COUNTESS LOVELACE AN INSPIRATION TO WOMEN ALL OVER THE WORLD
HINCKLEY and District Museum – the “small museum with hidden treasures” - is set to open its doors for 2018 with an array of brand new exhibits for visitors to explore and discover. The hallmark of each museum season are the new exhibits bringing the rich and fascinating heritage of the area to the fore. This season is no exception, with no less than five completely new displays taking in a kaleidoscope of historical periods. Included this season are a look at the development of social housing from the days of 1914 right through to the present day - ”Home Sweet Home”. Curator of the exhibition, Ann Crabtree, said: “When you look at the old pictures of the old yards and streets and imagine hundreds of people living cheek by jowl, you wonder how they all managed. The development of housing built by the council was the way in which Hinckley developed into the town it is today. “We’ll be using the material we have gathered by talking to people about their experiences to show how important this time was for the history of the town.” The display builds on an original article about local housing by Paul Griffiths, in the museum’s magazine – “The Hinckley Historian”. The first question many visitors have when they come to the museum is ‘how old are the cottages?’ The museum will be providing the answers this year with its display “Cottages and Kings”. Local historian Hugh Beavin has delved into the history of the town in 1680, the approximate date for the building of the cottages, and reflects in his display on how the people of the town lived at the time and what was happening on the national scene. There is a welcome return for a display on the Roman influence on the area – “What did the Romans do for us?” The display, put together by Phillip Lindley, shows how extensive the Roman presence was. Siting astride the Waling Street and Fosse Way, old Roman roads, the district was a hive of Roman activity.
The display features a life size Roman chariot built by local students at Redmoor Academy. Special Roman Days are being staged during the school holidays to augment the exhibition.
Another new exhibit – “The Calculating Countess” - will feature the life and work of the unexpected local genius, Ada Lovelace, who still inspires women into scientific careers.
Ada Lovelace, 1815-1852, who lived for a time at Kirby Mallory Hall, was a mathematician and is credited as being one of the very first computer programmers. The exhibit will explain her work and her importance.
Speaking about the exhibit, museum member Stan Rooney said: “It was not until recently that I realised just how important Ada Lovelace is. She is literally the biggest story in our area alongside the Hansom Cab. She is seen as an inspiration to women all over the world, showing that the world of science is not just a male preserve.”
The museum brings its commemoration of the centenary period of 1914 – 1918 to a climax with a display entitled “A Farewell to Arms”. Over the last four years the museum has brought to the public attention material, artefacts and stories associated with this critical period in the town’s history.
The display this year explores the aftermath of the War to End all Wars and the effects on local people and families. It presents research undertaken by museum Vice-Chairman, Greg Drozdz.
Greg said: “For those people who think that something which happened a hundred years ago has little current meaning, I hope we can persuade them otherwise with our look at the aftermath of the First World War. The war cast its shadow over many lives for many years after the war ended.”
The museum is also dedicating display space to commemorating 100 years of the RAF – “RAF 100” - which evolved from the Royal Flying Corps in 1918.
Historian Greg Drozdz said: “We had three RAF airfields in our area, with all the personnel, ground crew and aircrew, associated with these airfields. There was once a massive service presence, which has all but gone.
“We look at the history of the airfields and local people who served in the RAF – making up was a small but vital contribution overall to the history of the “junior service”.
“The famous 300 Polish Squadron formed at RAF Bramcote in 1940 attracted visitors like Winston Churchill and George VI, amongst many other high ranking officials. This history is literally on our doorstep”.
The displays for 2018 also include Richard III, Hinckley’s Tin Hat, a local hosiery industry display and the framework knitting room, recalling the early days of Hinckley’s industrial revolution as the cradle and home of the hosiery industry.
The museum boasts a beautiful cottage garden, a haven of peace in the hurly burly of the town centre. The garden features on the front cover of the museum’s new marketing and information leaflet.
The leaflet also announces that alongside the ever popular Victorian Washdays and Roman Days on Mondays in the school holidays there will be brand new Tudor days – all in August.
Museum Chairman, Ann Crabtree said: “We are delighted that locally based Tudor re-enactors will be spending time with us, recalling the days when the Tudor dynasty was born in battle, not three miles from where we now live. Staging these types of days shows our commitment to younger people and the educational side of the museum”.
The museum also boasts a friendly tea room, staffed entirely by volunteers, offering light refreshments to museum visitors. There is also a wellstocked gift shop with great ideas for presents and souvenirs of visits to the museum and a second-hand book sale area.
The tea room is often the lively hub of discussions about local places and people. The museum also publishes a history magazine called the “Hinckley Historian” with original research into the area’s history by local people. The museum runs a series of talks during the summer/autumn and members of the museum are available for walks and talks abut local history.
Ann Crabtree, Museum Chairman, added: “All of this is available for the princely sum of £1 entrance and 50p for children.
“What better value could you find than this? With a warm welcome promised, with a wealth of material to explore and discover, what could be better. I hope people will support our efforts by coming along to the museum, even for the first time. You will not be disappointed. Come and join the Friends of the Museum and help contribute to our on-going endeavours to provide Hinckley and the area with the museum it deserves.”