Volunteer Focus A magazine for our amazing volunteers
2017 ISSUE 12
SLIDE INTO SUMMER
Welcome to this latest edition of Volunteer Focus as our third visitor season as a charity gets underway. I hope you feel as enthusiastic as I do about welcoming and inspiring millions of people while involving them in the story of England. This year, under the campaign heading - Ingenious! - we’re looking to capture the nation’s imagination with the role that technology and innovation has played in the making of England so look out for plenty of PR, website content and social media activity under this heading, amongst many others. As you’ll no doubt be aware, our core conservation work across the estate includes restoring the ingenious Ironbridge itself and completing repairs to the Archer Pavilion at Wrest Park to preserve the unique paintings inside. Helping our visitors to understand what makes our sites historically significant is at the heart of our charitable purpose, and you play an integral part in sharing that passion with others. Making every visitor experience vivid and unforgettable is what we are all about and I know we do this all the better for the generous support offered by our volunteers. I’d like to thank you for all the passion, dedication and enthusiasm I see every time I visit one of our properties and talk to teams in our offices. I do appreciate the hard work that goes in and I hope you also enjoy bringing history to life for all our visitors. On the cover: Samantha Cresswell, Framlingham Castle Visitor Volunteer If you would like to contribute articles and images to the next edition of Volunteer Focus or if you have any feedback on this issue please contact the volunteer team on:
I wish you all the very best for the new season ahead. With best wishes,
Kate Mavor, chief Executive
volunteer.enquiries@ english-heritage.org.uk 01793 414752
If you would like this document in a different format, please contact our customer services department on: 0370 333 1181 01793 414878 01793 414926 customers@ english-heritage.org.uk (BD_6/17)SPW500
2
The Archer Pavillion at Wrest Park.
cONTENTS
cARING FOR BRODSWORTH 4
Volunteers find creative ways to showcase the large scale conservation project at Brodsworth Hall.
8
GIVING HERITAGE A FUTURE
Legacy Officer, Helen Simpkiss tells us how gifts in Wills have a lasting impact across the charity.
OUR WINTER JOURNEY 10
Read how Apsley House volunteers made the most of the winter break.
14
notICeS
RIcHMOND cASTLE cELL BLOcK PROJEcT 13
Local volunteers begin to research over 2000 graffiti inscriptions to build a picture of who was in the building and why. 3
“The project has given us the opportunity to be really creative with the way we interpret conservation.� 4
cARING FOR BRODSWORTH ELEANOR MATTHEWS, ASSISTANT CURATOR, ART Strange things are happening at Brodsworth. Large insects lurk around every corner, hiding under beds and inside wardrobes. Men with hard hats pop up around corners. Wooden hoarding has appeared inside some of the rooms, with windows to peep through which reveal neatly stored objects, all boxed and labelled. What’s going on? ‘caring for Brodsworth’ is a large scale conservation project, in which we are repairing the rare Victorian rolling window shutters, refurbishing the heating system and mending leaking skylights. It’s a big job, and will continue until autumn 2017. We’re keeping Brodsworth open throughout the works, and with so much happening, we’ve been telling the story of Brodsworth in a new way for visitors. We’re showcasing the conservation of Brodsworth, both how we care for the collections now and how the hall was (or wasn’t) looked after in the past. Our volunteers have been on the frontline of sharing the project with visitors, and have had to adapt what they usually tell visitors and learn new things about conservation, whilst getting to grips with a changed appearance of the hall on the ground floor. The project has given us the opportunity to be really creative with the way we interpret conservation. Highlights include using archival and modern oral history clips to tell the story of conservation, having an outline of a King charles Spaniel with yellow acrylic puddle below to show the damaging effects of dogs on our
