Technology - it's all in hand!

We are really excited to be developing content for multimedia handheld devices for use in the new museum.  These little screens will carry images, video and sound clips, which means that we will be able to develop a whole range of tours -  on different subjects and for different audiences. 

In addition to  tours, we will produce some interactive family and school trails - the screen will ask questions to encourage you to look closer at an object, or consider a topic more deeply.

The mediaPacker - exciting new guided tours and interactive trails

The really exciting thing about using these particular units, is that they are really (really!) easy to program, meaning that we will be able to frequently develop new tours and interactive trails in response to new exhibitions or special events. 

We plan to start with developing an interactive family trail to really test our programming skills! This will be followed by an expert-led tour for adult users.  Trail content for young adults/teenagers will be devised in collaboration with secondary school pupils.  That's just for starters!

News from the Stores

Display maker, Lee Wheeler, started working with us this week. He is making the mounts for the objects going on display. He works with metal and Perspex to make supports, cradles and frames for our collections. The objects chosen for the new displays range from fragile and delicate to heavy and awkwardly shaped or weighted.

Lee Wheeler and his assistant James at work

It is extremely skilled work which is largely unseen in the display. The mount shows off an object in the best way without it being seen itself. 

The Celtic head, mounted for display



The mounts are made to hold the objects securely and discreetly

Sounds interesting!

We have an interesting range of oral histories in the collection, ranging from those from miners and policemen involved in the 1984/5 miners' strike in Wakefield, to an interview with Geoff Oakes (ex Wakefield Trinity hooker).  The museum Registrar, Leanne Dodds is busy splicing and editing the clips for use in the new museum.

Museum Registrar, Leanne Dodds, editing audio clips

These include quotes such as this one from Geoff Oakes talking about returning to Wakefield after winning the Challenge Cup in 1960:
"We came back on the train to Wakefield Westgate station and they had an open top brewery waggon and we all climbed on that and went up Westgate on which you couldn't move, it was chaos, absolutely brilliant, just a wonderful memory."

Showing the Challenge Cup to the crowds from Wakefield Town Hall, 1960

We also have a series of oral histories from people who grew up during the Second World War.  These short clips provide a wonderful insight into Wartime Wakefield, and include snippets such as:

 "At the entrance to Clarence Park there were two big iron gates and two pillars with big stone balls on the top.  When the bomb had blasted, one of these two balls had blown off in the middle of the road and in the dark, one of the ARP Wardens saw it with a flashlight and thought it was a bomb.  So they closed the road off, until daylight, when they realised what it was and then felt right fools!" 

Some of these anecdotes are now also being incorporated into the WWII school sessions that will be delivered in the museum, fleshing out our wartime housewife character for role-play presentations to really help us to bring them to life!

Leanne is also editing video clips to be shown in the museum.  These include footage of Wakefield Trinity, of the centre of Wakefield  in 1925, and an interview with Denis Parkinson, the 5 time TT winner.

We're ready to go!

The walls are painted, the floor is going down, the designs are signed off. RS, our gallery fit out contractors, are working off-site building our new displays and showcases are being made. Text is being written, images chosen, objects cleaned and mounted. Over the next two months Wakefield’s new museum will start to grow at Wakefield One.

Watch this space because it’s filling up!

View of the museum entrance

The main gallery is taking shape



Inside the Front Room

Entrance to the Temporary Exhibition Gallery

Dressing up - a preview!

We have commissioned some costumes for trying on in the new museum, based on items in the collection. 

One of the dresses is a really unusual Victorian wedding dress (showing that wedding dresses were not all white).

Our dress-up version has cheats so that it can be easily fastened to be worn over the top of ordinary clothing (rather than a corset!).  It still needs the blue braid and fringing adding to it, but we thought you might like to see the work in progress.



Original Victorian wedding dress

Our dress-up version (in progress - fringing to be added!)

News from the Stores

Conservation work for the new museum is well underway, but with so many objects coming on display for the first time, there is a lot to do!  Although our conservator, Mary Macqueen, is getting help from external conservators for the specialist work, the enormous workload has given us a fantastic opportunity to also involve work experience students.   

This photograph shows Alice Galloway, a conservation student from Lincoln University, cleaning one of the objects which will be seen in the new museum.  Alice is working alongside Mary, gaining valuable real-life museum experience which will help her in her studies – and giving us an extra pair of hands at this very busy time!



Conservation student, Alice Galloway cleaning a 1960s Dansette record player for display in The Front Room.

Alice Galloway says:
“I have had a fantastic time working on the materials for the new museum, working under a very experienced conservator with a real sense of the value of the work being done. It will be great to be able to come back later and see the museum when it opens - and perhaps bring other students with me!”

Sue Thomas, Principal Lecturer in the School of Art and Design, Lincoln University, visited last week to assess the placement and said:
“It is really good to have the co-operation of a museum service such as Wakefield Council's, especially when they can still offer a student this very valuable experience during this period of change. We hope to continue with the links for the future.”

Alice has worked on a range of objects during her time with us, including the wonderful signed cricket bat we already reported on.  See the before and after photos and spot the difference!



Before cleaning

After cleaning by Alice, our work placement student

Rugby Legend Lends a Hand

We met record breaking rugby hero Neil Fox today to look through some of the objects he has amassed during his decorated and much celebrated career with Wakefield Trinity. Neil, originally from Sharlston and whose two brothers Peter and Don were also Trinity players,  played in the legendary team which won League, Challenge and Yorkshire cup finals throughout the 1960s. Over a career that spanned three decades he scored 6,220 points, more than any other player. He also played and toured with Yorkshire, England and Great Britain.

Neil is very kindly lending some of his hard won medals, his Lance Todd trophy and International caps. These items will help us create a rugby display which will celebrate Trinity’s 1960s golden age.

Neil Fox and Wildcats General Manager Davide Longo with some of the items to be displayed in Wakefield Museum