Rural Museums Network

Traction engines in the S.E. Davis Collection

The theme for this year’s Conference was larger and working objects in museums.  On Wednesday 14th May we met at the S.E. Davis Collection at Astwood Bank near Redditch. Tim Bryan of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, Skills for the Future trainees from Gressenhall and Museum of East Anglian Life, and Hamish Wood from Avoncroft all gave presentations on aspects of their work.  We were then treated by Paul Davis to an introduction and guided tour of the amazing S.E. Davis Collection.

Approaching the inn in style, behind the Marshall traction engine 'Emily' © David Viner

Paul Davis’s enthusiastic and enlightening tour around the 500 or so large objects the family have gathered together at Astwood Bank was rounded off with the chance for a trailer ride behind one of the family’s engines, the Marshall traction engine Emily of 1925, on the way to an enjoyable supper in The Why Not Inn nearby.

 

 

Avoncroft's windmill back to its best © David Viner

The next day we met at Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings at Bromsgrove for our AGM. This was followed by presentations by Sally Ackroyd, David Viner and others on the recent work of the Network, and updates from our members. After an introduction to Avoncroft Museum by Simon Carter we were able to explore the site.  Of particular interest was the spectacular recently refurbished windmill that is ‘sailed’ on occasions by a team of volunteers.

Many thanks to the Davis family and all at Avoncroft for their hospitality and a warm welcome, making for a truly memorable meeting.

The RMN is pleased to announce that it will be putting records from the AHDNC online.

Over the next few months Isobel Keith will be preparing records for inclusion on Culture Grid, the digital UK collections resource operated by Collections Trust. This will give the material a significant online presence and also create a base from which we can develop the AHDNC. The project is supported by Arts Council England.

As our digital consultant, Izzy is likely to be in touch with the museums referred to in the original reports for further information and possibly images.

A steam ploughing cultivator and harrows have recently been transferred from the Museum of Lincolnshire Life at Lincoln to the Museum of East Anglian Life at Stowmarket. The equipment was surplus to requirement at Lincoln, but just what MEAL needed. Both museums have pairs of steam ploughing engines. Lincolnshire Life’s were made by Fowler and MEAL’s by Burrell.

Cultivator and harrows arrive at MEAL © Museum of East Anglian Life

Transporting heavy equipment is expensive, and the move was grant aided by the Rural Museums Network and the Friends of MEAL. The Network’s contribution was itself funded by from the Museums Association’s Effective Collections programme.

A rare threshing machine that was at the Vale and Downland Museum at Wantage, Oxfordshire has been given a new home at the Brown and May Trust at Devizes, Wiltshire. The machine was made by Nalder and Nalder of East Challow, in what would have been Berkshire, but is now Oxfordshire. 

The thresher is dated at around 1900 and is typical of threshing machines. However, Nalder and Nalder patented a unique adjustable grading screen which could be used for other things – for example stone and coffee, as well as wheat. These threshers were exported to the British Empire and also Russia, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Italy, France, USA and South America. More than seventy gold and silver medals were awarded to their products in the first 50 years.

Conference delegates will have an opportunity to catch up with the Network’s recent activities and plans at a fringe meeting of the Museums Association Conference and Exhibition on Thursday 8th November 12.30 – 14.00.

http://www.museumsassociation.org/conference/fringe-meetings-conference-2012

Two members of the Network receive attention in this months edition of the Museums Journal. Louise Grey interviews The Yorkshire Museum of Farming at Murton for the series on UK specialist collections, and Jane Weeks reviews the new Abbot’s Hall displays at the Musuem of East Anglian Life, Stowmarket.