What's New

April is full of exciting events, talks and workshops. Here are just a few of them!

Tuesday 1st April: At Lakeside Arts, ‘Meghan King, Finds Liaison Officer for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, will provide an introduction to the Portable Antiquities Scheme and the Treasure process and give an overview of interesting finds from around the counties. Meghan will also bring a handling collection so that attendees can handle typical objects recorded by the scheme afterwards in the Museum’. Tickets cost up to £3 per person and booking is required. Book your place here.

Thursday 3rd April: ‘An introduction to the Nottinghamshire Archives with a tour of the searchroom and storage areas. This is your chance to view some unique and incredible highlights from the collections. You will be able to interact in new ways with history through Augmented Reality on your own tablet or smartphone device. Try the new interactive wall to explore Nottingham's past. Enjoy a display and tour of the conservation studio and learn what conservation is, the different types of materials treated and the techniques used’. Tickets cost £6 per person and booking is required. Book your place here.

Friday 4th April: ‘The Friends of Bassetlaw Museum are delighted to announce the return of guided tours. They will focus on the Museum building, its history from its construction in the 1780s through to the present day, and the stories of the families that owned it.’ The event is free (although donations are appreciated), and booking is not required. For more information visit the event page here.

Saturday 5th April: The National Civil War Centre will be hosting ‘Family Saturday: The King in a car park’. ‘Join archaeologists from the University of Leicester for a day of discovery with the chance to see a 3D printed replica of King Richard III’s skeleton; ‘Ask an Archaeologist’ with excavation director Mathew Morris; and have a go at digging up bones! You can meet a medieval knight and create a Tudor flag too!' For more information, visit the event page here.

Saturday 5th April: The National Civil War Centre will also be hosting a talk on King Richard III: 'Bloody Be Thine End - The Discovery of Richard III'. ‘Join archaeologists Mathew Morris and Andrew Hyam from University of Leicester Archaeological Services and find out how modern archaeological and forensic investigation, and historical reenactment allows us to reassess historic sources and tell new stories’. Tickets cost £5 per person (under 25’s go free), and booking is required. Book your place here.

Opening Thursday 10th April: Lakeside Arts will be opening their new exhibition ‘Country Lives’ which will run until September 2025. ‘From idyllic and picturesque scenes to the realities of rural lives and communities, this exhibition explores varied themes including work, leisure, health and access to the countryside. Items from the University of Nottingham collections including photographs, sketches, books, letters, maps and board games are brought together to illuminate these topics’. For more information, visit their website here.

Above: Ivel Tractor demonstration, 1905 (Public Domain)

Monday 14th April: Creswell Crags curator Dr Angharad Jones is hosting an online talk via Zoom celebrating 150 years of research at the site. ‘The first official excavations of Creswell Crags' caves began in April 1875, uncovering rich deposits of Ice Age animals, as well as tools left behind by Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. This sparked 150 years of excavations and other fascinating research at this important site. This talk will explore the excavators, the excavations, and subsequent research on the uncovered archaeological and palaeontological material’. The event is free, but booking is required. Book your place here. There are also further talks celebrating 150 years of Creswell Crags which you can explore here.

Wednesday 16th April: Local historian Sam Millard will be presenting the talk ‘Heritage Talk: Rogues, Vagabonds or Heroes?’ at Worksop Library. ‘This talk tells of a violent clash between poachers and gamekeepers on the Rufford Abbey estate during the Victorian period, an incident that was reported in newspapers throughout the land. What happened to those involved? Were they the rogues and vagabonds described by the courts, or the heroes portrayed in a folk song written at the time?’. Tickets are £3 per person and booking is required. Book your place here.

Thursday 17th April: Mansfield Museum is hosting an exciting ‘Dig’ workshop. ‘Perfect for kids under 12, this hands-on activity lets young explorers uncover hidden treasures buried in soft sand. With digging tools in hand, they'll search for fascinating finds and sketch their discoveries, sparking their creativity and imagination’. Tickets are £2 per person and booking is required. Book your place here. 

