Welcome to the August
Castle Transformation Newsletter

This month, we feature:
- Project update - Visitor Centre, Stained glass, digital tenders
- Digital Contracts - Tenders for site displays
-?Jade's Column - Meet the team
-?Object of the Month - Stoneware bottle
- Top Trumps - No. 4: King Richard I
- G F Tomlinson - Crane on site
- Nottingham Castle Trust News - CEO appointed
- Robin Hood Pageant - Early Bird ticket offer

Watch the latest time lapse images for August on our website

August 2019 ? Project Update

Welcome to our project news for August 2019?

Stained glass research - We were very excited to launch our Camm Bros window research project this month. A group of dedicated volunteers aim to find out all they can about the history, design, manufacture and ultimately reinstatement of this fabulous window, which was commissioned to commemorate the opening of the museum in 1878. August saw the volunteers going on a site tour to view the proposed location for the window, meeting architects and conservators, and even visiting the collection store to see some of the glass panels before they are framed. Full details of this project including a volunteer blog will be available on our website very soon!

Procurement is underway?- The Project Team has been very busy with procurement during August. Digital creatives (see press release below - Medieval weaponry has just closed), scriptwriters and adventure play designers are just some of the professionals we are currently in the process of procuring. This is a very exciting time for the project as we bring on board the expertise to make our dreams a reality. We look forward to announcing our appointments over the next few months.

Visitor Centre - We are pleased to report that the build of the new Visitor Centre is progressing well. The new building is now watertight with the exception of the doors, and the beautiful oak cladding is currently being installed. Internally the plastering is complete and the concrete floor is being laid. By the end of the year we should be able to reveal the finished product ? watch this space!

Back to top

Jade's Column - Meet the team

This month, our apprentice - Jade meets Mac, a Groundworker at the Nottingham Castle Transformation site?

What does your role entail??My main role involves working alongside the Conservation Officer on the Gatehouse entrance area. These works include me digging down around 2.5 metres below ground level to find the original arches and remove the granite sets, which are then cleaned up ready to be re-laid back into their original place. Working with the Architect, I am also currently digging this area to search for existing services, which requires hand digging as machines are not allowed in such high risks areas. While these areas are exposed, I am installing new drainage to enable the removal of access water from the top ground level.? ?

How does it feel to be working on such a significant project and building??It is a great opportunity to be working on such a significant project for Nottingham and G F Tomlinson and knowing our works will leave a lasting legacy for this historic site. I have worked in the industry for 50 years including 33 for G F Tomlinson and have worked on many heritage sites, therefore this type of forensic work comes very naturally to me.?

Had you ever been to Nottingham Castle before working on this project??No I haven?t, however I have worked in the Nottingham area for many years, so it is great to be working on such an important site for Nottingham.

What part of the project are you most looking forward to seeing completed??I would have to say I am most looking forward to seeing the Gatehouse entrance works complete, knowing what is underneath ground level and the vast amount of repair work which has been done to preserve the area. I feel very proud to have been a part of this.

How did you get in to your role of work and what do you enjoy the most about it? I?joined the construction industry as soon as I left school at 15 and have recently celebrated my 65^th birthday. I enjoy my job as it enables me to get involved with a number a different things. Every day is different to the next and you get to work on different and interesting sites such as the Nottingham Castle.

Below: Mac at work

Back to top

Object of the month

This month we feature an unusual stoneware bottle...

What is it? This?mid-1960?s stoneware bottle was made by ceramic artist Hans Coper. It ?is an early example of his work and forms part of the Ballantyne Collection of 20^th Century Studio Ceramics held by Nottingham City Museums and Galleries.

Why is it significant??Hans Coper (1920 ? 1981) fled Nazi Germany for Britain in 1939. After being posted to Canada on military service during World War II he returned to London in 1946 and became an assistant to Austrian potter Lucie Rie whose work also features in the Ballantyne Collection. He went on to become one of Britain?s most significant post-war ceramic artists and taught at the Royal College of Art in London.

Tell me more?One of Coper?s most important commissions came from Basil Spence in 1962 for six sanctuary candlesticks for the High Altar in the new Coventry Cathedral. Each candlestick is 7 feet tall and made of individually thrown sections threaded onto steel rods which are set into the altar floor. Their size means that they are visible from most parts of the cathedral & serve to focus attention onto the altar. A second commission for altar candlesticks followed from Spence for the Meeting House he was designing at Sussex University in 1966.

The stoneware bottle will feature in the new Art as Inspiration Gallery currently being designed by exhibition designer Casson Mann.

Victoria and Albert Museum piece on the bottle
Historic England - Cathedral of St Michael

Back to top

Contractor update

G F Tomlinson welcomed McGoven Crane Hire on to site this month as they moved the air handling units into place at the Ducal Palace.

The 100 tonne crane was required to overcome the logistical challenge of having to ensure the crane was kept a minimum of 15 metres away from the Palace extension but be large enough to reach the Palace roof and basement levels.

The installation of the air handling units are an essential part of the works to ensure a controlled environment for the Castle?s artwork and artefacts.

Back to top

Nottingham Castle Trust News

New Chief Executive is appointed

The Nottingham Castle regeneration programme has made a key appointment in the run up to the re-opening of the historic site in 2021.

Sara Blair-Manning (pictured), who has a highly experienced background running heritage projects, will become Chief Executive Officer of Nottingham Castle Trust, the organisation appointed to run the Castle. Selected from a competitive field of 60 applicants, Sara will take up the post on 23 September.

Redevelopment is well underway, and Sara arrives at a pivotal point as the trust moves from research, development and fundraising to the operation of the Castle complex.

Read the full press release on the Nottingham Castle website

Back to top

Robin Hood Pageant - Last chance for Early Bird rates

closes Monday 2 Sept

This October, take the family back to the 12th century for a day out they'll never forget...

The Robin Hood Pageant, now in its 38th year will run on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 October. It has been completely re-imagined for 2019 and will be staged in a forest setting close to the historic Newstead Abbey for the first time ever while Nottingham Castle is undergoing transformation. Read more

The site will be?filled with the sights, sounds and smells of Robin Hood?s time and offers the chance to come face-to-face with medieval minstrels, artisans and colourful characters, including the legendary Robin Hood himself.?

A diverse range of medieval characters will be wandering the grounds; visitors can get an audience with the great King Richard I and learn about 11^th?century cures from medieval field hospitaler Fra Justin, while avoiding less savoury characters such as the King?s Executioner and even the Medieval Gong Farmer, complete with cess bucket.

Don't miss out on early bird savings?Book today!

Back to top