Tag Archives: museum

Settling In

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Gadwall – a duck with natural camouflage. Its main distinctive feature is that it has no distinctive features.

I’m far from out of the (metaphorical) woods yet, but things are looking a lot brighter. We have furniture. We have a little more idea of what is happening and we managed to tempt a builder into action, even if only for half a day.

We tested the local chip shop, which serves large portions of high quality fish, chips and peas and found it to be as good or better than our current local shop.

This afternoon I visited the annual exhibition of the Peterborough Military History Group. The car parking will be suitable for me and several of the people at the exhibition were still recognisable from the distant past (it’s around 35 years since I last attended a meeting). That takes care of my social life – the second Wednesday of the month will henceforth find me in the company of old men in the meeting room at the museum. The fourth Tuesday of the month will be the coin club, though this might be more elusive, as I’m told they are down to about half a dozen members. They still post meeting notices in Coin News, so I hope they still exist.

Wheatear

The cafe at Peterborough Museum has been done up since I last visited and I enjoyed a lemon and poppy seed muffin with a cup of tea and proper china teapot for one. Yes, I’m a simple man, but sitting there in what had once been a fine Georgian house (still with flame mahogany doors) I confess to feeling a sense of history. I’m looking forward to my next visit.

Finally, as we chatted in the kitchen and looked out at the darkening sky, a bat flew past. Then another. Or possibly the same one going back. Hard to tell with bats. That’s more bats in an evening than I normally see in a year in Nottingham.

There were no senior moments tonight.

Today’s theme is birds.I have some good photos of medallions but I’m sure that most people would prefer birds.

Heron

Photographs from the Museum

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Framework Knitters Museum at Ruddington
Snowdrops at Ruddington
Crocus at Nottingham

There are actually four cottages in the block you see – one at each end and L-shaped back to backs in the middle. Victorians knew how to cram them in. Water came via the pump you can see in the middle of the photo. The toilets are behind me and the wash house is in the end of the left hand building. No indoor facilities then, unless you count guzundas.

The Pit
Privy – Framework Knitters Museum
Urinals – Framework Knitters Museum
Toilet block – Framework Knitters Museum

These are the toilets – there were approximately 100 people on site so the provision is hardly generous. They also appear to be unisex. Not sure if women worked there, but if they did it’s hardly the Victorian approach I’d have expected.

The effluent falls down the privy and emerges through the arches in the side of the pit. With 100 people using it, you’d think they’d need something a bit deeper.

Framework Knitters Museum – Manager’s Bedroom
Manager’s parlour – Framework Knitters Museum
Knitter’s Parlour – Framework Knitters Museum
Kitchen – manager’s cottage

The cottages are very well fitted out, though I’m not sure they have the smell right. I’m sure that with candles, crowds, open cesspits and and a lack of washing facilities the smell must have been well to the forefront of your life in those days. They have smell sprays at Jorvik to give you more of an idea. I didn’t think they were terribly convincing twenty years ago, but they may have improved.

Sorry about the low tone of this post, but like any man, there’s a small boy lurking just under the surface, and small boys are fascinated by toilets.

 

The Scone Chronicles – the 6th visit (the one with No Scones)

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We went to the Framework Knitters Museum yesterday and are now Friends of the Framework Knitters Museum. It didn’t actually cost any more than paying to visit the museum and we can now visit for the rest of the year without further payment, get a discount on refreshments and go to special events. I’m going to be quite an expert by the end of the year.

Regarding refreshments, this might not be as good as it sounds.

After going round the museum and being well and truly demonstrated too by keen and knowledgeable volunteers, we went to the tea room. We had a nice cup of tea served by the lady who had signed us up as Friends (clearly a paragon amongst multi-tasking volunteers). The tea room was traditional, and the china was fine. The tea came with a packet of biscuits.

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Chintzy china with reflected light fitting

So, you ask, what about the scones? Even if you don’t ask I’m going to tell you. They were absent. There was no evidence of scones. In fact, the only comestibles in evidence were muffins in bags.

I’m hoping this might be temporary.

But deep in my heart I fear it may not be a simple short supply situation, but a full-blown serious scone shortage.

That’s a sad summer scenario.

Day 102!

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After failing in my challenge to write 100 posts in 100 days I decided to keep quiet about my new challenge, which was to write 100 posts in 100 days.

I’m consistent, if nothing else.

I’m also better at writing than I am at counting. When I checked to see if it was 100 days yet, I found it was actually 102 days since the first post of the run.

It doesn’t really matter – I’ve managed 100 consecutive days. Now I can relax.

To celebrate I’m going to have a nice cup of tea and chuck in a gratuitous robin picture.

We had the talk on framework knitters last night, the one I nearly went to last week. I’m going to visit within the coming month, and check out the tea room, so watch this space!

 

The Stained Glass Museum – Ely

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As you may have guessed from a previous post, I’m not impressed with the admission charges at Ely Cathedral. In fact, I’m not really keen on spending money at all, unless it’s on books or unsuitable food. So if I say it was a pleasure to spend £4.50 on the Stained Glass Museum you’ll realise I liked it.

Stained Glass Museum – Ely
Ely – Stained Glass Museum

Two roundels showing scenes from the life of St Vincent, c 1220-50 Burgundy region

I’ve always liked stained glass. There’s something magic about sunlight filtering through coloured glass, in much the same way that there’s something wondrous about sunbeams streaming through trees.

I’ll leave it to the pictures now, as I have nothing to say that will improve the glass.

Angel Musician
Christ and His Followers

Left, Angel Musician c1440 – 80 Distinctive East Anglian style of painting

Right, Christ and His Followers, designed by Alexander Walker (active 1896 – 1929) though the label says this is c 1885. From a church in Leith. Part of the new wave of Scottish glass – religious zeal having destroyed all he old glass and prevented the making of new glass for several hundred years.

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Left, Head of a Young Boy c 1930, designed and made by Christopher Webb (1886 – 1966)

Right, Inner Space by Paul San Casciani b 1935 – representing the view of cells

As you can see, there is a variety of glass, including old and new with a mix of traditional and novel subjects.