Lincolnshire Renaissance Heritage Awards 2008

There was a great turn out for the Lincolnshire Renaissance Heritage Awards, held in the glorious great hall of the wonderfully restored and award winning Boston Guildhall Museum. Representatives from museums across the county enjoyed a fabulous buffet combining the tastes of Lincolnshire, Latvia, Poland and Spain before preparing for the awards ceremony.

The Heritage Awards were preceded by the Lincolnshire County Council Heritage Services Visitor Survey 2007 – 2008 Awards presented to County Council museums by Councillor Eddy Poll, Executive Member for Economic Development, Strategic Planning, Tourism and Cultural Services and Jonathan Platt, of Heritage, Regeneration and Improvement.

The Lincolnshire Renaissance Heritage Awards ceremony then began with awards presented by the three judges: Bob Doe of Lincolnshire Co-op, Sarah Gravelle, Lincolnshire Tourism and Jean Macintyre, Bishop Grosseteste University College. The three judges had visited all the shortlisted sites in two days in July to decide the winners.

And the winners are ...

Best Event

Lincolnshire Vintage Vehicle Society / Lincolnshire Road Transport Museum for its open day in November 2007.

This was an opportunity for people not just to see the vehicles but to ride round on them as they drove round Lincoln for the day. There were more than 30 vehicles on show which made 2,775 passenger journeys during the open day with 735 visitors enjoying the ride. Meticulously accurate bus timetables, authentic costumes for the driver and conductor and old fashioned tickets showed great attention to detail and made it a perfect event.

The judges were extremely impressed with the ambition of such a massive undertaking, by the efficiency and excellent management of the day and the fact that the event made a profit (£5,000) that was ploughed back into the society to help with the restoration of other vehicles.

Best Exhibition

There were joint winners in this category:

Woolsthorpe Manor for Woolsthorpe ABC

This was an innovative concept for a temporary exhibition based on the Common Ground book, ‘Alphabet of Local Distinctiveness’. Working with community groups, schools and others the Manor House developed 26 themes all linked to a letter of the alphabet and created displays – all very different – linked to each letter and theme. For example the Brownies were involved in the B for Blossom display and a local primary school helped to create G for Garden, recreating in reused materials the Manor House garden. The V for volunteers poster had photos of all the volunteers with their comments alongside saying why they volunteered. The displays are now community property and different letters are on display across the local area, used by the groups that were part of the creation.

The judges thought this was an inspired concept and were very impressed with the strong community connections. The result was a feast of artwork that the judges wanted to touch with a long life thanks to the community links.

Cogglesford Mill for Cogglesford Mill exhibition
 
This project saw the refurbishment of the displays at the water mill providing more information about the mill itself and its context in history. The working mill produces flour on the first floor, but not everyone is able to get up the ladder-stairs to reach the first floor so a new video of the milling is available on the ground floor level, an area also redeveloped through a new floor which improves accessibility for all visitors. The new display also includes a timeline putting the mill historically in context with local, national and international events.The judges saw an excellent new display which didn’t alter the character and feel of the mill, but added to the charm. They were delighted by the access considerations and couldn’t tear themselves away from the timeline.

Judges' Special Award

The judges also wanted to reward another of the Best Exhibition entrants for its creativity and enthusiasm:

Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre for The Royal Air Force Escaping Society Museum

This exhibition focused on all those who escaped or evaded capture during the Second World War and shows a lot more than just a Steve McQueen motorcycle break out. The information includes oral histories and information from real people, including the jacket worn by a successful escapee with a white cross on the back to make it easier for the guards to shoot the escaping prisoners.

The judges were very impressed with the display which sent shivers down their spines. The stories were emotive and little known and the display brings stories to life attracting visitors of all ages. They were also delighted by the attention to detail with the barbed wire effect round cases and the atmospheric sounds played around the exhibition.

Inspiration Award for Best Special Project

Ayscoughfee Hall for Feast of Fenland Migrant Worker Project ‘Just Like My Mother Used to Make’

The project aimed to work with migrant workers and local people and was based around the Feast of Fenland touring exhibition highlighting food and farming in the Fens. The project engaged people around the theme of food and worked to bring the local community together involving a host of different people from different countries and backgrounds. After consultation sessions with the groups including people from Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Poland and Spalding, the project focused on food remembered from childhood and created a series of recipe cards based on people’s favourite foods. A mass tasting session concluded the project with 170 people enjoying a taste of the project and the food. It has led to improved cultural understanding and improved English language skills for some of the participants and now a Russian audio guide for Ayscoughfee Hall is planned.

The judges were impressed by the museum for engaging a range of new community groups in a project to enhance understanding through something as universal as food. The project demonstrates that museums have an important social role and it shows smart thinking and working with a definite legacy.

Highly commended: Bourne Civic Society for
Bourne Water Wheel 

This project rebuilt the water wheel at the mill and included thousands of hours of volunteer time with the wheel rebuilt in sections in a narrow space. The water wheel now generates all the power for the mill and the aim is to generate enough electricity to sell back to the grid. The time, energy and vision really impressed the judges.

Caring for Collections

Alford Manor House for Nainby – Alford’s Premier Photographer

The project documented and digitised 800 photographic plates from local photographer, Edward Nainby. The project involved more than a thousand hours of volunteer time including repackaging the plates to ensure theyare properly conserved. The storage is now more accessible, the photos are available on a DVD being sold on site to generate income and have been developed into an exhibition at the Manor House. The project has made the photographs more accessible and has led, through the exhibition, to the museum learning more about the people and buildings pictured through visitor comments and information.

The judges were impressed by the volunteer commitment and the digitisation project that will share the images with a wider audience.

People's Choice Award

This award was voted for by people in Lincolnshire and was supported by BBC Radio Lincolnshire.

Winner – Church Farm Museum

Runners-up Louth Museum and Grantham Museum

Museum of the Year

Boston Guildhall

Demonstrating excellence across areas of learning, collections care, audience development and workforce development, the museum of the year has a flexible approach to all users and has provided a wonderful new museum for the local community and visitors.