Welcome to the November
Castle Transformation Newsletter
This month, we feature:
- Project update - Contracts, glass project, farewell to Jade
- Thank you - To the National Lottery
- Nottingham Castle Trust News - Arts Council award and vacancies
- Nottingham Castle - A Year to Celebrate - Commissioning Opportunity
-?Object of the Month - Benjamin Mayo painting
- Top Trumps - No. 7: Henry Poutrel
- G F Tomlinson - Conservation
- Children in Need - Rickshaw Challenge comes through Nottingham to meet Sheriff and Robin Hood (Pictured)
- Event - The Story of Nottingham
Watch the latest time lapse images for November on our website
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November 2019 ? Project Update
Welcome to our project news for November 2019
More contracts awarded - We were very excited to award the contract for Text Writer to Narrative Threads Ltd this month. Over the next few months they will be developing the text strategy across the site and writing the words to accompany objects, galleries and interactives. The kick off meeting was a great success, with lots of ideas flowing. We look forward to working with them on this exciting part of the project!
Glass restoration?project - The Camm Bros volunteers took a trip to Sandwell Archives, in Smethwick, Birmingham, during November. The quest to uncover the history of the Camm Bros stained glass window continued as they delved through the archives of the Camm Bros factory. Of particular interest was the original ?cartoon? or hand drawn design for the Castle window. This was surprisingly small, but contained beautiful detail nonetheless, and perhaps revealed some clues as to the motives behind the commissioning of the commemorative window. To keep up to speed with this project please check out our project blog.
Farewell, Jade - Sadly, the Project Team is saying goodbye to Project Assistant Jade at the end of November, as her Apprenticeship comes to an end. We cannot emphasise enough what a massive asset she has been to our team, and we will miss her greatly. Good luck in your new role Jade, and thank you for all your hard work over the last 2.5 years. We?re going to miss you!
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Thank you to The National Lottery
The National Lottery celebrates its 25th Birthday this year, a landmark moment to celebrate the incredible difference The National Lottery has made ? and continues to make ? to the lives of people and communities throughout the whole of the UK. Thanks to National Lottery players, over ?30 million goes to good causes each week.
As a National Lottery funded project, we were asked? to play a role in the 25th Birthday celebrations by saying thank you to National Lottery players with special offers to anyone with a ticket between the 23rd November and 1st December 2019.?You may remember that we had site tours last year (Picture above). This year, we can't have visitors because of the weather and the nature of work on site.
Instead, we've recorded our own little thank you to The National Lottery. You can watch it on our Vimeo Page or click on the image below...
Thank you also to the lovely people who braved the camera to record their message.?#ThanksToYou
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Click the image to watch the #ThankstoYou film in Vimeo
Nottingham Castle - A Year to Celebrate - Commissioning Brief
Nottingham City Council and partners are inviting artists, producers, companies and consortia to propose an ambitious strategic approach to the Nottingham Castle Reopening Celebrations in 2021.
The commission opportunity will be the centre-piece of a wide range of activities that will celebrate the reopening.
This large-scale project aims to bring something exceptional to the city, unlike anything we have seen or experienced here before. Not only is this important for placing Nottingham and Nottingham Castle back on the map after its years closed for redevelopment, but also promote Nottingham as a destination to visitors across the world.
Deadline for proposals is Monday 16?December 2019.
Please download the full brief from the Castle website
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Nottingham Castle Trust News
Nottingham Castle awarded ?200,000 by Arts Council England to develop temporary exhibition gallery
As part of an initiative to make creative organisations in Nottinghamshire become greener and more adaptable, the Arts Council England has awarded Nottingham Castle ?200,000 to move the Temporary Exhibition Gallery to an adjoining suite on the ground floor of Ducal Palace. Not only will the gallery?s new home be a larger space allowing for bigger exhibitions, it will also have a low-impact environmental control system, making it suitable for storing and exhibiting work on loan.
The funding will allow the Castle to hold a varied and exciting programme of exhibitions. The Temporary Exhibition Gallery will be an opportunity for local people to enjoy major contemporary art exhibitions without the need to travel outside the region. Not only will visitors be able to see the fantastic permanent displays when they visit the Castle, but they will see a regular and changing series of exhibitions, giving them a reason to come back time and time again.
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Jade's Column
It's farewell from Jade as she reviews her time on the project...
"After two and a half years of being the Nottingham Castle Project Apprentice and writing my monthly columns for you lovely newsletter readers (although they have gone AWOL the past couple of months, sorry I?ve been a busy bee)... anyway it?s now time for me to say Goodbye!
I thought for my last column that I would share with you some of my favourite moments of my time here?