historic carpets, tying ‘fragile’ and ‘victim’ luggage label tags to objects to highlight their agents of decay, making use of the wooden hoarding around the hall to hang image panels and print quotations, and hanging a banner inside an empty picture frame to showcase paintings conservation. Archive volunteers assisted the finding of images and oral history clips for the exhibition. One of the garden volunteers, Tom Higginbottom, even provided his voice for a solar-powered oral history stand in the gardens, talking about the harmful effects of the Viburnum beetle. Once the ‘caring for Brodsworth’ project is completed, we hope that we (and our visitors) won’t notice that anything has been done, as our ‘conserved as found’ approach to keep the unique atmosphere of Brodsworth remains the same. However, when the project is finished it will mean that we can open more shutters to allow light in, the collections and interiors will be better protected via a new conservation heating system, and the skylights won’t leak. ►
5
WHAT’S EATING BRODSWORTH HALL? BY GILLIAN GARDINER, cHIEF KNITTER & VOLUNTEER ROOM STEWARD
In October 2015 I was approached by the collections team, who had an idea to have a very large knitted bug on the main staircase at Brodsworth Hall. There would be information focusing on the conservation work being done and it was felt that the bugs would be an attraction for children and could be part of a family trail. We decided that I would knit a sample harlequin ladybird. Using an A4 photograph of said beetle I gathered my materials together and started to knit. Unfortunately the internet does not have any knitting patterns for 50cm beetles, search how I might, so I had to make it up as I went along! In the end I adapted the template of a turtle to make it look like a ladybird. After much trial and error I produced something resembling the picture. By this time it was February 2016 and the conservation and curatorial team were very pleased with the results, and I was asked to see if I could do other types of bugs too. The plan was to have a spotter sheet for the children to identify ‘Friend or Foe’ insects in the house as they went around. This would involve producing 6
different giant bugs and larvae for the rooms. Not one to back down from a challenge, I was given a file of photos of the chosen bugs to ensure they were anatomically accurate, chose the right colours for the wool, and set to knitting. Luckily for me the pool of talent of the volunteers at Brodsworth is deep. I was asked to produce two of each bug so I noted down the pattern as I knitted and was able to get other volunteers to knit the duplicates for me. Dorothy took on the task of producing a woolly bear (larva of the carpet beetle) which is much admired with its fluffy casing.
“As the bug eats through textiles, it makes a case for itself which turns the colour of whatever it has been eating.”
es Golden spider beetl nd fou is br de the t ea in fireplaces. © Steve Willimott
g Conservin g ervin Consutt ers. the shsh the utters.
It was decided that the really big bug on the main staircase would be a case bearing clothes moth larva. Knitting didn’t seem appropriate for this bug so Pauline, an experienced patch worker, was asked to attempt a ‘peggy rug’ style case. As the bug eats through textiles, it makes a case for itself which turns the colour of whatever it has been eating. With the help of her friend Anne, Pauline produced a colourful and striking larva that crawls up the main staircase. In total nineteen insects and two tiny mice were scattered around inside the house providing an informative and exciting hunt for children and adults alike. My thanks go to volunteers Beryl, Dorothy, Jean, Margaret, Pauline and Anne for their hard work.
A knitted Harlequ in a servants’ win
LOT H E S
carpets, furniture and books are just some of the tasty morsels found at Brodsworth, and we couldn’t mention conservation without talking about the many bugs and beasties that damage our historic collections! For our smaller visitors, large knitted bugs have been made by our volunteer knitting team and hidden around the house to be found as part of a ‘Friend or Foe’ family trail. chief Knitter Gillian explains the work that went into their creation.
RVA E ■ A L H T O M S E H E B B IN G C L O T W X ■ 2 S E L T BEE -S P O T C A R P E T O W T X ■ 2 M OT H S
2 X A D U LT B O
OOKLICE
■
KLICE 2 X BA By B O O
■
PIDER BEETL 2 X GOLDEN S
! “Wow...Unbelievable hat Makes you realise w ga goes into maintainin cal house of this histori importance.”
A woolly bear lurks . in the Dining Room © Steve Willimott
Children can hunt for o. en tofor in the ganrdhu bugsild nt Ch ren ca s ew tth Ma or an to ©buEle gs in the garden o.
Baby booklice lurk on
the Library shelves.
“Thought the ‘knit ted creatures’ were a clever way to engage young and old alike.” d to objects.
labels tie One of the ‘victim’
■ 2 X M OT H L A RVA R IN G C L O T H E S IA N T C A S E B E A R F IS H ■ 1 X G
uin Ladybird hiding ng bedroom.
7
GIVING HERITAGE A FUTURE By HELEN SIMPKISS, LEGACY OFFICER
From the restoration of the gardens at Wrest Park to the provision of wheelchairs at sites across the country, gifts in Wills have a lasting impact across the charity.