Saturday 19th April: Head down to Sherwood Forest for ‘A Knight’s Trail’. ‘Find knights along the way and note the heraldic design upon each shield. Once you have completed this challenge, you must make haste and return to camp for to claim your prize from the ever-gallant Sir Tificate’. Entries are £4, booking is not required. For more information, visit the event page here. 

Thursday 24th April: During an evening talk, ‘discover the story behind the National Civil War Centre’s most striking artefact, Fairfax’s wheelchair. Learn about the dramatic and action-packed life of the general who won the Civil War. Hear the grisly details of his wounds and be prepared to question your perception of the politics of the past!’. Tickets are £10 per person and booking is required. Book your place here. 

Saturday 26th April: Nottinghamshire Archives will be hosting the event ‘Murder at the Archives’. ‘Visit Nottinghamshire Archives where you will find clues and question suspects to discover the culprit of a historical crime. A unique opportunity to explore the heritage of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. There will be a time limit to complete the challenge that will test your deductive skills, powers of reasoning and teamwork’. Tickets cost £6 per person and booking is required. Book your place here - 10am, 11:30am, and 1pm.

Saturday 26th April: ‘Curious to learn more about your family's history? Join one of the Inspire librarians for a small group session at Bingham Library, where they will demonstrate some of the key features of Ancestry, a valuable online research tool’. This event is free, but booking is required. Book your place here.

This interesting piece comes form our Summer 1999 Heritage newsletter:

The year 1649 saw the trial and execution of Charles I, a monarch who had strong connections with Nottinghamshire during the English Civil War, especially Newark and Southwell. Centuries later, the start of the 21st century saw the climax of the anniversary celebration of events across the whole of the country, for groups involved in Civil War re-enactment – people who in their thousands recreate the life and battles of the 17th century. Events began in 1992, with the raising of the King’s Standard at Nottingham Castle, and the people of Nottingham continued to participate in events just as they did in the actual conflict, following in their ancestors’ footsteps!

Many people may have heard of Lucy Hutchinson, who wrote a famous set of memoirs describing the life of her husband John. John Hutchinson was the governor of Nottingham Castle, which was held by the Parliamentarians during the war. But as his portrait shows, he looked a long way from the stereotypical Roundhead! John Hutchinson, who lived in Owthorpe before the war, took control of the city at the start of the war and became Governor in the summer of 1643. He was also given charge of a regiment of foot soldiers. 3 companies of ‘Nottingham’ infantry took part in the Second siege of Newark, and these were probably soldiers from Hutchinson’s own regiment, based at Nottingham Castle.

Hutchinson was also present in 1646, when Newark – the last major Royalist garrison in the region – surrendered to the Scots in May. The Royalist governor at the time was Sir John Belasyse. His own personal regiment, again of foot, also took part in the summer of 1642, again from Nottinghamshire men, and also by soldiers from Yorkshire. It was part of the ‘Oxford Army’, the main Royalist field army, and fought in many of the major engagements of the First civil war, up to Naseby, in Northamptonshire, in 1645.

In various major re-enactment societies today, both these regiments still exist, Hutchinson’s being in the historically correct ‘Northern Association’ – echoing a group of counties that were brigaded together in Parliamentarian organisation over 375 years ago. Belasyse’s also exist, wearing all-blue uniforms that we know were worn by the ‘Oxford Army’, and carrying the colours that research has shown as being most likely those carried by their forbearers.

Maybe today, within these recreated regiments, there exists people who are the descendants of the soldiers of Nottinghamshire, who fought for different reasons beneath different flags, over 375 years ago!

There are a lot of exciting heritage events happening this March! Have a look at some of them below:

Thursday 6th March: ‘The Friends of Bassetlaw Museum are delighted to announce the return of guided tours. They will focus on the Museum building, its history from its construction in the 1780s through to the present day, and the stories of the families that owned it.’ The event is free (although donations are appreciated), and booking is not required. For more information visit the event page here.

