the current titleholder of ‘world’s oldest’ in Derby by almost two years. HS2’s initial programme of trial trenching at Curzon Street revealed the remains of the station’s roundhouse, exposed toward the south-eastern corner of the site. The surviving remains include evidence of the base of the central turntable, the exterior wall and the 3ft deep radial inspection pits which surrounded the turntable. The 19th century station at Curzon Street is among the very earliest examples of mainline railway termini and the limited later development of the site means that any surviving remains of the early station represents a unique
‘EXTRAORDINARY’ DISCOVERY AT CURZON STREET
HS2 workers discover world’s oldest railway roundhouse BIRMINGHAM opportunity to investigate a major early railway terminus in its entirety. As the HS2 project heads towards Main Works Civils, the final archaeological excavations on the site are about to take place. HS2 will see the site become home to the first brand new intercity terminus station built in Britain since the since the 19th century. Birmingham Curzon Street station will be at the heart of the country’s new high-speed railway network, providing seven platforms, a new public space, and be integrated with an extended tram network. Initially providing passenger services, Curzon Street originally consisted of two station termini, servicing the
Image courtesy HS2 Ltd
London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) and the Grand Junction Railway (GJR); before being converted to a single goods station (following the opening of Birmingham New Street Station in 1854), and which operated until the 1960s. Beginning at Curzon Street Station, Birmingham, and finishing at Euston Station in London, the 112-mile long L&BR took 20,000 men nearly five years to build. The roundhouse, and specifically the turntable, was used to turn around the engines so locomotives could return back down the line. Engines were also stored and serviced in these facilities. The archaeology undertaken ahead of the construction of the new Curzon Street station will record the historical significance for the site and determine whether the remains can be preserved in situ.
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School of Architecture taking shape at brewery PART OF £100m PLANS FOR HISTORIC SITE
WO LV E R H A M PTO N These latest images show the latest developments at the University of Wolverhampton’s School of Architecture and the Built Environment (SOABE) at its Springfield Campus. Associated Architects has designed the new School which centres around the original clock tower building and combines it with a striking large new build element. SOABE forms the largest part of the first phase of the £100m redevelopment of the site of the former brewery to create the Springfield Campus. The site has been transformed into Europe’s largest specialist construction and built environment campus, bringing together businesses and the education sector to maximise impact on the economy. It will also act as a catalyst for economic and social regeneration, tailored to creating jobs and delivering the technical and professional experts required by the industry. Inside the building there will be specialist teaching and social learning spaces, design studios, specialist labs, multi-disciplinary workshops, lecture theatre, café, offices, meeting rooms, ICT rooms and a top floor super studio with double height ceilings. Outside will be a landscaped piazza and courtyard linking the new School together with the rest of the site and the historic outer brick façade will be retained. When completed, it will provide space for nearly 1,100 existing students and 65 staff, with the number of students projected to grow over time to more than 1,500. SOABE aspires to be an unrivalled built environment hub and centre of excellence and among the biggest and best in Europe according to the University.
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HOMES AND LEISURE PLAN FOR VAST SITE
World-famous Chance Brothers looks to new era One of the Black Country’s most historic industrial sites is looking to be brought back to life thanks to a £25million regeneration project. The Chance Brothers ‘Glassworks’ in Smethwick, which in its prime employed 3500 people and supplied specialist lenses to 2000 lighthouses across the world, is set to be transformed into a new urban village that has the potential to unlock over 20,000m2 of development space for business, leisure and much-needed housing. Driven by the vision of the Chance Heritage Trust (CHT), the ambitious scheme could bring 2.2 hectares of derelict land and buildings back into use over the next five years, with 500 jobs set to be created if the plans are realised. The overall scheme will include 160 two-bed apartments, a small conference facility, café, retail space, heritage educational centre, enterprise space and an iconic 30-metre tall lighthouse - a stunning reminder of the world class
SMETHWICK work that was once completed on this site. In order to move things forward, the CHT is launching a share option on Saturday February 29th at a special event at Smethwick Library that will give people locally, nationally and overseas the opportunity to be a pioneer and take a share in the project for as little as £20. It is hoped this will raise £110,000 towards creating final feasibility plans and the appointment of a full-time project manager. There will also be the opportunity to ‘tell your story’ of Chance Brothers and take part in an Antiques Roadshowstyle event, where you can get any company
Pictures courtesy Chance Heritage Trust
memorabilia valued for free. “The gates on Chance Glassworks closed in 1981 and ever since the buildings have remained derelict and are fast decaying - we needed to find a solution, as it is such a waste of one of the West Midlands’ most historical sites,” explained Mark Davies, Chair of the Chance Heritage Trust. “We have had the plans drawn up and we have backing from a number of key stakeholders, including the local authorities; now is the time to push on and bring the vision to reality. That’s why we’re kickstarting the share option and hoping to move the project to the next stage by unlocking National Lottery funding and engaging with commercial partners that share our vision.” The first phase will see the transformation of the seven-storey building and a host of new build development, with the canal arm also set to be introduced. This will create a focal point to the entrance of the site and immediately offer living space, high-quality offices, incubator space for start-ups and growing local businesses and retail/leisure units on the ground floor. Chance Heritage Trust has been supported so far by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, George Cadbury, Lyndon SGB and History West Midlands, with the latter helping to pay for the creation of two promotional videos. For further information and to become a shareholder, please visit www.chaceht. org or follow @ chancetrust on twitter or like https://www. facebook.com/ CGWHT/