8
As English Heritage’s legacy officer I look after all aspects of legacy giving to the charity. It’s very satisfying guiding people through the process of leaving a legacy, and then sharing fantastic behind the scenes experiences with them at the thank you events we run at sites across the country each summer. Our 300 pledgers are hugely passionate and knowledgeable about heritage and have a real love for our work. It highlights to me that legacy giving is about celebrating the joys people have in their lifetime and allowing that legacy to continue.
WHY ARE LEGACIES SO IMPORTANT? Legacy giving is the biggest source of voluntary income for charities in the UK, and an important income strand for English Heritage, raising £1.2m for the charity last year. Legacy bequests have helped us achieve so much - from the creation of the Princess Beatrice Garden at Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight to protecting the small but unique 13th-century Lindsey St James’s Chapel from the elements with a new thatched roof. A recent legacy gift to Brodsworth Hall has been used for the conservation of a gilded frame for one of the key paintings by society painter Sir Thomas Lawrence, ‘Mrs Charles Thellusson with her son Charles’ (1804). The little boy in the painting is Charles Thellusson, and upon his death in 1856, the unusual will of his grandfather Peter Thellusson (1737-97) was finally enacted, granting Charles Sabine Augustus Thellusson (1822-1885) the Brodsworth Estate and a significant fortune, which he used to build the hall. Caroline Rawson, Collections Curator, said ‘This legacy has enabled much needed conservation of this 19th-century giltwood frame. A conservator will be undertaking this delicate work on site and visitors will be able to see first-hand the care and skill required to stabilise the flaking gilding and crumbling plaster.’ The painting has been receiving conservation treatment at the English Heritage conservation studio at Ranger’s House in Greenwich. The painting and frame will be reunited the second week of April in front of the visitors and volunteers at Brodsworth Hall.
Main image: Princess Beatrice’s Garden at Carisbrooke Castle. Inset: Legacy Event at Wrest Park.
HOW YOU CAN HELP Legacy pledgers often tell us of the many fantastic experiences they have at our sites across the country. This is in no small part down to the warm welcome and informative tours given by you, our volunteers. All fundraising is about building relationships – whether that be with individuals, trusts and foundations or businesses. Often, for individuals in particular, this begins on “Our 300 pledgers relationship site. You are key to are hugely beginning and maintaining passionate and these relationships, not only with our legacy knowledgeable pledgers but for all about heritage of our donors and and have a real potential supporters love for our work.” and Members. We want to capture people’s imagination with the stories held within the walls of our sites and inspire them to care for this heritage just as much as you do. We will be running our series of thank you events across the country again this summer, to which we will be inviting those who have pledged gifts in their Wills to English Heritage. These informal behind-the-scenes events are a great way of keeping pledgers up to date with the work we are doing at sites across the country. If you see us at your site this summer, please come and say hello!
THANK YOU Finally, thank to you all for the great work that you do and for helping us communicate English Heritage’s cause – to look after the 420 sites and 500,000 artefacts in our care so that this and future generations can experience the story of England where it really happened. ■
FIND OUT MORE If you’d like to find out more about how you can get involved with promoting legacies to English Heritage visitors, please get in touch. 020 7973 3538 legacies@english-heritage.org.uk www.english-heritage.org.uk/legacies If you’re thinking about the difference a gift in your own Will could make to English Heritage, we can send you a free legacy guide upon request, and are always available to talk to you in complete confidence about your plans. 9
Our WINTER journey
APSLEY HOUSE VOLUNTEERS on tour BY RACHEL BRAY, APSLEY HOUSE VOLUNTEER CO-ORDINATOR Even the biting wind whooshing through the middle of Wellington Arch in early January could not hinder Brenda and Loraine, both Apsley House volunteers since 2014, enjoying an insightful guided tour of our beloved English Heritage neighbour. Wellington Arch has been just one of the incredible English Heritage sites our wonderful team of volunteers has been lucky enough to tour over the last few months. Apsley volunteers enjoyed a welldeserved rest as the house was closed to the public over the winter for an extensive heating project. In the early 1990s the V&A, who managed Apsley House at the time, completely refurbished the house including the installation of a new heating system. As the rooms at Apsley never had radiators they decided to use a system of hidden heating panels.
