Rachel List: We're All In This Together

At the end of 2020, we were privileged to install a new exhibition at Pontefract Museum, the first ever solo show by local lockdown artist, Rachel List. Sadly, Covid-19 restrictions meant we weren't able to welcome visitors to the exhibition in person at the time so we brought Rachel’s colourful and poignant work to you online instead.

Now two years on from the first lockdown you are at last be able to enjoy Rachel's exhibition in person at the museum. Newly updated, it features some of her most-loved mural designs and a newly commissioned work. As well as admiring her paintings, you can also watch Rachel star in two short films, one on her work during Covid and another on what lockdowns have meant for her. See the show at Pontefract Museum until 29th October 2022.

When lockdown began, like many of us, Pontefract artist, Rachel could no longer go out to work. She normally spends her days painting murals in people’s homes, which was not allowed under the restrictions. But even though she was unable to do her day job, Rachel still had an urge to make art.

‘For me work is not just work, I’ve got that drive to create.' 

Rachel List

So she took her brushes with her on her daily exercise and started painting her murals outside instead, livening up walls around Pontefract while most of us were still sleeping. Her bright, colourful works brilliantly capture the spirit of that first lockdown when we clapped for the NHS.

‘A lot of us had been furloughed and were sitting at home feeling pretty useless … and it just seemed important to show support.’

As a museum service we also want to collect objects that capture and tell the stories of Covid and lockdown in our communities. But of course we can't collect a huge mural on a pub wall. So we are immensely grateful to Rachel for recreating some of her work in a more manageable format for the exhibition. These paintings will also become a permanent part of the museum collection, preserved to tell the story of Pontefract’s lockdown for future generations.

‘It’s all about how something good can come out of a bad thing. There will be a rainbow after the storm.’
Rachel List

 

Films produced by Voices and Video - www.voicesandvideo.co.uk

To see Rachel's murals in their original locations and enjoy more of her work, why not explore our StoryMap:

Do you have a favourite Rachel List mural? Join in the conversation on social media using the hashtag #RachelList:

Twitter @WFMuseums, @Rachellist9

Facebook @PontefractMuseum 

Instagram @wakefieldmuseums, @rachthepachel

Growing for Wellbeing

An introduction to the garden from our historic herb vlogs by Ian Downes, Programme and Events Officer

My day job involves organising the major events at Pontefract Castle, alongside the programme of talks and lectures, informal learning activities, and helping to interpret the ruins of our two castle sites.

I like to spend my spare time in my garden, which is about a quarter of an acre, filled with nearly 400 herbs and useful plants. It has everything from apples, bananas, tomatoes and blueberries, to chives and rue.  This keeps me busy - weeding, keeping things tidy and of course the addictive bit, finding new plants!

The herb garden

All this work is what keeps me physically and mentally healthy.  Just last weekend I dug 16 holes for courgette, pumpkin squash and tromboncino plants; cut down a stump from an old hedge we are taking down; and potted up 50 baby plants I had grown from seed.  In the heat this was quite an achievement, and all that’s before you eat anything from the garden.

The veg garden

Young plants growing in the greenhouse

Mentally, it gives me inconsequential things to worry about, pleasant things to think about, and a nice environment to just sit down quietly, something that has become all the more important during lockdown.  

Dragonfly spotted in the garden

The garden also sits nicely alongside my day job.  As an archaeologist, it’s often interesting to watch out for the things I am digging up.  Over the three years we have lived here, we have found numerous pieces of dressed stone, fragments of medieval pottery and Victorian coins. Only this weekend I found a perfume bottle with a Bakelite lid and a shard of 16th to 17th century pottery! 

16th-17th century pottery shard

The links go deeper than that though. Many of the herbs have traditional uses, particularly the medicinal ones, and some date back to Roman times. A few would have been grown in the herb gardens in and around Pontefract. One that Pontefract is famous for and grows really well in our garden? Liquorice!