I?ll start with tricycle jousting at the 2017 Mayoral Day which was extremely fun, I?m sure many of you may have been there. I?ll follow that with the Iconic Nottingham Cave City Festival, which I know many of you came along to and enjoyed both years. Let?s not forget that amazing closing weekend! We built a Lego Castle, that was pretty cool. I feel like I could go on forever ? We Dig the Castle, creating our website, writing these articles! The list is endless but lastly will have to be just watching the whole redevelopment happen and following all of the progress on site, I can?t wait to go and see the whole new experience when it?s all finished.
I came in to this project as a Level 2 business administration apprentice and am leaving with a Level 2 and 3 business administration apprenticeship qualification. I have been lucky enough to land myself a new role still with in Nottingham City Council and look forward to starting this very soon.
I am so thankful to the project team for taking me on and to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for making the project possible, which meant I could have this role.
I have met some lovely people along the way, so to all of my colleagues and to any of you who have volunteered at events that I?ve worked such as the caves festival and the closing weekend thank you all so much for making this such an enjoyable two and a half years! Below, are a few images which sum up my time on the project."
"Bye for now!" ?Jades Column? over and out.
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Object of the month
This month, we feature an oil painting of Benjamin Mayo - The Old General by Nottingham artist Thomas Barber.
Why is it significant? -?Benjamin Mayo (c1777 ? 1843) was a well-known Nottingham resident who spent the latter part of his life in the workhouse. A pub in Hyson Green was named after him and from the early 1900s the statue of him there was dressed as Santa every Christmas.
Tell me more -?Benjamin was nicknamed ?the Old General? because he led a large group of boys round Nottingham on Mickletorn Monday when the Mickletorn Jury paraded to inspect the streets. Fines were issued to anyone blocking or encroaching on thoroughfares and Benjamin?s ?army? took instant action to remove obstacles.
He collected the boys from local schools by demanding a day?s holiday for them, mud & stones were thrown at any schools who declined or refused to pay Benjamin to go away. At the end of the Jury?s inspection he led the boys up to Nottingham Castle to bang on the gates & demand access. It was always refused, but cakes and gingerbread were dispensed at the porter?s lodge & at a signal from Benjamin sweets were thrown over the gates one at a time for the boys.
The Portrait of Benjamin Mayo will feature in the new Art as Inspiration Gallery currently being designed by exhibition designers Casson Mann.
Read more at the Notts History website
Read more at the Art UK website
Read more at the County Images website
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Top Trumps #7
Welcome to the seventh character in the series of Castle stories, turned into a game of Top Trumps.
Top Trumps #7 is Henry Poutrel, Constable of Nottingham Castle
Read more about Poutrel at:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C9529593
http://sherwoodforesthistory.blogspot.com/2012/02/bestwood-park.html
Please email us?to let us know whether you agree or disagree with our scores.
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Contractor update - The latest from G F Tomlinson
G F Tomlinson?s Project Manager, Richard Oldfield spoke to the team to explain what considerations have been made for the Castle conservation works?
"Throughout the project we have encountered a number of unknown factors ranging from the uncovering of rotten timbers, the failure of masonry and the discovery of unexpected archaeology. These unknown factors can usually affect the critical path of a project, however we have been proactive in finding a solution for this efficiently, along with the conservation architect, structural engineer, archaeological officers and our subcontractors.
We believe this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to investigate and record the history of the site and the process of recording these findings has become second nature to all parties involved. I have found this fascinating and what may seem like a relatively small discovery brings real context to parts of the site; adding more detail to its rich history. It has been a real privilege for all of us working on the project to be delivering a new chapter of the Castle?s history."
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Event - The Story of Nottingham
Tuesday, 10 December 2019
17:30 ? 19:00
38 Carrington Street, NG1 7FG
What does heritage in Nottingham mean to you?
What does it mean to be a Nottinghamian? A Beestonian? A Bullwellian?
Which people or buildings are valued in your community?s heritage?
What?s your favourite memory of life here?
Please come along to this informal and open public event to share stories and help to develop proposals for a citizen-led Heritage Partnership.
This is a free event but please register your interest :?At the EventBrite website
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Children in Need Rickshaw Challenge
On 13 November, six youngsters and The One Show's Matt Baker came through Nottingham as part of the Children in Need Rickshaw Challenge.
The annual eight-day, 400 mile challenge, began on Friday, November 8 in Holyhead.
The group came from the Boots site, down?Castle Boulevard,?Maid Marian Way, and?Friar Lane, down Castle Gate and catch a glimpse of the?Robin Hood Statue. They were cheered on by local primary school children, The Sheriff of Nottingham -?Councillor Patience Uloma Ifediora, as well as being treated to a sword fighting display from Robin Hood and Maid Marian.
The challenge raised a remarkable ?5.5 million in total.
Read more about Children in Need
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