Opening night of Swindon in 175 Images Exhibition

On the evening of Tuesday 8 March, we were very pleased to provide refreshments for the private view of the Swindon in 175 Images exhibition currently on show in the front two downstairs rooms. Many of the Friends of SM&AG had kindly donated towards the staging of this exhibition, so it was lovely to be able to invite them along to the private view.
This exhibition is a great way to celebrate the Swindon 175 celebrations going on all over the town this year, and appears on the 175 website if you click on the link.
I spent too much time handing out drinks and nibbles rather than taking photos, but here are a few.
I'll take more of the exhibition soon.

 There were lots of people at the launch.

And some fascinating photos, paintings and objects.
Ian Wilkins, a committee member was convinced there was a photo of his father who worked in Garrards!
Do try and have a look at this fascinating exhibition, and I'll take a few more photos soon.

Director Appointed for the Museum & Art Gallery Project

I've copied and pasted this press release which appeared on Thursday for anyone who hasn't yet seen it. The project to build a new museum and art gallery has become even more exciting.

10 March 2016

Posted by Kevin Burchall.

Appointment of director a major boost for Swindon Museum & Art Gallery project

Appointment of director a major boost for Swindon Museum & Art Gallery project Swindon’s drive to have a new Museum and Art Gallery in the town centre has been significantly boosted with the appointment of Hadrian Ellory-van Dekker, who is currently the Science Museum’s Head of Collections and Chief Curator, as Director of the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery Trust.
Hadrian, 47, will have responsibility for overseeing a fundraising strategy, and managing the design and build of the new museum and art gallery and its forward programme of exhibitions and activities.

Hadrian Ellory-van Dekker

The Swindon Museum and Art Gallery Trust was incorporated on October 29 2015 under the chairmanship of Robert Hiscox and run by a board of 5 locally-based trustees, including the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Brian Mattock. It was registered as a Charity in February 2016.
The Trust is managing the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery project which has two key aims: to create a fitting home for Swindon’s museum and art collections, including the nationally significant collection of British 20th Century Modern Art, and use its location to boost regeneration of the economy and attractiveness of the town centre.
Swindon Borough Council has pledged £5m towards the project with the rest of the estimated £22.5m build cost being raised by the Trust from grants and donations.
Robert Hiscox said: “We are delighted to have attracted a Director of such calibre to lead our project to build a new museum and art gallery to be the heart of the new cultural quarter in Swindon.
“Hadrian has hugely valuable experience, recently at the acclaimed Science Museum, and his knowledge of art and science and his senior roles in museum management give great credibility to the venture.”
Cllr David Renard, Leader of Swindon Borough Council, said: “Delivering a new museum and art gallery is one of the Council’s pledges and forms an integral part of our plans to breathe new life into the town centre.
“Hadrian’s appointment will help us in our quest to deliver on that pledge and his expertise will be invaluable as we continue the bid process with the Heritage Lottery Fund.”
Hadrian Ellory-van Dekker, said: “I feel both honoured and privileged to be appointed the Trust’s first Director.
“This is an incredibly exciting and once-in-a-career opportunity to make a real difference: to build a new art gallery and museum; to maximize the potential of, and continue to develop, a really great collection; and, building on the successes of the past and working with local communities, to place the art gallery and museum and its activities at the very heart of the town and its cultural life.
“In my previous role at the Science Museum Group, I have often been a visitor to Swindon. I am really looking forward to working with the great people and wonderful collection here.”
In addition to his current role, which involves directing the output of curators, academics, scientists, librarians, archivists, content and collection professionals and other technical specialists to increase access to and relevance of the museums’ activity and collections, Hadrian has also worked at the British Museum, and was a visiting fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and more latterly across the Science Museum Group of museums.
Externally, he has worked with a wide range of trustees, sponsors, donors, government departments, learned societies and other external museums and galleries, and is a Director of the Collections Trust and Chair of Arts Council England’s Accreditation Committee for museums and galleries across the United Kingdom.
Hadrian takes up his post in June.

