15 minute read
THE ARTS IN LINCOLNSHIRE
STATE of THESTATE of THE ARTS ARTS
The last 18 months has had a serious impact The last 18 months has had a serious impact on the arts, heritage and culture sector with on the arts, heritage and culture sector with fewer visitors and a fall in revenue. fewer visitors and a fall in revenue. Now, with restrictions lifting, it’s time to Now, with restrictions lifting, it’s time to support the arts again, as we advocate support the arts again, as we advocate over the following pages... over the following pages...
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Words: Rob Davis.
Lincoln artist Edward Waite (www.edwardwaite.com) produces contemporary art using continuous trails of paint over his giant canvases. Seen here is Clear Skies for the Red Arrows. More of Edward’s work can be seen at The Little Red Gallery on Lincoln’s Bailgate.
THE NATIONAL MOOD as Pride goes to press will be something of cautious optimism. At the time of writing, hopes of a late-June relaxation of lockdown restrictions were dashed, delayed to allow more time to get the national vaccinated and slow the spread of Covid’s Delta variant.
It was a bitter blow not just to a nation keen to be free from restrictions but for the arts, heritage and culture sector who were all hoping to benefit from a freer population venturing out for days of fun and those seeking a staycation in the UK.
Here, we’re recognising Lincolnshire’s cultural highlights and recommending a visit post-lockdown to ensure we all support the arts, in its period of recovery this year...
n Visual Arts Sleaford’s Hub located on the town’s Carre Street (01529 308710, hub-sleaford.org.uk) has recently reopened after an investment of £1.2m and has been given back its original name of The Hub, formerly being known as the National Centre for Craft & Design. In August and September Jo Fairfax presents Play, a presentation of the history of Sleaford and the former arts and craft building The Pearoom in Heckington, interpreted in the form of mechanical works, light and poetry machines.
Also a centre for visual arts, Scunthorpe’s 20-21 Visual Arts Centre celebrates its 20th anniversary, having opened in 2001 and having presented 367 individual exhibitions since opening in the Grade II listed church of St John the Evangelist (01724 297070, www.2021visualartscentre.co.uk). As well as its retrospective exhibition the arts centre will also present Dan Rawlings in August and September as the sculptor presents a series of installations reflecting on our exploitation and interaction with nature.
n Cinemas in Lincolnshire For fans of the silver screen, Lincolnshire’s newest cinemas in Lincoln’s new Cornhill Quarter is the Everyman Theatre, with its four screens (0872 436 9060, everymancinema.com).
Everyman’s 35 UK-wide cinemas each pride themselves on being more comfortable than other cinemas, with squashy sofas and the availability of a glass of wine instead of just the usual syrupy cola.
Likewise, as well as mainstream cinema, its screenings include live-streamed theatre performances and opera. Of course, Woodhall Spa’s Kinema in the Woods (01526 352166, www.thekinemainthe woods.co.uk), is synonymous with cinema in Lincolnshire, established in 1922 by Sir Archibald and Lady Weigall, who installed the first sound projector in 1928 and mercifully replaced deckchairs with proper seats in 1953! Many mainstream cinema releases were postponed in 2020, not least among which is No Time to Die, the 25th film in the James Bond franchise – now due for release in September 2021 – and the sequel to Top Gun, more than 30 years after the original ‘took your breath away’ with a combination of Tom Cruise and that iconic soundtrack.
n Independent Galleries Lincolnshire is spoilt for choice when it comes to independent galleries. Among our recommendations are The Carre Gallery in Sleaford (01529 415056, www.carregallery.co.uk) which was founded 11 years ago by Windham Hime and is designed to allow artists working in all media to show off and
sell their work as part of a community of likeminded artists which also seeks to encourage locals to visit the gallery and enjoy its art. Located on Bailgate, the The Little Red Gallery (01522 589134, thelittleredgallery.co.uk) showcases contemporary art from names like Andy Warhol, Lowry, Tracey Emin and Lincoln’s Edward Waite.
