Playmakers

Playmakers exhibition runs , Wakefield Museum, 26^th November 2016- 1^st July 2017

Did you know that the football that won England the World Cup in 1966 was made in Horbury? Or that Steffi Graf and John McEnroe played their tennis with a state of the art Horbury-developed racket?



A Slazenger Challenge football for the 1966 World Cup and some of the tools used to make it

Dunlop Max 200G tennis racket used by Steffi Graf at Eastbourne in 1985

On loan from Jim Warner

 

For more than a century, Horbury was a centre of high tech, high quality sports manufacturing, home in its heyday to possibly the largest sports equipment factory in the world. Our upcoming exhibition at Wakefield Museum celebrates this important local industry. Playmakers will tell the story of how a local saddler’s apprentice became the chairman of a leading international company.

 

 

In 1870, William Sykes used all his life savings to buy his own saddlery. After 10 years in business, he turned his leather working skills to making footballs. The Victorian era was a golden age for sport with more and more people participating and professional governing bodies forming. Sykes was quick to tap into this captive market and expanded into making goods for a wide range of different sports. William Sykes Ltd went from strength to strength and was soon selling equipment all over the world and supplying major tournaments like the FA Cup.

Front cover of the House of Sykes, a promotional booklet produced to celebrate the company’s proud history

 

The William Sykes Ltd factory at Albion Mill, Horbury

William Sykes Ltd eventually merged with rival firms, Slazenger and Dunlop but Horbury remained the centre of production and innovation until the factory’s closure in 1986. In 1978 the Mayor of Wakefield opened a new Research and Development centre where many pioneering technologies and products were masterminded, including a new golf ball and revolutionary injection-moulded tennis racket.

To explore the full story, visit the Playmakers exhibition and follow our giant timeline charting all the key milestones in the history of William Sykes Ltd and Dunlop Slazenger. Along the way, you’ll see historic equipment and iconic products, and meet famous sports stars who used Horbury goods. You’ll also be able to try your hand at recreating a classic Sykes football and have the chance to live out your sporting dreams: why not don a 1966 England kit or dress up as John McEnroe and have your picture taken with your adoring fans? Don’t forget to share your snaps with us on Facebook and Twitter!

We’ve chosen a few star objects from the exhibition to whet your appetite. Visit Wakefield Museum from 26^th November to see these and much more!

 

Bowls and carrying case, William Sykes Ltd, early 20^th Century

 

Billiards balls, William Sykes Ltd, early 20^th Century

 

Boxing gloves, William Sykes Ltd, 1930s

On loan from Miles Smith

Snow shoes for the military, Second World War

 

Don Bradman Autograph cricket bat, William Sykes Ltd/Slazenger, 1940s

Quiver of arrows, Slazenger, 1959

On loan from Roger Byard

 

 

Playmakers

Our display team are working hard to install the next exhibition at Wakefield Museum :

The exhibition opens on 26 November....

Check back soon to find out what's going on display!

Commemorating World War 1

It is coming up 98 years since the armistice of World War One.

Here at Wakefield Museum we have a variety of objects on display that tell the various stories about people, places and events surrounding World War One.  There is now also a new downloadable teachers' pack to support schools by providing information about some of the objects in the collections. The pack can be found here.

There were many families affected by World War One, not just those who lost loved ones but also the people who survived and returned.  One gentleman who returned home to Wakefield was George Kellett. Relatives of George donated his diary, written in 1918, whilst a soldier in France and Belgium. With agreement from the family the museum have used social media to share the George's thoughts. To see what life was like for one Wakefield man see @WW1_Diary on Twitter.

 

George Kellett's 1918 diary is now in the museum collection

Sadly there were many who did not return home. Students from Kettlethorpe High School earlier this year researched and developed work on two such men. Their work is on display at the museum and further information can be seen in the previous blog post found here.

Students from Kettlethorpe High School in Wakefield Museum with their thought-provoking display

 

Pontefract Museum main gallery redisplay

Earlier this year Pontefract Museum received some funding to redisplay some of the main gallery.  It looks fantastic (if we do say so ourselves!!).

