Information on Loughborough
News Index
2012
May 2012Apr 2012
Mar 2012
Feb 2012
Jan 2012
2011
Dec 2011Nov 2011
Oct 2011
Sep 2011
Aug 2011
Jul 2011
Jun 2011
May 2011
Apr 2011
Mar 2011
Feb 2011
Jan 2011
2010
Dec 2010Nov 2010
Oct 2010
Sep 2010
Aug 2010
Jul 2010
Jun 2010
May 2010
Apr 2010
Mar 2010
Feb 2010
Jan 2010
2009
Dec 2009Nov 2009
Oct 2009
Sep 2009
Aug 2009
Jul 2009
Jun 2009
May 2009
Apr 2009
Mar 2009
Feb 2009
Jan 2009
2008
Dec 2008Nov 2008
Oct 2008
Sep 2008
Aug 2008
Jul 2008
Jun 2008
May 2008
Apr 2008
Mar 2008
Feb 2008
Jan 2008
2007
Dec 2007Nov 2007
Oct 2007
Sep 2007
Aug 2007
Jul 2007
Jun 2007
May 2007
Celebrate a Roman Christmas at Harborough Museum
Posted on 21/12/2009
Community Services
Harborough Museum will host a special free Christmas Treasures event between 5.30pm and 8.30pm on Friday 4 December to coincide with the town’s late night shopping evening.
Visitors will be entertained by real Roman revellers celebrating the winter festival of Saturnalia, the origin of many Christmas traditions. Learn how the Romans brightened up the winter months against the backdrop of the new Hallaton Treasure Gallery. Lucky visitors may even receive some little chocolate treasures to take home!
Between 7-7.30pm local authors will be signing some of their recently published books that will make ideal Christmas gifts. In addition the library will be selling a selection of surplus books from their local history section – great presents for history buffs.
Don’t forget you can pick up some interesting and unusual stocking fillers in the museum shop.
And if that is not enough, bring in the children and make some Saturnalia inspired Christmas treasures in our free drop in craft workshop (suitable for children aged 5-12 who must be accompanied by an adult) this will also be running on Saturday 5 December from 11am to 3pm.
You can also enter our free competition with the chance to win a meal for two at The Angel Hotel, vouchers from Quinns bookshop and art and craft kits. Look out around town for Roman soldiers and an Iron Age lady to point you in the right direction.
Ernie White, Cabinet Member for Museums said, "this evening event will really get visitors in the Christmas spirit and is a great opportunity for families to see the museum’s new Hallaton Treasure Gallery".
For more information please contact Harborough Museum on 01858 821085 or contact Helen Sharp helen.sharp@leics.gov.uk.
Ends.
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
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 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 Fund Grant, 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 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.
- Further details about the Treasure Project:
- For more information about Harborough Museum and the Southeast Leicestershire Treasure Project, please contact Helen Sharp, Project Officer, at Harborough Museum, on 01858 821087 or email helen.sharp@leics.gov.uk, or Frank Hargrave, Temporary Keeper of Harborough Museum, also on 01858 821087 or email frank.hargrave@leics.gov.uk