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#RSA Engage in #Swindon

Last week I attended an RSA meeting chaired by Martin Newman, the RSA's local heritage ambassador in the Central Community Centre. There was a wide cross section of people there, some of whom are Fellows of the RSA, others not. So what is the RSA and why were they meeting in Swindon last week? Looking on their website I discovered they were founded in 1754 and their commitment to enrich society through ideas and action has remained constant ever since.
Their mission statement also helps understanding what their impetus:

'The mission of the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) is to enrich society through ideas and action.

We believe that all human beings have creative capacities that, when understood and supported, can be mobilised to deliver a 21st century enlightenment.
We work to bring about the conditions for this change, not just amongst our diverse Fellowship, but also in institutions and communities.
By sharing powerful ideas and carrying out cutting-edge research, we build networks and opportunities for people to collaborate - creating fulfilling lives and a flourishing society.'

Martin Newman gave a short introductory talk reminding us of the fantastic large heritage institutions we have in Swindon:

 The next slide isn't very clear, but it does say we have 659 listed buildings, 53 scheduled monuments and 3 registered Parks and Gardens.

 Martin was followed by Daniel Rose who talked about the Mechanics Institution Trust

 and how his inspiration comes from the pioneering people who created so much innovation; the projects he's involved with includes all heritage in the area of the railway village include GWR Park, turning the Bakers Arms into a community cafe, having a children's fete to celebrate 150th anniversary as well as 175, and the Railway Cottage museum. here's a link to a great piece on Daniel Rose and the Mechanics Institution Trust:http://swindonlink.com/2016/03/the-time-has-come-for-the-mechanics-institution-in-swindon/
There's an RSA Heritage Index derived from looking at 100 indicators assessing what's important to consider. It's possible to look at overall scores for different places, looking at their potential and how they use it.

There were probably 40 people at this meeting, including organisers for RSA West, Fred Fowler and RSA Central, Maurizio Fantato who works in Swindon and is coming to visit the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery for tomorrow's 175 exhibition preview.

Grayson Perry's Perfume Bottle and Stoppers

Sophie Cummings, Curator at the museum and art gallery, gives regular free lunchtime talks between 12.30-1pm. These have become increasingly popular, and last Friday's talk was no exception, there were about 22 people at Friday's talk on the recently acquired early Grayson Perry perfume bottle with a range of stoppers. The first photo shows some of the crowd.

 Sophie as ever had researched Grayson Perry's career with entertaining features, like the reasons for giving the name Grayson to a child born in 1960, and the fact his father was a wrestler in the evenings. I have tried to photograph the perfume bottle on previous ocassions:

 the stoppers don't come out well either

And from the other side taken during the Craigie exhibition.

After the talk, it's good to be able to ask questions, someone asked why add a Grayson Perry to the collection? Sophie felt it was good to have an example of his work because he is a good communicator and produces some very interesting work. Why the early work? Well that's easy, his later works now fetch upwards of £100k
Details of the talks appear on the website: www.swindonmuseumandartgallery.org.uk and on this flyer:

Michael Gray's Talk on Brightwen Binyon

Michael Gray talked about Brightwen Binyon to an audience of about 37. I didn't take notes, and because the chairs in front of the screen were all taken, I was unable to take any decent photos. I'll put up some of the photos I already have.
What impressed me about Binyon was his output in terms of building commissions he received, and executed. Based in Ipswich, he became known in Swindon as someone who could design schools, so his services were required there first of all, then he was used when the Mechanics Institute needed remodelling; £14000 was spent on that, compared to £9000 available a bit later on when a Town Hall was required. Our Town Hall has an out of proportion, elongated tower on it because it needed to be higher than the tower on the Corn Exchange.