If you haven't had chance to visit, why not make plans this weekend? 

The museum is open 10.30-4.30 on Saturdays, with free entry.

Learn about Pontefract's sweet history....

Get creative, and dress up....

Enjoy the amazing objects

We are really proud of the new display, we hope you enjoy them

When you've finished have a stroll around the fascinating town centre, and pop into one of the many cafes for lunch.

October Half Term

Find something to do every day during the October Half Term with our family activity planner!

Download your copy here.



Click on image to enlarge and download

New Textile Heritage Trail

This week sees the launch of a website and textile trail that brings together information about textile collections across West Yorkshire. This is the culmination of the West Yorkshire Textile Heritage Project, a partnership between Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield Museums.
 
The trail leaflet features a colourful map of West Yorkshire that shows the location of more than 30 museums, mills, historic houses and other places of interest with a textile theme.   Even more information is available on the website, which has links to all the venues and downloadable walks across the district. These walks include one around the significant textile manufacturing centre of Ossett and one along Wakefield Waterfront, which was a thriving industrial area in its hey-day with around 35 mills established on this site, as well as the boatyard which is still in operation today.

 

Trail leaflets can be picked up at Wakefield Museum or downloaded from the project website. The project website can be viewed here.

The online collections are hosted by the Visual Arts Data Service (VADS), which makes available over 1000 records from the textile collections of Wakefield, Kirklees, Bradford, Calderdale and Leeds museums.

The online collections contain nearly 300 objects from the Wakefield district, which tell unique stories of the textile industry in the region. Examples of textiles produced in the local area include knitting yarn samples and finished products such as clothing, bedding and soft toys. A large proportion of the collection is made up of photographs and ephemera, including correspondence, advertisements, catalogues, packaging and knitting patterns.

 

The project was supported by the Museums Association (MA) with a grant from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. Sally Colvin from the MA said ‘We were delighted to support the West Yorkshire Heritage Textile project as the partnership approach from four museum services really stood out. Textile heritage is spread right across the region so it’s only right that the services should work together; the website and trail are great results from this approach.’

Wakefield Theatre Club

Earlier this year, we were thrilled to receive a fantastic collection of Wakefield Theatre Club memorabilia from a generous donor. The material was mainly collected in 1970s by Isabel Cheston, who worked at the club’s cigarette kiosk.

 

 

Wakefield Theatre Club was part of the vibrant local variety scene along with the likes of Batley Variety Club. The memorabilia, including flyers, posters and programmes, reveals the long and eclectic list of stars who performed at the club.

 

Club members were treated to a wide range of different performances: from singers, dancers and orchestras to comedians, ventriloquists and strong women like Joan Rhodes. Known as the Mighty Mannequin, she was famed for bending steel bars and tearing telephone directories in half whilst wearing fishnet tights and high heels.

 

Working at the club, Isabel was lucky enough to meet many of the performers. She amassed a vast collection of stars’ autographs. The examples below are just a flavour of the whole collection.

 

 

 

Sometimes, Isabel must have grabbed whatever she had to hand for the artists and celebrity patrons to sign- Leeds United footballer, Billy Bremner autographed a page from a waitress’s notepad, whilst Les Dawson signed the back of a fragment of a London Underground map!

 

The collection also includes a selection of menus from the club’s restaurant. Audiences could treat themselves to a meal before a performance. In 1970 patrons could start with either grapefruit or prawn cocktail followed by a choice of scampi, steak, gammon, chicken, or plaice all served with chipped potatoes. Pie and peas was a cheaper alternative or there were salads as a healthier option. A bottle of Moet & Chandon to wash it all down with would’ve set you back 49/- or, if you preferred, it cost 2/10 for a pint of bitter or 1/6 for a Coca-Cola or lime and lemon.

Were you a member at the Theatre Club? Who do you remember seeing and were you lucky enough to meet any stars?