Also located in Uphill Lincoln, Steep Hill’s Harding House Gallery (01522 523537, www.hardinghousegallery.co.uk) is an artist’s cooperative set up in 1994 and offering for sale canvas-based art, textiles and sculpture with a constantly evolving collection on the ground floor and temporary exhibitions on its upper floor. The Sam Scorer Gallery on Drury Lane (01522 589 899, www.samscorergallery.co.uk) also provides artists in the Lincoln community with the chance to curate their own exhibitions for a period of two weeks. For visitors that means there’s always something new to see, whilst up and coming artists can gain the exposure they need to show off their talent.
n Lincolnshire’s Arts Centres Stamford Arts Centre on St Mary’s Street (01780 763203, www.stamfordartscentre.com), prides itself on being a cultural hub not just for adults, but youngsters too, with its Wildcats programme of workshops during the summer holidays. Activities include craft and drama workshops, whilst adults can benefit not just from satellite screenings of opera and theatre, and live events, but workshops and classes such as September’s meditation and mindfulness classes. Four dates are available, each led by resident teacher Kelsang Malaya. The town’s Corn Exchange (01780 766455, www.stamfordcornexchange.co.uk) meanwhile will be presenting Aladdin (6th Aug) and Disney’s High School Musical (21st Aug) – each presented by the Rutland Youth Dance Academy – whilst adults can enjoy a ballet interpretation of Cinderella (14th Aug) and Cats The Musical (25th Sept) presented by Stamford Showstoppers in September. Among its highlights for the summer, the Guildhall Arts Centre in Grantham (01476 406158, www.guildhallartscentre.com) is hosting its Discos for Grown Ups events (11th Sept) with 70s and 80s music, soul and pop in September, plus camp cabaret from La Voix (10th Sept) and comedy from names like Jimmy Carr (18th Sept) and Jason Manford 16th Oct). Spalding’s South Holland Centre (01775 764777, www.southhollandcentre.co.uk) is set to reopen in October with British Iranian comedian Omid Djalili’s (1st Oct) new show, fellow comedian Ed Byrne (5th Nov) and BBC Springwatch presenters Martin HughesGames and Iolo Williams presenting a live show based on their life and work in wildlife television (14th Oct). Blackfriars Arts Centre in Boston (01205 363108, www.blackfriarsartscentre.co.uk) will host the Boston Book Festival 2021 from Friday 17th to Sunday 19th September and has a stellar lineup of guest speakers from Michael Morpurgo – author of Warhorse – to British Jamaican poet Benjamin Zephaniah and also Joy Ellis, author of 20 crime novels including the DI Nikki Galena series. >>
>> On the East Coast, Skegness’s Embassy Centre (01754 474100, www.embassytheatre.co.uk) will host a number of summer musical shows and comedy acts from The Magic of Motown on 14th August to comedian North East Sarah Millican on 1st September. A little further up from the East Coast, Louth’s Playgoers (01507 600350, www.louthriverhead theatre.com) are the in-house performers starring in Sweet Charity, an adaptation of Fellini’s Nights of Cabiria from Thursday 12th August, featuring the anthemic musical number, Hey Big Spender, immortalised by Shirley Bassey. The Playgoers were first formed in March 1932 and the group has owned the Riverhead Theatre since 1947.
And finally, Scunthorpe Theatres – which includes The Plowright Theatre and Baths Hall (01724 290640, www.scunthorpetheatres.co.uk) – will this month pay tribute to some of the world’s most iconic musical acts from Mercury on 7th August, featuring the music of Queen; King of Pop with Michael Jackson performer Navi on 13th August. The music continues into September with Ben Portsmouth as Elvis in The King is Back on Friday 3rd September and Rumours of Fleetwood Mac on 9th September. n
Stamford Shakespeare Company - see over. Image: Nick at Red & Round.
ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF ART AND CULTURE
The UK benefits greatly from the arts and culture industry, we reveal how and why...
n The UK arts and culture industry includes book publishing, sound recording and music publishing, performings arts, artistic creation and the operation of arts facilities.
n The industry directly employes 137,250 people and has a direct turnover of over £21.2bn. With indirect employment considered, the sector supports 363,713 jobs and £48bn in turnover.
n Museums, galleries and libraries employed 89,000 pre-pandemic. The music, performing arts and visual arts sector employed 296,000.
n Tourism in Lincolnshire is thought to employ over 40,000 people. Over 4.6m people visited Lincoln each year pre-pandemic, 17m people visited Lincolnshire as a whole. Their economic contribution to the city is thought to be somewhere in the region of £215m, and it’s thought that tourism is worth £1bn to Lincolnshire’s economy as a whole, supporting 9,000 jobs in total.
n Skegness, home of Butlins, is the 4th most popular tourist holiday resort according to Visit England. Skegness and Lincolnshire’s East Coast attracts 8,000,000 visitors a year, spending £526m.
n Lincolnshire has in excess of 80 museums, arts centres and stately homes open to visitors.
n The government paid out £3.8m to 29 arts and cultural organisations in Lincolnshire last October to try to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. The funding went to theatres like Lincoln’s New Theatre Royal, to district councils for the ‘combined arts’ and to individual events or attractions including the Lost Village music festival.
WHERE THERE’S A MILL THERE’S A DAY
Cogglesford Mill
Sleaford’s Cogglesford Mill is the county’s only working watermill. March saw the completion of a £51,000 restoration which will see water, rather than electricity, once again driving the mill’s waterwheel. Milling days are usually held on the second Sunday of each month, but see www.heartoflincs.com for up to date information. n
Moulton Windmill
At 100ft Moulton Mill is the tallest windmill in the county and was restored in 2011, once again producing flour from 2013. Post-Covid the Friends of the Mill anticipate its reopening on Saturdays and Sundays, for details see www.moultonwindmill.co.uk. n
Heckington Windmill
July 2017 saw work completed on Heckington’s eight-sailed windmill, which was visited by HRH The Princess Royal for an official opening in October of that year.The restoration has seen the creation of a new visitor centre, open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as well as a bakehouse which will host specialist baking courses post-Covid. The windmill is also home to the Eight Sailed Brewery, which launched in 2010 and is open for viewing by appointment and on selected days. For more details see www.heckingtonwindmill.org.uk. n Publishing is hard work at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life’s printworks... I’ll stick with my iMac, thanks!
1. Cultural delights right across Lincoln...
Heritage, culture and the arts are well represented across the city of Lincoln this month!
VISITORS TO UPHILL LINCOLN quite rightly admire Lincoln Cathedral and Lincoln Castle. The former is due to open its new café and shop as Pride goes to press adjacent to its new Dean’s Green garden.
Lincoln Castle, meanwhile, is offering dog-friendly days for visitors this summer. It is, of course, also home to Magna Carta, the 1215 document housed in its David J Ross vault. And those aren’t the only highlights of Lincoln to enjoy this summer.
Burton Road’s museum of Lincolnshire Life (01522 782040, www.lincolnshire.gov.uk) has over 250,000 exhibits covering a social history of Lincolnshire’s domestic, military and agricultural heritage.
The Collection (01522 782040, thecollection museum.com), opened in 2005 after a £12.5m investment to aggregate Lincoln’s fine art collection and its archeological assets. Highlights in August and September include photography of the natural world as the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition on loan from the Natural History museum. Natalie and Mike Hayes-Cowley reopened Lincoln’s Grade II listed New Theatre Royal (01522 519999, newtheatreroyallincoln.co.uk) in 2016, saving it from closure. Already the venue is planning its 2021 pantomime Beauty & The Beast, which will this year star Jake Quickenden of X-Factor and I’m a Celebrity. Lincoln’s Drill Hall (01522 873894 www.lincolndrillhall.com) is also planning to reopen under the new custodianship of Lincoln College, with 2021 panto Aladdin. Finally, LPAC (01522 837600, lpac.co.uk) is Lincoln University’s live music venue, but it will also host a live version of author Julia Donaldson’s Snail & The Whale (24th/25th July) and Horrible Histories (25th August) for youngsters to enjoy this summer. n
The Collection in Lincoln.
Enjoying 1940s nostalgia at Canwick’s International Bomber Command Centre.
2. Wartime heritage...
Bomber County’s wartime role in history
3. Mini museums...
Small but perfectly formed heritage attractions!
4. The world’s a stage!
Open air theatre across Lincolnshire...
