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Category: Key update

  • BCLM: Forging Ahead – Fundraising Champions needed

    So far we’ve raised £780,500 of our £1.9m fundraising target (41%) for BCLM: Forging Ahead.

    Now, as we head towards our peak season we’re looking for up to six visitor-facing colleagues (across costumed staff, Food&Drink, Retail& Admissions) to become Fundraising Champions to help us raise the £150,000 we need from the general public.

    There’s a phrase in fundraising that ‘people give to people’, so who better to talk to our visitors about BCLM: Forging Ahead fundraising than those of you who are interacting with them each and every day?

    We’re not talking about rattling tins here but we want to make sure our visitors know about the £1.9m fundraising campaign and how they can support it, should they wish to.

    As a Champion, the Development team will keep you up to speed with how much we’ve raised against our target, current messages and ways people can donate so that you can keep your colleagues informed as well as visitors.

    To find out more, take a look at the Fundraising Champions Terms of Reference which you can find in the documents tab above (Useful Information – BCLM: Forging Ahead) and if you’d like to be considered, send a short written expression of interest to Sophie Howell, Development Coordinator ([email protected]) or drop in to the Development office above Morralls by Monday 26 February.

     

     

    How visitors can donate

    • Donation boxes in Rolfe Street entrance, Hobbs, WI Café, Rolfe Street café and the Shop are now supporting Forging Ahead.
    • By text: text BCLM18 £5 to 70070.
    • Make a donation online at bclm.com/forgingahead.

    We will also shortly have donation forms available onsite.

     

    If you have any further questions do have a chat with one of the Development team (Carolyn, Vicki, Katy, Sophie or Kate) and we look forward to you helping us reach our target!

  • Stanton’s public call out launches

    Today (Monday 5 Feb) we’ve launched our public call for memories and objects relating to Stanton’s music shop, in Dudley pre-1960.

    We’re setting the shop in 1959, which means that it’s the old Stanton’s shop we’re replicating – not the modern building that replaced it. It was located on the corner of Castle Street and Fisher Street in Dudley town centre from 1895, when James Stanton opened his first retail shop. He had formerly run a “piano and harmonium warehouse” on Owen Street, Tipton.

    The shop was based in a large Georgian building, which you can see in the above image. This building was demolished c.1960 for Dudley’s town centre redevelopment, and Stanton’s moved temporarily into a building at the corner of Castle Street and Hall Street. In 1961, they opened a new flagship store on the ground floor of ‘Stanton House’ – this building is now Gregg’s and Cash Converters.

    If you hear of anyone – member of the public or visitor – that would like to share a memory or object relating to Stanton’s, please point them in the direction of our Collections team either via email – [email protected], phone – 0121 521 9643 or in person (via reception).

    Please do not take any personal details yourself.

    Don’t forget, if you have any personal stories of Stanton’s that you would like to share, please pop in and see the Collections team in the Rolfe Street offices.

  • BCLM: Forging Ahead – Stanton’s Music Shop

    BCLM: Forging Ahead – Stanton’s Music Shop

    We’ll be launching our public call-out for memories and objects relating to Stanton’s music shop (pre 1960) on Monday 5 February.

    But before that, we want to know if you have any personal stories about the shop which stood on Dudley’s Castle Street until the late 1950s when it was knocked down and replaced with a modern flagship store (incorporating the shop that is now Greggs).

    Likewise, do you have any objects that were purchased from there pre 1960 – records, sheet music or musical instruments?

    If you do have anything you would like to share to help in our recreation of Stanton’s, please pop in and see the Collections team in the Rolfe Street offices.

     

    A bit about Stanton’s

    James Stanton founded his piano tuning business in Tipton in 1870, and shortly after set up a “pianoforte and harmonium warehouse” on Owen Street. In 1895, he opened a shop at 10 Castle Street, in Dudley. By the 1950s, the shop was in the hands of his daughter-in-law Florence, her daughter Audrey Howarth, and a managing director, Frederick Nash. In the late 1950s, much of Castle Street was demolished for Dudley’s town centre redevelopment, including replacing the old, Georgian building with a brand new block. It is the older building that will be recreated in the Museum’s new 1940s-60s town centre.

    The shop sold a range of musical instruments, including their traditional pianos but also electric organs and electric guitars. They moved on from gramophones to sell radiograms, radios, televisions and record players, as well as records to play on them which could be tested at listening booths first.

    Why Stanton’s?

    Stanton’s enables us to talk about the music and culture of the Black Country in the 1950s, including the rise of rock’n’roll and changing fashions.

  • 2018 Events – Staff & Volunteer Tickets

    In response to the overwhelming number of Members’ tickets already purchased for our 2018 special events programme, we’re bringing forward the opportunity for you to grab your tickets, and with an increased discount.

    Staff and volunteer tickets will go on sale on Thursday 25 January, a week before they go on sale to the general public. There’ll be 50 tickets available at a 50% discount for each evening event and each staff member or volunteer can purchase up to 4 tickets per event for personal use or for use by friends and family.

    Up to 10 additional full priced tickets may be purchased once tickets have gone on general sale on 1 February.

    For full details please see the updated ‘Staff Tickets for Events’ Policy which can be found within the Museum Documents folder of the Documents tab above.

    Please note that tickets can only be purchased from Liz Peters, Sales & Ticketing Manager, Andrea Phillips, Admissions & Welcome Manager or Nicola Rowe, Head of Retail & Admissions.

  • 2017 visitor attendance reaches all time high!

    2017 visitor attendance reaches all time high!