Liquorice growing in the garden

    

Recently that has meant I have used the time in lockdown to record a series of vlogs about the uses of herbs in the past, with the herb garden as the studio. We are looking at herbs that might have been used in Pontefract Castle.  To give you an idea of what the garden is like, here is a quick tour.

For more from Ian's garden, check out the Medieval Herbs playlist on our YouTube channel.

Enjoy the Family Friendly Museum from Home...

... and nominate us for an award!

Nominations are now open for the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award From Home.

Charity Kids in Museums is inviting families and museums to share what they think is the best virtual activity created by a museum, gallery, historic house or heritage site. They are celebrating the most creative ideas keeping families occupied and entertained during lockdown and we hope you might have loved one of our activities enough to put us forward!

Not had a go at our resources yet? Head over to our Activities at Home page to see what you’re missing! We’ve picked out a few highlights here to get you started.

We miss welcoming you all to our museums so our team have been beavering away to bring the collections to you here on our blog and on our social media. With games, quizzes, crafts, crosswords and more, we hope you’ll find something for everyone this half term and beyond.

Although the kids can’t come and play in our kitchen at Wakefield Museum right now, they can have fun colouring in our Victorian range, or spotting the differences in some retro toys that they might recognise from the museum.

Our friendly local dragon, Ilbert misses showing you and your Mini Museum Explorers around Pontefract Castle and wants to say hello online instead! You can also check out our fun paper craft activities inspired by the castle. What will you make first – a Tudor kitchen, a siege cannon, or your very own fiery dragon?!

Are there any budding curators in your family? Have a go at designing your own displays inspired by Pontefract Museum and show us how it’s done!

If you’re missing Castleford Museum, how about making a Roman soldier finger puppet inspired by the town’s history as an important fort. Or follow in the footsteps of local photographer Jack Hulme and start snapping! You can discover Jack’s fantastic photos, have a go at taking your own, and get an Arts Award Discover for your efforts with our new specially designed resource pack.

And if that’s not enough to keep you going, for even more fun with our weird and wonderful collections, check out our regular creative challenges on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Dig the paints and crayons out for #WFMuseumsArtFun on Mondays and get the creative juices flowing with our #PonteCastleBeCreative and #WFMuseumsBeCreative writing prompts on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

After you’ve had fun with our collections, if you would like to support us and share an online activity you have particularly enjoyed with your family, please nominate us on the Kids in Museums website: 

https://kidsinmuseums.org.uk/what-we-do/family-friendly-museum-award-from-home/

The deadline for nominations is 5pm on 30 June 2020. 

Thank you! 

An expert panel will meet in mid-July to whittle entries down to a shortlist. These activities will be reviewed by family judges. Their feedback, combined with the views of an expert panel, will decide the award winners.

For more information visit the Kids in Museums website: www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk

#KindnessMatters – Keeping in Touch

This week (18^th - 24^th May) is Mental Health Awareness Week 2020. This year’s theme is kindness, which is more important than ever at the moment. As the Mental Health Foundation say:

One thing that we have seen all over the world is that kindness is prevailing in uncertain times. We have learnt that amid the fear, there is also community, support and hope.

The added benefit of helping others is that it is good for our own mental health and wellbeing. It can help reduce stress and improve emotional wellbeing.

              https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week 

Kindness doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. Often it starts small – right now, keeping in touch with your friends and family could be the best way to begin. We’ve found some inspiration from the collections for staying connected and communicating.

Why not start at home? It could be as simple as making tea or coffee for your household and taking time to stop and have a chat around the kitchen table or in the garden. 

The Holmes family enjoying tea at Priory House, Pontefract

So put the kettle on and get out the best china. You could even video call a friend or relative to catch up over a cuppa virtually and compare your favourite mugs!

Coffee and tea pots made by Clokie & Co Ltd, Castleford and hand decorated by Vera Ward and Ida Woodward at pottery painting classes, 1920s- 1940s 

Coffee and tea cups by Clokie & Co Ltd, Castleford, 1930s

Many of us are also reaching out to those outside our households, who we can’t see at the moment - whether it’s an email or message, a phone call, or a video chat. You might share an interesting article with someone, send a joke, share a TV or a book recommendation, or simply say hello.