Loraine, Brenda and Rachel by the Scots Greys on their tour of The Battle of Waterloo Exhibition at Wellington Arch. 10
Over the years the system has had to be purged of sludge several times and the heat levels were not controllable rendering it totally inappropriate for the conservation of our irreplaceable collection. A team of engineers, architects, electricians and conservation scientists have worked with an English Heritage project manager and keeper of the Wellington Collection, Josephine Oxley, to come up with a brilliant solution. They have installed under carpet heating pads in the four rooms with fitted carpets. The heating pads are in the centre of the rooms rather than wall to wall which avoids too much heat falling on the paintings and furniture which mostly sit around the edges of the room. I think it’s safe to say that while the project was going on Apsley volunteers, accompanied by their Wellington Arch volunteer colleagues of course, deserved some trips to thank them for their hard work this season, and inspire them for the next. After the Wellington Arch we had the pleasure of joining a wonderful group of Kenwood volunteers for a social in their lecture theatre. Following a brilliant guided tour we were able to share ideas about our volunteer programmes and discuss what makes our sites and volunteer roles really important. ►
“Wellington Arch has been just one of the incredible English Heritage sites our wonderful team of volunteers have been lucky enough to tour...� The Scots Greys painting housed at Wellington Arch. 11
In February we were treated to a sun-soaked guided tour of Eltham Palace, where we were blown away by the beautiful Art Deco interiors and medieval splendour, all brought to life by our fantastic tour guide Paul. Next on our list are visits to Chiswick House and Walmer Castle.
Above: Wellington Arch with Apsley House in the background. Right: Rachel and Joe, a Wellington Arch volunteer, on one of the Arch’s Balconies.
“...this season we’re inviting more volunteers to join us as we’re going to have the Duke of Wellington’s Prussian Service on display.”
Ideas sharing between Kenwood and Apsley volunteers in January.
12
As well as trips, most of our volunteers have been able to get involved with at least a few of our Wellington Collection winter volunteering events. These have consisted of an end-of-season party, volunteer forum and a series of training sessions including a hands-on conservation training workshop with Josephine. At the latter the keeper spoke about: Apsley House and English Heritage’s conservation approach, the daily, weekly and monthly tasks carried out by our conservationist and historic properties stewards, how our volunteers can assist with the daily preservation of the collection and Josephine also offered volunteers the chance to test the cleaning techniques for themselves. Once the 2017 season is underway we’ll continue offering volunteer talks about the collection, which were trialled in 2016, to give welcome post volunteers the chance to demonstrate their fascinating knowledge about the collection and engage with the public. Also this season we’re inviting more volunteers to join us as we’re going to have the Duke of Wellington’s Prussian Service on display. As well as being featured on the multimedia guide there will be a series of interpretive events about the pieces, and therefore we will need additional volunteers upstairs with the collection. We’d love you to come and visit us. ■
All change at Apsley this winter as our paintings were safely stored in the Waterloo Gallery.
RICHMOND CASTLE cELL BLOcK PROJEcT
By ANGELA HOBSON, COMMUNITy PARTICIPATION OFFICER Within the imposing Norman walls of Richmond castle, an unassuming 19th-century military cell block holds a fascinating secret. Inscribed on its fragile walls are thousands of pieces of graffiti that span several decades and two world wars. New research is now shedding light on the artists behind the graffiti, including the conscientious objectors known as the Richmond Sixteen. Richmond castle: cell Block is a £550,000 investment to investigate, identify and resolve the risks facing the building and its graffiti, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Local volunteers will play a vital role in the project - researching over 2,000 graffiti inscriptions to build a picture of who was in the building and why. We already have insight into a very small number of the graffiti, in particular a tiny proportion of those drawn during the First World War. But little is known about the cell block and graffiti record as a whole and the inscriptions contain numerous untold stories. Angela Hobson, Community Participation Officer, said “It is a really exciting time, the interest in the graffiti at the castle both at a local and national level is very significant. With the support of the volunteers, English Heritage will be able to uncover new stories and engage new audiences.”
The project currently has eleven active research volunteers who are undertaking in-depth archival and visual research. They will explore and interrogate the meaning of individual inscriptions, most of which have never been investigated before, and will help to create an archive of thematic, biographical and contextual studies to better understand this unique and remarkable building. Within the next month we’ll be looking for further volunteers to support our community engagement in the project. An exciting dimension of this part of the project will be developing educational resources for local schools and creating a forum for discussion around historical themes linked to the building. We hope participants will enjoy the chance to help write interpretation for the English Heritage website, and create an exhibition based around the graffiti stories. We’re looking forward to seeing how younger people engage with conservation work and in artistic initiatives inspired by the graffiti. Marcia Howard, a volunteer at the castle said “Living in the historic town of Richmond and passionate about history, I am thrilled to have the opportunity of getting involved as a volunteer on the project of researching the graffiti from WWI, discovered in the old cell block at Richmond castle. It feels exciting to be able to work on something so significant, right on my own doorstep, so I’m very much looking forward to making a start.” Ed Maxwell, another recently recruited volunteer added: “I’m really interested in this project because I’ve always wanted to get involved in history that’s local to me, and I’m excited to be volunteering with English Heritage because I’ll be taking part in something national, doing research that’ll be available for people for years to come.” ■ If you’re interested to find out more, please visit: :
Research volunteers Marcia Howard and Pam Britt visiting NyCC archives.