    At 332,778, visitor attendance in 2017 was considerably higher than the Museum has ever seen before. As I mentioned in my staff briefings last week, such strong levels of attendance can be attributed to many things, not least a hugely popular events programme, an increased awareness and use of the Museum’s UnChained Annual Pass, and our unique ability to give people a truly enjoyable experience.

    We will soon be publishing these excellent visitor figures and so, as we open our doors for 2018, I want to thank you once again for all your work in 2017 and wish you all the best for the year ahead for which we’ve set ourselves a challenging  but very achievable target visitor attendance of 325,000.

    Andrew

  • Introducing ‘Tone-up Tuesdays’

    In the spirit of New Year’s resolutions we’re starting our very own weekly exercise class at the Museum on Tuesday evenings at 5.10pm in Hall 2.

    We’ll be following exercise DVDs to start with, but if it proves popular we may look into arranging an instructor.

    The first class will take place on 16 January – everyone welcome!

    If you are interested in joining in please let Lisa Cowley know in person or via email [email protected].

     

  • Staff & Volunteer Social – Mon 15 Jan

    All staff and volunteers are invited to a social in the WI on Monday 15 January, 5.30 – 8.30pm.

    There will be music, games, quizzes and food & drink.

    If you would like to attend please email [email protected] expressing any dietary requirements along with any talents you might like to showcase!

    We hope that as many of you as possible are able to join us to celebrate the successes of 2017.

    Enjoy!

    Please do remember that you are on Museum property and should behave accordingly – more information can be found in the policies section of the documents tab above

  • Vehicle Donation Drives Forward Our Fundraising Campaign

    Our Forging Ahead £1.9m fundraising campaign is off to an excellent start today thanks to the Patrick Foundation of Kings Norton who have pledged a gift of £500,000 towards the project plus a donation of five vintage vehicles from the Patrick Collection.

    Following the arrival of the Austin 10 and Alvis Speed 25 Saloon in December, the remaining three donated vehicles – a 1960 Morris Minor Van, a 1963 Daimler Dart SP250 Sports and a 1965 Daimler Majestic Major Saloon – arrived at the Museum today (Fri 5 Jan) and despite the wet weather, it was a wonderful sight to see them pulling in off the Tipton Road.

    The foundation has also pledged an annual donation of £30,000 per year for the next ten years to support the Museum and the maintenance of its heritage vehicle collection.

    In recognition of this generosity, we’re naming the lower ground floor of the new Visitor Centre ‘The Patrick Gallery’ and Jordan’s role as Junior Motor Mechanic will from now on be referred to as ‘The Patrick Foundation Junior Motor Mechanic’.

    The Patrick Foundation’s Trustee, Alexander Patrick CBE DL, is widely known for his charitable work and was awarded a CBE in 2012 that recognised his support for charities. The Patrick  Foundation has previously supported several of the Museum’s past projects, including our much loved access vehicle ‘Doris’.

    We envisage all five vehicles to be a regular feature of the new 1940s-60s town once it is built. For now, we will be housing them in existing Museum vehicle shelters.

  • Diary Dates – BCLM: Forging Ahead drop-in sessions

    The first of the planning applications for BCLM: Forging Ahead is due to be submitted to Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council (DMBC) on Friday 8 December 2017.

    The application will include extensive project designs for the new Visitor Centre and new historic development, many of which you will have already seen. However, we will be holding two staff and volunteer drop in sessions at 9am on Thursday 14 December and Wednesday 20 December in which there will be an opportunity to view all of the designs that will be submitted as part of the application.

    Members of the project team will also be on hand to answer any questions you may have.

    Please feel free to drop-in during either session, both of which will take place at 9am in Hall 2 so that staff who work on site can attend before their working day.

     

     

    Other Forging Ahead related news

    We have recently updated the Forging Ahead FAQs – saved within the Museum documents tab above – in light of some recent questions. Please do take a look.

     

     

  • Rationalisation of Tram Collection – update

    This update follows the news article posted in October regarding the deaccessioning of the four tram bodies under tarpaulins by the Albion Depot:

    • Cable Tram (1975/014/001) – Birmingham Central Tramways cable car – the only surviving example of its type – has been donated to and collected by the National Tramway Museum, Crich where, it will be preserved, and possibly restored.
    • Tram 75 (1975/016/002) – Due to the condition of the woodwork of Tividale single-deck, Tram 75, the roof has been lowered to prevent collapse. The body will be investigated to see whether there are any remaining elements that could be utilised for a potential future refurbishment of Tram 34.
    • Tram 102 (1984/466/002) – Tividale single-deck, Tram 102 will be posted on the Museums Association’s ‘Find An Object’ service. It is being offered to any other Museum that would be interested in acquiring it for their collection.
    • Tram 361 (1998/036/001)-. Lisbon Tram, Tram 361. As per tram 102 immediately above.

     

    In addition, the following of Tram Movements have also taken place:

    Wolverhampton Corporation Tramways horse-drawn double-decker, Tram 23, has been moved from Albion Depot to the Tall Vehicle Shed.  Tram 23 will form part of the new display within the Tall Vehicle Shed that will be opened in March 2018.

    Albion Depot now contains the Wolverhampton Corporation Tramways double-decker Tram 49 and the Tividale single-deckers Tram 5 and Tram 34.  Tram 19 has been moved inside the Albion Depot to improve the long-term preservation of this unique tram.  Tram 19 was built by Dick Kerr Preston, circa 1901, as a narrow gauge open-top double decker tram and probably operated on the Dudley-Stourbridge route.  Only the grounded body now survives, the structure is in fair condition with remnants of the high-quality interior. Externally, fragments of a cream and maroon livery along with the inscription ‘WG Bond, General Manager’ are visible on the side.

     

    Image – Birmingham Central Tramways car being loaded for its journey to Crich