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Harborough Museum breaks all records!

Posted on 02/10/09

Community Services

28 September 2009

Harborough Museum breaks all records!

Last Saturday Harborough Museum enjoyed itsbusiestsingle day since it opened in 1983.

Over 2500people enjoyed events in the Square and at Harborough Museum on 19 September. Dr Nick Barratt, from the BBC's 'Who do you think you are',opened the event with Harborough FM in The Square. Also in The Square all day were Romans from the Leg II AUG, members of the Sealed Knot Civil War Society, a Victorian lady, the Birmingham Pals of World War One, and a falconry display all ending with a dramatic parade around The Square and Memorial Gardens.

In Harborough Museum Ken Wallace, who discovered the first of the coins from the Hallaton Treasure, Vicki Score from ULAS (University of Leicester Archaeological Services) and Leicestershire Finds Liaison Officer Wendy Scott were on hand to talk to visitors about the archaeological finds and what to do if you make a discovery.

Leicestershire County Councillor Ernie White,lead member for Museums, said 'Over two thousand people enjoyed the events around Harborough as well as the new displays in Harborough Museum. It was a fitting way to welcome the nationally important Iron Age finds as well as to celebrate the local history of Market Harborough. The Museum's staff have worked hard to prepare for the displays and Saturday's success is a tribute to their efforts.'

Harborough Museum is open Monday to Saturday 10.30am to 4.15pm. Admission FREE. The Museum's entrance is in Fox Yard just off Symington Way on the first floor of the Council Offices. Lift access is available.

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

The £290,000 refit is part of the Southeast Leicestershire Project to bring The Hallaton Treasure to the region. The whole project is funded with grants from The Heritage Lottery Fund, The Art Fund - the UK's leading independent art charity, The MLA/V&A PurchaseFund, the DCMS Wolfson Foundation, Renaissance East Midlands, and The Headley Trust with local contributions from the Friends of Leicester and Leicestershire Museums, the Leicestershire Museums Fieldwork Group, and the County Councilas well as private individuals. Harborough District Council andThe British Museum are also supporting the project.

For further details about the Treasure Project and Harborough Museum, see the following background details.

• To contact Harborough Museum phone (01858) 821085 or email harboroughmuseum@leics.gov.uk
• To contact Hallaton Museum phone (01858) 555305

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 of £650,600 from The Heritage Lottery Fund, £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 Fund Grant, grants from The Headley Trust and 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 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

Public Relations Unit, Chief Executive’s Department

Leicestershire County Council, County Hall, Glenfield, Leicestershire LE3 8RA

Telephone:  0116 305 6274      Fax: 0116 305 6266

www.leics.gov.uk/harboroughmuseum

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.

Further details about the Treasure Project:

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

ENDS.