Thursday 6th March: Head to the Nottinghamshire Archives ‘for an evening of discovery where you will experience their collections like never before with Augmented Reality features, taking you on a trip into the county's rich past’. During this tour you will be able to take a tour around the archives, view historic manuscripts, and explore interactive maps. The event is free but booking is required. Book your place here.

Friday 7th March: Mansfield Museum will be hosting an exclusive ‘Cocktails with the Curator’ event. ‘Begin your night with a cocktail as their curator shares fascinating insights into the history of the building and the incredible work they do. Take a behind-the-scenes tour with their Collections Officer, who will guide you through our vast stores and reveal hidden treasures from our extensive collection. You'll also have the rare opportunity to handle select objects from their archives. Explore their current exhibitions at your leisure, and cap off the evening with a fun and engaging mystery object quiz’. Tickets cost £5 per person and booking is required. Book your place here.

Friday 7th March: The National Civil War Centre will be hosting the evening talk ‘The Poet and the Regicide’. You will be introduced to ‘Lucy Hutchinson, translator, poet and biographer and wife of Newark’s arch enemy, John Hutchinson, Governor of Nottingham during the British Civil Wars and regicide. This International Women’s Day talk reveals the fascinating story of a seventeenth-century power couple and challenges our beliefs about women in this period’. Tickets are £10 per person and booking is required. Book your place here.

Saturday 8th March: ‘Family Saturday at the National Civil War Centre is moving to the second Saturday just for March to coincide with International Women’s Day. Meet a very special lady and her friendly horse, find out how women played a special role in the Civil War as secret spies and learn the best way to hide a message during the Civil War using invisible ink and secret codes’. Entry is free for Newark and Sherwood residents. For more information, visit the event page here.

Tuesday 11th March: Head to Mansfield Central Library to ‘take a journey through a thousand years of history at Rufford Abbey - from humble monastic origins to a grand country estate. Learn how the place has changed over the years and about some of the fascinating characters who lived there. NCC’s Planning Archaeologist Emily Gillott will also look at what has been revealed by archaeological work since the 1960’s’. Tickets cost £3 per person and booking is required. Book your place here.

Above: Rufford Abbey

Wednesday 19th March: At Beeston Library, ‘join Peter Godley from the Nottingham Historical and Archaeological Society for a talk about the extensive network of caves that lie beneath the streets of Nottingham’. Tickets cost £3 per person and booking is required. Book your place here.

Wednesday 19th March: At Worksop Library, ‘join NCC’s Planning Archaeologist Emily Gillott for a fascinating look at the history of the gallows and capital crimes with a focus on Nottinghamshire. Emily will present some of the known gallows and gibbet sites in the county and what remains of them, from Thieves Dale to Gallows Nooking. She will explore medicine and the hanged corpse, from an age when science and magic were intertwined’. Tickets cost £3 per person and booking is required. Book your place here.

Thursday 20th March: At Bassetlaw Museum, Benedict Jephcote will be exploring ‘A gleaming medieval seal that was found at Gringley-on-the-Hill’. They will be looking into ‘how the seal-bearer’s identity was found and why Constance was an important figure in medieval England’s history’. The event is free but booking is required. Book your place here.

Monday 24th March: At Hucknall Library, ‘join one of the Heritage Librarians for a small group session where they will demonstrate the range and variety of local newspapers available in Inspire libraries on microfilm and online’. The event is free, but booking is required. Book your place here.

Monday 24th March: Hosted by the team at Creswell Crags, an online talk by Matilde Gliubich Tomat from Bangor University will be diving into here palaeophenomenological research. ‘Blending archaeology, anthropology, phenomenology, alchemy and analysis, this approach reaches beyond the confines of traditional research, tapping into the lived experiences and consciousness of ancient peoples. In this 45-minute lecture, Matilde will not only explain paleophenomenology as a theoretical framework but also share the story of how this unique methodology was developed — part vision, part discovery, part adventure. From her own encounters with both personal reflection and archaeological sites to the insights drawn from analysis and mythology, this talk will offer a glimpse into the process of connecting past and present, mind and matter’. Tickets are free, but booking is required. Book your place here.