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Virtually CAN’T GET TO BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM & ART GALLERY 22
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yours! DURING LOCKDOWN? READ ON... DIGITAL MAGAZINE – SUMMER 2020
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J URNAL FEATURE of history & nostalgia
While the doors to the nine Birmingham Museums Trust venues across the city are closed, there are ways to keep in touch and engaged online with virtual tours, an extensive image database, spotlight videos, and more, as the team bring the museums to your device or desktop. Janine Eason, Director of Engagement at Birmingham Museums Trust, said: “Our doors may be closed for now, but we are still there for our visitors. Art and culture can help us make sense of the world and often gives us an escape. “We are lucky to have some excellent online resources so that people and families can explore the collection and continue to engage with us. “We hope we can bring some joy and distraction to everyone who needs it during this concerning time.” Birmingham Museums is an independent charity that cares for the city’s collection of over a million objects on behalf of Birmingham City Council, which includes everything from steam trains and planes, to fashion and fine art. The Trust shares these objects with visitors at nine venues, including Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (BMAG), Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, and Aston Hall.
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I N D U ST R I A L GA L L E RY
HOW YOU CAN EXPLORE THE COLLECTIONS Thousands of images from the city’s collection are freely available to view, download, and use creatively. The online resource launched last year, and new out-of-copyright images continue to be added. The database spans a range of areas from Pre-Raphaelite drawings and prints to historical views of Birmingham and the Midlands. Visit online at dams.birminghammuseums. org.uk Take a virtual tour of BMAG. Thanks to ScanTech Digital, the 3D tour gives you the opportunity to visit the permanent galleries of the museum from the comfort of your own home. Be greeted by Sir Jacob Epstein’s Lucifer statue in the Round Room, take a closer look at the Staffordshire Hoard, explore the modern and contemporary art galleries, or marvel at the Victorian architecture of the Industrial Gallery. Share your experience with @midshistorymag
the museums teams via social media. Visit www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/ bmag/virtual-tour. Visit the Birmingham Museums YouTube channel. A series of new object spotlight videos will be released over the coming weeks so you can learn more about some of the fascinating artworks on display. There is also an archive of past videos about displays and exhibitions. Visit www.youtube.com/user/ BirminghamMAG Step back in time and learn about the discovery of the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found via the Staffordshire Hoard website. The Staffordshire Hoard collection is owned by Birmingham City Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council on behalf of the nation, and is cared for by Birmingham Museums Trust and The Potteries Museum
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S TA F F O R D S H I R E H OA R D
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AND VIEW ONLINE and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent. The website follows the story of the Hoard and how it was discovered and conserved for display. See high resolution images of key pieces from the collection and the replica Staffordshire Hoard helmet. Visit www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk Over 250 images from Birmingham’s collection are also available to download via Unsplash unsplash.com/@ birminghammuseumstrust. Images can also be found on Flickr www.flickr.com/ photos/birminghammag/ and Pinterest www.pinterest.co.uk/birminghammag/. Oil paintings from the collection can be seen on Art UK www.artuk.org/visit/collection/ birmingham-museums-trust-136 and watercolours at Watercolour World www. watercolourworld.org/collection/ birmingham-museums-trust
Get your history fix with these online collections NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
Missing Dippy the Dinosaur? Well here’s your chance to say hello as he takes pride of place in the Natural History Museum. An interactive online guide includes insights into some of the millions of the museum’s specimens through short films, virtual reality and a 360 degree tool.
THE BRITISH LIBRARY
The British Library’s maps collection and 30 historical globes are all online after being digitised. They can now be seen in augmented reality with the Sketchfab app.
V&A
The V&A’s virtual gallery of fashion takes viewers through the history of clothing around the world.
THE BRITISH MUSEUM
You can find out more about the collection in each
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of its galleries, plus take a virtual tour of Prints and Drawings and Oceania. The British Museum also has a great school resource, covers all areas of the curriculum whether in the classroom or teaching at home.
GOOGLE ARTS & CULTURE
Most of these museums and galleries have a section on the fantastic Google Arts & Culture app and browser, featuring thousands of virtual galleries, picture collections and articles curated by leading arts experts and historians. https://artsandculture.google.com/
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Powerful,intelligent storytelling & PR WHEN YOU NEED IT MOST PR • CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS MAGAZINES • BROCHURES • REPORTS EMAIL NEWSLETTERS • WEB CONTENT www.edwinelliscreativemedia.com
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