If you compare it to the original plans, you can see the shorter, stockier tower

Michael included a lot of interesting historical detail about how the country was changing in the later 1880s, people were spending money on luxurious buildings in seaside resorts like Felkixstowe, Binyon designed Seaside Villas, still standing today in 1888:

They are a pair of semis built on a grand style.
He also became involved in some interior decoration, and designed this lovely wallpaper:

Amazingly enough Binyon fitted this amazing output into a comparatively short life, he died aged 59 in 1905 leaving a fabulous legacy of his buildings behind him.
Michael then answered a few questions relating to the demolition of buildings like these across the country in the 1970s when they were no longer appreciated quite so much.
Thoughts of course turned to what sort of building would be suitable for our new museum and art gallery in the Cultural Quarter of Swindon beside the Wyvern Theatre.
I did manage quite a good photo of Michael at the beginning of his talk:

We are fortunate to have Michael's architectural expertise, and now as  member of the Friends we can see even more of him!
Also we are hoping to have a larger screen, it was pointed out that this one is far too small.

Brightwen Binyon's List of Works

Michael Gray RIBA, is giving the next talk to the Friends this Thursday at 7.30pm in the gallery part of the museum on architect Brightwen Binyon, so I thought I'd look up more information to advertise the talk and came up with these buildings he designed.
Quite a list, 5 in Swindon, although the mechanics was an addition rather than a whole building.
Finding good photographs of these buildings is quite difficult, here's Queenstown School:
 

List of Works

• 1875 Wallpaper design (now in Victoria and Albert Museum).^[14]
• 1875 – Burlington Road Baptist Church, Ipswich .^[15]
• 1872 – The Grove, Stanmore, re-modelling in half-timber style. The home of Naturlaist Eliza Brightwen.^[16]
• 1879 – Bank Premises, Sudbury, Suffolk ^[17]
• 1880 – Thistleton Hall, Suffolk ^[17]
• 1881 – Sanford Street Boys’ School, Swindon, Wiltshire^[18]
• 1881 Church Lodge,(No 1 Uxbridge Road), Stanmore ^[19]
• 1878 – Municipal Buildings, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk ^[17]
• 1879 – Ipswich Post Office, Suffolk ^[17]
• 1879 – Ipswich School of Art ^[17]
• 1879 – Queenstown school Swindon (closed 1990/demolished in 1993)^[20]
• 1879-1881 – Gilberts Hill, Dixon Street, Swindon ^[21]
• 1881 - Yarra Primary School, Richmond, Victoria, Australia^[22]
• 1882 – Ipswich Corn Exchange & Shops, Suffolk ^[23]
• 1882-1883 – Hill House, Ipswich^[24]
• 1886 – Public Library & Museum, Folkestone, Kent ^[17]
• 1888 – Seaside Villas, Felixstowe, Suffolk ^[17]
• 1888-1891 – Enlargement of Stanmore Hall for William Knox D'Arcy.^[16][19]
• 1890 – Sunderland Town Hall (later demolished in 1971)^[25]
• 1890 – Swindon Town Hall (Grade II listed building) Town Hall, Regent Circus^[26]
• 1890 - Nethaniah Almshouse, Over Stoke^[27]
• 1892-1893 The Mechanics Institute, Emlyn Square, Swindon, (Considerably enlarged) ^[28]
• 1893 – New Public Library, Colchester^[29]
• 1893 – Warehouse, North Street, Colchester ^[30]
• 1895 – Granary, Hythe Quay, Colchester ^[30]
• 1896 – The Elizabeth Barrett Browning Institute, Ledbury^[31] 
•   
•  

Really Popular Lunchtime Talk Today

Sophie Cummings has been giving free Friday lunchtime talks for some time now, they are really enjoyable and gaining increasingly large audiences. I think 18 people attended today. Sophie gave a short introduction to the Swindon Collection and then picked out a few paintings and discussed them, bringing out features I wouldn't notice without prompting.

 Below looking at the Nevison

 And finally the Bomberg 'The South East Corner, Jerusalem'

 Next talk is in 2 weeks time, 26 February about Grayson Perry's perfume bottle. Try and be there.