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  • For Information – A National Portfolio Organisation 2018-2022

    For Information – A National Portfolio Organisation 2018-2022

    As of 1 April 2018, we are officially an Arts Council England (ACE) National Portfolio Organisation (NPO). This follows three successful years as an ACE-funded Major Partner Museum (MPM).

    We’ll receive £550,000 for each of the four years of investment, a significant amount of which will support our major development project BCLM: Forging Ahead including the growth and development of our STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Maths) Learning Programme and Community Engagement Programme with communities across the Black Country.

    We’ll also continue to lead the successful Museums & Resilient Leadership programme from 2018-2022.

    Our move to an NPO brings with it several staff changes:

    Hayley McCafferty-David, recruited as MPM project Manager in 2015 now moves fully into her role as BCLM: Forging Ahead Project Manager.

    Glenis Williams, recruited under the MPM programme in 2015 to help fulfil the Museum’s audience development objectives now moves into her role as full-time Community Engagement Manager to continue working towards widening participation with specific communities as part of BCLM: Forging Ahead. Glenis will also be interviewing shortly for a new Community Engagement Assistant to support in the delivery of this important work. More to follow once that appointment has been made.

    Dianne Rivers, recruited as MPM Volunteer Coordinator now moves into a Volunteer Manager role to continue to develop our growing volunteer programme. Ricki Boden also continues with us as Volunteer Team Administrator.

    Each of these members of staff have contributed so much to the Museum over the last three years and I’m delighted that we are able to retain their abilities as we move to a National Portfolio Organisation.

     

    The Museum’s success in becoming an NPO also sees Grant Bird’s appointment to a new Audience Analyst position. Grant is a very experienced market researcher, having spent more than fifteen years in consumer research prior to his current role as Curator (Domestic & Cultural Life). He will be starting in his new position on Monday 9 April. In addition to his substantive role as Audience Analyst, Grant will also be taking on some additional responsibility as manager of the Marketing & Communications team during Catherine Furnival’s maternity leave.

     

  • Rationalisation of Tram Collection – update

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

    Tram 361 (1998/036/001) ex Lisbon Tramways

    In line with the MA Code of Ethics/Disposal Toolkit and after being offered to any other Museum that would be interested in acquiring it for their collection, this week we said goodbye to Tram 361.

    Built in 1906 by J Stephenson Co, New York, single-deck Tram No,361 was delivered to the Lisbon Tramway Network (Rede de eléctricos de Lisboa) in 1907. Heavily rebuilt in 1947-49 and again in 1959-61, it survived in service until the mid-1990s. Acquired by the museum in 1998 the intention was to strip the vehicle for spares, with the bogies, brake gears and linkages deemed appropriate for reuse on Tram 49. Unfortunately this proved not to be the case and after being advertised to museums and heritage organisations both in the UK and abroad, the tram is heading back to Portugal and a new life with Paulo Marques, restorer of Lisbon Trams.

     

    The area outside Albion depot will continue to be tidied up over the weeks ahead, where only one covered Tividale built tram body now remains.

  • New Look Intranet Screen Display

    Notice something different?

    We’ve re-designed the way the intranet is displayed on communal staff screens so that the information is clear, up to date (and hopefully interesting!)

    You’ll notice a few new features too such as the integration of a weather widget, a BCLM social media feed and a local news & travel section.

    Hopefully, you’ll find this a much improved way to receive news and updates from across the Museum but if there’s anything else you’d like to see displayed or any suggestions for improvements, please do let us know by emailing [email protected]

     

  • BCLM: Forging Ahead – West Bromwich Building Society

    We’ll be launching our public call-out for memories and objects relating to the Cape Hill branch of the West Bromwich Building Society (WBBS) pre-1960 on Monday 5 March.

    Do have any personal stories about this WBBS branch that was at 31, Cape Hill, Smethwick (opposite the present-day branch)? Perhaps you held a savings account with them or got your first mortgage there? Or maybe your family or friends worked there?

    If you, or anyone you know has anything you would like to share to help in our recreation of the West Bromwich building Society, please pop in and see the Collections team in the Rolfe Street offices.

    We’re particularly keen to hear the memories of those who moved to Smethwick from outside the UK during this period. This was a time when housing was a political, economic and cultural issue and finding somewhere to live was often challenging. We are keen to hear how new arrivals found somewhere to live, how they saved to buy a home, and about the difficulties they faced. If you have a story to tell we would love to hear it.

     

    A bit about WBBS

    The West Brom was formed as the West Bromwich Permanent Benefit Building Society in 1849, at Paradise Street Methodist schoolrooms in West Bromwich. Societies like this were formed to enable the working classes to afford home ownership and in turn receive a vote, whilst sharing the profits of the venture. The Society grew in strength between the wars, opening a new headquarters, the “Home Of Thrift” in West Bromwich High Street, and branches in Handsworth, Smethwick, Great Bridge and Oldbury. By its centenary year in 1949, the West Brom had over 1.5 million depositors, still helping people to save to afford their own home.

    The building we are recreating from 31, Cape Hill, was built in the late nineteenth-century as part of the Post Office on the corner of Windmill Lane, and was taken over by the Building Society in 1931. They moved their Smethwick Branch from Waterloo Road to this more prominent site and refaced the building with a new stone façade. It remained open until around 1970, when the branch moved across the road to its present position.

     

    Why WBBS?

    Telling the story of the Society in this period will enable us to show the importance of mutual help and savings to the ordinary residents of the Black Country, and how central to everyday life the idea of home was.

     

  • BBC Cooking Show – Voluntary Opportunity for all Staff & Volunteers

    Fancy taking part in a prime time BBC cooking show at BCLM? Want to be cooked for? Happy to wear costume?

    A prime time BBC Cooking Show will be filming at the Museum on Monday 19th March and is looking for volunteers to get involved.

    You’ll be needed from 10.45am until 2pm and full instructions will be issued in advance.

    For now, please email [email protected] to register your interest by Wednesday 7 March.

    N.B You must be wearing period costume on the day in order to take part.

  • Planned Maintenance Schedule

    Thank you to all the staff who submitted items for inclusion on the Planned Maintenance Schedule.  The 2018 Planned Maintenance Programme has now been set to address issues that impact on the visitor experience and the safe operation of the Museum.

    Click here to view the maintenance schedule for 2018.

  • Once a Month Specialist BSL Tours to Begin

    This year BCLM will begin British Sign Language and Audio Descriptive tours for the first time. Once a month,  we will be hosting themed tours in different parts of the museum. Those on the tour will discover the inspiring stories of real people, their homes, work and daily lives.

    British Sign Language tours will take place between 2.00-2.30pm at the Main Visitor reception followed by a themed tour on site between 3.00-3.30pm. The tours will be conducted completely in British Sign Language, for deaf and hard of hearing visitors.

  • 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.