This great article comes from our Spring 2000 Heritage newsletter:

Many of you will remember the days when going to the cinema meant a trip to the local ‘fleapit’. These were often large, impressive looking buildings that could accommodate a large section of the local community in one go. Some have been converted into bingo halls or warehouses and a few still retain their original interior decoration. The most fabulous and complete examples have been protected as listed buildings for some time now.

The cinema industry began in the 1890’s when the first shows were put on in small music halls and travelling fairs. The early films were made from highly combustible material and fires were a regular hazard. It wasn’t until the 1909 Cinematograph Act that the first ‘safe’ purpose-built buildings were constructed. By 1914, there were already some 3,500 cinemas across Britain. The ‘showman’s booth’ design was most common, with elaborate frontages behind which there would be a hall with a barrel-vaulted ceiling, panelled walls and, in more elaborate cases, a rear balcony. Names like ‘Electric’, ‘Picture Palace’, and ‘Imperial’ were typical, while the name ‘Coronation’ indicated a 1911 opening date. The Picture Palace, Long Row in Nottingham is a good example, dating to 1912, with its ornate front, decorated with marble and tile.

Following the First World War, a second generation of new larger venues were built. The Elite on Upper Parliament Street in Nottingham had an auditorium which could seat 1,500 people when it opened in 1921. Meanwhile in America, cinemas were even larger, incorporating the ‘splayed’ auditorium layout, and in 1927 the era of the ‘talkies’ was ushered in by the film ‘The Jazz Singer’. This was a time of rapid technological development and big business deals that produced the international chains like the ‘Empires’, and the British ‘Gaumonts’ and ‘Odeons’. Other Nottinghamshire cinemas from the 1920’s include the Majestic in Retford.

By the middle of the 1930’s and following the Second World War, the ‘Modern’ style came to be the one favoured by British cinema architects. Although essentially ‘international’ in style, regional variations are still visible, the Capitol in Radford is said to have Germanic influences, while the Regent in Kirkby has a softer ‘arts and crafts’ feel to it.

English Heritage have previously looked at cinemas that might be worthy of listing. They focused on pre-WWII cinemas or ones built before 1960 that have remained unaltered. Only the best examples of the nation’s cinemas were listed; for the rest, acknowledgement of their local important was more appropriate.

We already know about many of the old cinemas of the county. Here are some examples:

The Byron, Hucknall

The Regent, Kirkby

The Majestic, Retford

The Capitol, Elite and Picture Palace, Nottingham

Stanford Hall Cinema

The Strand, Market Warsop

February is jam packed with exciting heritage events! Here are just a few:

Saturday 1st February: ‘Are you thinking of applying for funding to support your creative development?’ Join a specialist workshop at Mansfield Museum to ‘explore applying to Developing Your Creative Practice from Arts Council England’. Booking is required and costs £5 per person. For booking and more information, visit the event page here.

Saturday 1st February: ‘Interested in a creative and/or technical career in Arts, Heritage and Culture? Come along on Family Saturday at the National Civil War Centre in Newark to enjoy some snacks and chat with their team. Learn about what it’s like to work in a theatre or museum and how to build a great CV.’ Booking is not required, find out more here.

Thursday 6th February: ‘Come and see behind the scenes and discover the secret world of the Nottinghamshire Archives! Be the first to try out their new Augmented Reality content to uncover hidden stories and images from the Archives. As part of this free tour, you will be able to interact in new ways with their collections via your own tablet or smartphone device: view a pop-up version of an Archival document directly on your device, explore 360 degree images of modern-day Nottingham blended with historic photographs to explore change over time, and listen to new audio descriptions of our Archival materials’. This event is free, but booking is required. Book your place here.

Thursday 13th February: Head down to Mansfield Museum ‘for a hands-on workshop where you'll stitch your own unique bookmark. Inspired by the rich tradition of sampler designs from the museum's collection. Perfect for all skill levels, this is a fun way to learn, create, and connect with heritage’. Tickets cost £3.50 per person and booking is required. Book your place here.

