Information on Loughborough

Harborough Hoards and History Day 19 September

Posted on 03/09/2009

Leicestershire Councty Council Community Services

3 September 2009

Harborough Hoards and History Day 19 September

Harborough Museum opens with Town Heritage Event

Harborough Museum (www.leics.gov.uk/HarboroughMuseum) is celebrating its reopening on Saturday 19 September 2009 with a town-wide event for all of the family.

Get your family history questions answered by Dr. Barratt from TV’s ‘Who do you think you are?’ or pick up a coin made by our Celtic craftsman.

In the square Roman and WW1 soldiers will be looking for new recruits and under the old Grammar School you can discover a medieval market, while falcons will be flying in the memorial gardens.

Visit Harborough Museum and see the Hallaton Treasure for the first time. The archaeologists who actually excavated at the site will be there to answer your questions and tell you what it was like to discover such an incredible Treasure.

All your old favourites will be back in the Museum – displays on the history of Harborough, the Liberty Bodice, Falkner’s Boot and Shoe Making Workshop and much much more.

Harborough Hoards and History Day!

11am – 4pm

11am – Introduction by Harborough FM and Dr Nick Barratt from BBC’s ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’

11.30 – 12.30 pm Have your family history questions answered by Dr. Barratt – in the Harborough Theatre

11.30 – 12.00 pm Falconry Display – in the Memorial Gardens

12.30 – 1 pm Victorian Lady – In the Harborough Theatre

12.30 – 1 pm Birmingham Pals – In the Square

1 pm – 1.30 pm Arms display by the Sealed Knot Civil War Society – In the Square

1.30 – 2 pm Falconry display

2.00 – 2.30 pm Historic Fashion Show – In the Harborough Theatre

2.00 – 2.30 pm Leg II AUG Roman re-enactment display – In the Square

2.30 – 3 pm Arms display by the Sealed Knot Civil War Society – In the Square

3.00 – 3.30 pm Birmingham Pals, World War One recruiters – In the Square

3.30 – 4 pm The Grand Parade – In the Square

Press Preview

A special press preview will take place on Monday 14th September, 2pm - 3pm.

Background

The event is organised by Leicestershire County Council as part of the Southeast Leicestershire Treasure Project. The project is funded by grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, The Art Fund (the UK’s leading independent art charity), the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, The Headley Trust and local contributions from the Friends of Leicester and Leicestershire Museums, the Leicestershire Museums Archaeological Fieldwork Group and the County Council, as well as private individuals. Support from Harborough District Council is also gratefully acknowledged.

Harborough Museum is operated in partnership by Leicestershire County Council, Harborough District Council and the Market Harborough Historical Society.

The Southeast Leicestershire Treasure is the archive of material produced by several stages of archaeological work undertaken by local community archaeologists and University of Leicester Archaeological Services. The site proved to be an internationally important ritual site dating mostly to the generations before and after the Roman Conquest of Britain in the 1st century AD.

The purpose of the project is to purchase, conserve, interpret and promote the Southeast Leicestershire Treasure. The cost of the project is £933,872 which includes purchasing the finds, conserving the finds, displays at Harborough Museum and at Hallaton Museum, two touring exhibitions, web based resources, workshops for schools and community groups, and events for the public.

The project is supported by grants from The Heritage Lottery Fund of £650,600; £100,000 from The Art Fund, the UK’s leading independent art charity; £35,000 from the Museums and Art Galleries Improvements Fund; £35,000 from the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund; The Headley Trust; Renaissance East Midlands; and local contributions from the Friends of Leicester and Leicestershire Museums, the Leicestershire Museums Archaeological Fieldwork Group and the County Council, as well as private individuals. The support of Harborough District Council is also gratefully acknowledged. The British Museum has supported the project from its conception.

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn more about our diverse heritage. From our great museums and historic buildings to local parks and beauty spots or recording and celebrating traditions, customs and history, HLF grants open up our nation’s heritage for everyone to enjoy. Since its conception, HLF has supported 26,000 projects allocating over £4 billion across the UK.

The Art Fund is the UK’s leading independent art charity. It offers grants to help UK museums and galleries enrich their collections; campaigns on behalf of museums and their visitors; and promotes the enjoyment of art.  It is entirely funded from public donations and has 80,000 members. Since 1903 the charity has helped museums and galleries all over the UK secure 860,000 works of art for their collections. Recent achievements include: helping secure Titian’s Diana and Actaeon for the National Galleries of Scotland and the National Gallery, London in February 2009 with a grant of £1 million; helping secure Anthony d’Offay’s collection, ARTIST ROOMS, for Tate and National Galleries of Scotland in February 2008 with a grant of £1million; and running the ‘Buy a Brushstroke’ public appeal which raised over £550,000 to keep Turner’s Blue Rigi watercolour in the UK. For more information contact the Press Office on 020 7225 4888 or visit www.artfund.org .

The Art Fund is a Registered Charity No. 209174

The MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund is a government fund, established at the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in 1881 as part of its nationwide work. The annual grants budget, currently £900,000, is provided by the Museums, Libraries, Archives Council (MLA). The Fund supports the acquisition of objects relating to the arts, literature, and history by regional museums, record offices and specialist libraries in England and Wales. Each year it considers some 250 applications and awards grants to around100 organisations, enabling acquisitions of over £4million to go ahead.

Visit the website at www.vam.ac.uk/purchasegrantfund

The Headley Museums Archaeological Acquisition Fund has

been established by the Headley Trust, one of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts. Its trustees realise the great difficulties many regional and local museums find in raising the money to buy archaeological artefacts. They are also aware of the proliferation of finds as a consequence of the success of the Portable Antiquities Scheme. The Headley initiative is intended to help museums secure and display notable finds. The Headley Scheme runs alongside and in collaboration with the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund.

For more information about Harborough Museum and the Southeast Leicestershire Treasure Project, please contact Frank Hargrave, Project Officer, at Harborough Museum, on 01858 821087 or email Frank.Hargrave@leics.gov.uk or Zara Matthews, Keeper of Harborough Museum, also on 01858 821087 or email Zara.Matthews@leics.gov.uk