www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/volunteer/ richmond-castle-research-volunteer youtube.com/watch?v=d48ZhtKtQsY 13
NOTIcES
eCCleSIAStICAl HerItAGe HeroeS AWArDS 2016 Each year The Heritage Alliance celebrates the achievements of the independent heritage sector by awarding the Ecclesiastical Heritage Heroes Award. We are pleased to announce that the 2016 award was presented to… David Williams for his work at Lincoln Medieval Bishop’s Palace. A key feature of the Palace is its vineyard. Previously tended to by the city council, it became neglected and at risk of total loss. A team of 10 volunteers had dwindled to one. That one not only continued but taught himself pruning and other key skills and today both the vineyard – a unique feature – and the volunteer team are restored to health. Wine is expected to be produced next year.
SAInSBurY’S loCAl HeroeS Neil Laver, one of our Stonehenge volunteers, has very kindly arranged for Sainsbury’s to donate £500 to volunteering at Stonehenge. Sainsbury’s run a Local Heroes scheme, which provides financial support to charities where employees volunteer in their free time. Neil is the manager of a large Sainsbury’s store, and also volunteers at Stonehenge. Sue Martindale, Stonehenge Volunteer Manager, said, ‘This amazing contribution will support our volunteering team by allowing us to buy more equipment, and will also boost our volunteer appreciation fund.’
tAKe PArt In oPerAtIon ClotHeS MotH One of the many challenges in conserving English Heritage’s properties is posed by the problem of clothes moths. Without careful management and treatment, these small moths can do serious damage to both artefacts and furnishings. It’s not just English Heritage sites that are at risk though – clothes moths can do damage to people’s homes too. This spring, we’ll be asking for your help to track the spread of clothes moths across the country, and we’ll be providing tips from our expert collection conservation team on how to identify and prevent these pests.
Your volunteer pass allows free entry for you plus one adult to all English Heritage managed properties. Present your volunteer pass to get 10% discount at English Heritage shops and cafes. Quote code eHVC17 to receive the discount in our online shop.
We’ll be hosting a range of events to showcase the history of invention and innovation throughout England. Discover more at www.english-heritage.org.uk/ingenious
2015
23/02/ 2436
TEER
OLUN
2436_V ncg
InE
PASS
_2015.
1 indd
PMEnT DEVELO
g TEERIn VOLUn M 55X85M
cMYK
www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/ conservation/operation-clothes-moth
Throughout 2017, we’re exploring how human ingenuity has shaped history and the modern world, from the first Neolithic tools to modern medicine, warfare and domestic technology.
Don’t ForGet
14
To find out how to take part in Operation clothes Moth, visit:
12:47
S TEER PAS VOLUn
2015
Share yOur
lOve OF hiStOry with a Friend Or Family member
PASS ON THE CODE AND GIVE THEM £10 OFF ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP * Do you have a favourite site that you’d love to explore with a friend? Are they someone who likes to dig out little-known details from the past, gaze at a masterpiece or stroll through centuries-old gardens? Share this offer for an English Heritage membership and help your friend or family member discover new ways to experience history first-hand.
AS A MEMBER THEY WILL ENJOY: unlimited access to over 400 historic places free handbook to plan inspiring days out, worth £10.95 free or reduced price entry to our exciting events exclusive Members’ Magazine four times a year free entry for up to six kids.** By sharing this offer, you’ll also be helping to keep the story of England alive for future generations.
Pass on the code to your friends and family and they can
SAVE £10 at
ehjoin.org.uk or
0370 333 1182
or talk to our team on site USE CODE:
VOL2017 *Terms and conditions apply. **Entry is free for up to six children under 19 and within the family group. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Offer ends 30/09/2017.