Rotary dial telephone handset with wall attachment, 1960s-1970s

Apple Macintosh Classic desktop computer, keyboard and mouse, 1980s

Nokia 8110 mobile phone, 1996

Modern technology has been a lifeline for many of us recently, helping us to keep in touch, but sometimes there’s nothing better than a surprise via snail mail! You could polish up your penmanship and pop a message in the post.

Glass inkwells with Bakelite lids

Dip pen with carved bone handle

Propelling pencil with perpetual calendar

Smith Corona typewriter, 1920s

Silver handled ivory letter opener, 1903

Cross written letter, 1833

Embroidered card

How are you keeping in touch with your loved ones? Has someone reached out to you and made your day? The Mental Health Foundation wants to get the nation talking about acts of kindness. Share your experiences with us in the comments or on social media using the #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek, #KindnessMatters and #WakeyKindness tags.

VEDay75 - 8th May 2020

75 years ago today, a crowd was gathering on Wood St, communities across the district were stringing up bunting and setting up trestle tables. After 6 years of conflict, the Second World War was finally nearing its end with victory declared in Europe. There was a sense of relief and an air of celebration across the country. 

Oh yes, we went to celebrate in the Bull Ring. You felt very relieved that no one else was going to be killed.

Kathleen Turner (evacuated from Jersey to Wakefield), 17 on VE Day

As we mark the anniversary of VE Day in 2020, we are privileged to have recollections, photographs and even film footage captured by local people who were celebrating on 8^th May 1945. Take some time to experience the day through their eyes and words.

Dancing in the streets

This amateur footage taken by a local businessman shows soldiers, Wrens and the Home Guard parading, as the atmosphere in the city centre builds. In Wood Street, specially erected spotlights have replaced blackout blinds and revellers fill the streets ready to dance into the night.

V.E. CELEBRATIONS (1945), 16mm, Black & White, Silent

Film ID: YFA 2343, www.yorkshirefilmarchive.com/film/ve-celebrations

I went up into Wood Street with some friends and we were dancing in the street.  There was a fantastic atmosphere and there were crowds of people. 

Betty Littlewood, 14 on VE day

I must have gone in the afternoon and stayed over into the evening.  All the lights were on - everything looked so much better, so much happier and brighter.  Everyone was singing and dancing and shouting to one another.  It was a very lovely day.

Edna Morrell, 17 on VE day

 

You couldn't get any beer, everyone had drunk it by about 6.30. 

Herbert Spurr, early 20s (20/21) on VE Day

Community Spirit

Away from the city, communities that had supported each other through the war were coming together again, this time in celebration.

Neighbours gather for a group photo at a street party on Nevison Avenue, Pontefract

Crossley Street, Featherstone trimmed up for the occasion

We had a street party at the end of the war.  We'd borrowed some trestles and tables from the chapel, and we had all sorts of food and games.  We had a real celebration.

I lived in a mining village, everybody worked at the pit, they were all friendly and would help each other out.  That was our strength during the war.

Sid Wilkinson, 14 on VE Day

Well done Fryston lads

In the mining community of Fryston, amateur photographer, Jack Hulme, was on hand, as he so often was, to record the occasion. In the mid 20^th century, former coal miner and local hairdresser, Jack caught everyday life on camera, photographing his family and neighbours at work and play, creating an extraordinary record of his community. Jack was known and trusted by his subjects and his works are honest, affectionate and often humorous. His VE Day photographs are no different, capturing all the local camaraderie on camera and giving us a glimpse into the anticipation and merriment of the day.

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Although we can’t take to the streets as they did in 1945, many of us will still be commemorating the anniversary of VE Day in our homes today. Let us know how you are marking the occasion. If, like Jack Hulme, you are recording the day on camera, we’d love to see your photos. Get in touch on our social media channels or leave us a message below.

You can explore these fabulous images in more detail and find out more about Jack Hulme in our VE Day teaching resource, available to download on our Schools at Home page.