May Project Update

May has bought forth some interesting developments for us.

Sneak peek at the site interpretation setworks?
Image credit: Casson Mann

By bringing together these Casson Mann designed interpretation panels and the work of Nottingham based, 3D artist, Tim Vickers, we are able to vividly recreate?the medieval?Nottingham Castle. Explaining to visitors what you can see today and what you would have seen in 1485 when it was at the height of its power.

Decorating the Castle??
Image credit: Jakt Photography

The first floor galleries of the Ducal Palace are nearing completion and the decorators are in! In the Long Gallery, all the lime plaster repair works are now complete, the floors have been repaired and re-sealed along with refurbishment to the original Victorian doors ? highly skilled work has restored these galleries to their former glory.

So long (for now!)
To Eileen Hudson, Nottingham City Museums and Galleries? Records and Collections Access Assistant ? Eileen is leaving us (at least for a while).

We?d like to thank her for all the years of hard work, the last 4? as part of the Documentation Team. During that time her dedication and application has been simply phenomenal, a great legacy and a permanent contribution to Nottingham City Museums and Galleries.

This month?s Object of the Month, has been chosen by Eileen: The Nottingham Tragedy!!! which will be part of the new Luddites display.

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Object of the Month -?The Nottingham Tragedy!!!

What is it?
For this month?s object, we have chosen the published story of the execution of three men who were tried and convicted for their part in the Nottingham Reform Bill riots of 1831. It was acquired for our museum collection in 1929.

Why is it significant?
Due to the rejection of the Reform Bill by the House of Lords, riots took hold in many places across the country and one of those was Nottingham. Rioters attacked Colwick Hall, Lowe?s Silk Mill at Beeston and also targeted Nottingham Castle, as, at the time, the Castle was associated with someone openly opposed to the Bill and extending the right to vote to more people. Consequently, three men ? George Hearson, George Beck and John Armstrong were executed on Wednesday February 1st 1832 for the destruction of the mill at Beeston.??They were hung?on the steps of the Shire Hall in Nottingham (now the National Justice Museum). George Hearson was suspected, but it was never proved, that he was also a ringleader for the burning of Nottingham Castle.

Tell me more
Broadsheets (also known as broadsides) were cheaply produced sheets that would provide information to local people on news and events. This broadsheet followed a traditional layout of large black lettering for the headline, with illustrations of the gallows and the convicts, along with poems. A letter from George Hearson to his family is also published which shows that he will die ?a murdered man??due to him believing he is innocent. Hearson was a bobbin and carriage maker for the lace trade and was a local celebrity through his boxing career. His funeral procession was watched by thousands of spectators.

Find out more at:?
Riots and Reform ? The University of Nottingham
A Short History of Nottingham Castle by Harry Gill (1904)

?The Nottingham Tragedy!!!? broadsheet will feature in the new Rebellion Gallery currently being designed by exhibition designers Casson Mann.

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Nottingham Castle Trust News

Sign up to Nottingham Castle Trust?s mailing list.

As things ramp up for the Trust and we get closer to the re-opening of the Castle, we're bursting with exciting news to share. From volunteer gardening projects to exploring infamous Nottingham Rebels and puppet building to our ever-growing team, there?s so much to share.

So, sign up to our own?mailing list?to find out what weird and wonderful things we'll be getting up to and to hear exclusive tit-bits of information before we officially reopen.?

Image is of NTU theatre students with NCT Learning Manager Gareth Morgan creating puppets to help deliver stories at the Castle.

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