Thursday 13th February: The National Civil War Centre in Newark will be hosting the evening talk: ‘The Most Unfortunate of Kings?’. In this talk, Dr Jonathan Fitzgibbons, Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Lincoln, will examine if King Charles I can be blamed for his own fate or if he was, as a medal in the museum collection states, a good but unlucky King’. Tickets cost £10 per person, and booking is required. Book your place here. 

Saturday 15th February: At Sherwood Forest, ‘join Sherwood’s legendary lovebirds Robin Hood and Maid Marian for this special Valentine’s Day storytelling walk deep into the heart of Sherwood Forest. Take heed of their tales of deeds and of how the history of the greenwood is intertwined with their timeless romance’. Booking is required, ticket prices range. Book your place here.

Above: Annesley Hall, ancestral home of the Chaworth-Musters family (see below).

Tuesday 18th February: Head to Mansfield Central Library where Author Nicola Webb tells the story of John Patricius (Patrick) Chaworth Musters and Mary Ann Sharpe. Born in different classes, the two love birds are sent to live a private life in Norway by his family but years later, they return to wed and take on Chaworth-Musters’ family estate. Tickets cost £3 per person and booking is required. Book your place here.

Tuesday 18th February: The National Holocaust Museum will be revealing ‘brand-new Handling Box, packed full with incredible artefacts. Explore how ordinary people became and still become refugees, by handling amazing objects that have been donated to us by Holocaust Survivors’. This event is free, and booking is not required. For more information, visit the event page here.

Wednesday 19th February: Our Historic Environment Officer Janine will be hosting a talk at Worksop Library on her wonderful book ‘Colliery Stables & the Nottinghamshire Pit Pony’. ‘With first-hand accounts from former pony drivers and freshly discovered documentary and photographic evidence, this talk delves deeply into the lives of a workforce that gave all they had. Learn how their working conditions changed over time, and how they are remembered by their former handlers. Join Janine for this fitting tribute to Nottinghamshire’s hidden heroes’. Tickets cost £3 per person and booking is required. Book your place here.

Thursday 20th - Saturday 22nd February: Head to the Workhouse and Infirmary in Southwell to take part in their event ‘Tales from the Workhouse’. ‘Write on a slate, help with the washing, learn to pick oakum. Meet our costumed characters and come and find out what life was like within The Workhouse. Listen to their stories as you encounter the inmates doing their daily jobs’. Booking is not required, and this event is free, normal admission fees to the Workhouse are still in place. For more information about the event, visit the event page here.

Friday 21st February: At the Harley Museum, Join picture frame conservator Claire Ridley to take a fresh look at the frames in their museum with a museum talk. In this talk Claire will delve into traditional and decorative gilding techniques. Using frames in our museum as examples, you will learn to identify different types of gilding and discover how gilded surfaces deteriorate and can be conserved. You will also get an up-close look at Claire’s conservation toolkit, from rabbit skin glue to gold leaf to burnishing stones. Booking is required and tickets costs vary. Book your place here.

Saturday 22nd February: ‘Bring along your archaeological finds to Bassetlaw Museum to be identified and recorded on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database’ by the Finds Liaison Officer for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. This event is free, but booking is required. Book your appointment here.

Saturday 22nd February: As part of the Nottingham Festival of Culture and Science, Lakeside Arts will be hosting a ‘Museum Explorers’ crafting workshop. This workshop will allow you to ‘explore the world of Iron Age art including metal work and stone carvings to make your artwork inspired by the artefacts. Create a Celtic plaque base on an Iron Age coin or a Celtic stone head from clay’. This event is free and booking is not required. For more information, visit the event page here.

Thursday 27th February: At the Bassetlaw Museum, the Museum’s new Curator, Dr Mike Galer will be talking about The Derbyshire Yeomanry in the First World War. He will explore the fortunes of this part-time territorial cavalry unit as it was mobilised and sent to Egypt, Gallipoli and then to Bulgaria. Tickets are £5 per person. For more information, visit the event page here.