CANWICK’S International Bomber Command Centre opened in 2018 as part of 100th anniversary celebrations of the RAF. In addition to the two peace gardens, visitors can explore the role that Bomber Command played in Operation Manna – the first humanitarian aid drop – and remember the 57,871 who gave their lives for the freedom we enjoy today (01522 514755, www.internationalbcc.co.uk). Paul & Linda Britchford’s personal collection of WWII and home front memorabilia is also on display at We’ll Meet Again near Boston (07903 529614, wmamuseum.co.uk), and is very much worth a visit. And aviation enthusiasts should visit the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight based at RAF Coningsby (www.raf.mod.uk) to see its six operational Spitfires, its Hurricanes, Lancaster and Dakota, as well as Cranwell’s Aviation Heritage Museum (01529 488490, www.heartoflincs.com). n THE TEENY TINY Sleaford Museum is nothing short of brilliant, founded in 2015 by local history fans and with just a few metres of floor space. From 27th July, the museum will present The Bass Maltings: from Construction to Dereliction, providing a history of the town’s Grade II* buildings (07518 972016, sleafordmuseum.org.uk). Equally diminutive is Woodhall Spa’s Cottage Museum (01526 352456, www.cottagemuseum.co.uk), which has welcomed 100,000 visitors since it was first opened in 1987. Exhibits feature the local area and photography by John Wield. And finally, Mrs Smith’s Cottage in Navenby (01529 308207, www.mrssmiths cottage.com), has reopened following restoration. It’s a perfectly preserved rural cottage, and a great place to discover social history. n WHAT COULD BE BETTER – or more Covidsafe – than open air theatre, at one of three venues across Lincolnshire this season. The Lord Chamberlain’s Men (tlcm.co.uk) will present Macbeth at Canwick’s International Bomber Command Centre on 3rd September from 7pm.
Meanwhile Lincolnshire’s own open air theatre company Chapterhouse will present A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Gunby Hall (7th August), The Petwood Hotel (8th August) and Elsham Hall (14th August). Tickets can be booked at www.chapterhouse.org.
And finally, the Stamford Shakespeare Company is based at Tolethorpe Hall and this month presents Humble Boy – a comedy inspired by Hamlet – and Oscar Wilde’s Importance of Being Earnest. Production values are superb with costumes and sets all made in house, (www.stamfordshakespeare.co.uk.) n
Carefully selected artists from the Royal Academy, Royal Institutes, Federations and Societies
Rosa Sepple PRI | Sunday School | 56 cm x 76 cm | Mixed Media
New Fine Art Gallery Now Open in Stamford
5-8 The Mews • The George Hotel • Stamford • PE9 2LB Tuesday - Sunday from 11am to 5pm | 01780 480800
Also at Lees Yard • Holt • Norfolk | Monday - Saturday 10am - 4pm | 01263 713883
Please visit the website to view and purchase our artworks www.adrianhillfineart.com
Gifting assets – know the rules!
There are grandparents who will want to keep on giving: but how generous should they be?
Wilkin Chapman Solicitor, Rebecca Phillips answers some important questions.
It is natural that grandparents want to offer children and grandchildren support – they may be buying their first home, going to university or opening a bank account. Often, they wish to make gifts to their loved ones during their lifetimes so that they can see the gifts being enjoyed.
However, while nominal sums from surplus income, along with the usual Christmas and birthday presents are not usually a problem, care needs to be taken for gifts that go beyond that and it is wise for anyone considering substantial giving to take trusted and sound advice before doing so, to ensure they understand the full implications of their generosity. For example, did you know that people you gift to could be charged inheritance tax upon your death in certain circumstances? Similarly, in the event of you requiring assistance with care fees in the future, it may be that the gifts you have made could be challenged by the local authority.
What is a gift? Quite simply it is anything that has a value, including money, property or possessions. And when you think of it like that, you may soon realise that your gifts can easily mount up.
There are certain things you can do with no inheritance tax implications: annual gifts totalling no more than £3,000 can be given; small gifts of £250 to unlimited people (not to include those you have included in your annual gifts); and gifts to charities and political parties are exempt. The main point here is to be careful, plan for the future and be clear about just what you cannot do.
