Council bosses to consider community bid to run museums

Community campaigners will set out their arguments for taking over Herne Bay and Whitstable museums next week.

The Friends of Herne Bay Museum and Whitstable Chamber of Commerce have both submitted formal expressions of interest to run the museums in each town under national ‘community right to challenge’ legislation introduced by the Localism Act.

Both groups worked with council officials to plan their applications and they will be considered by members of the ruling executive committee on Thursday.

The Friends of Herne Bay Museum propose to manage the museum in partnership with Herne Bay Historical Records Society (HBHRS). They would use volunteers to run it when it is open, to display and interpret the collections owned by the city council and the HBHRS, to stage temporary exhibitions and events and to inform and educate the public and schools about the history of Herne Bay and its community.

The Whitstable District Chamber of Commerce proposes to form a consortium with Whitstable Improvement Trust, Whitstable Society, Whitstable Historical Society, Friends of Whitstable Museum and Gallery and the Favourite Trust to oversee the management of the museum.

Their main aims will be to extend the opening hours, provide additional services including more facilities for family research and to revitalise the current display of exhibits. A report to the meeting on Thursday says:

“It is the view of officers that both Expressions of Interest substantially meet all the criteria set down in the Government’s guidance. They both have the financial resources to operate the museums; there are proper governance arrangements in place; they have a viable plan to manage and improve services; they have consulted with local community groups and residents and many of their ideas reflect this feedback; and they have demonstrated (prior to any formal procurement exercise) they can run the museums on value for money principles.”

If councillors agree there would then be a formal procurement exercise and the museums could be run by the groups from April next year. At the moment, both museums are only open seasonally after councillors decided to cut costs. The meeting is open to the public and starts at 6.30pm on Thursday 3rd July in the Guildhall, Canterbury.

HB Times 27th June 2014

Herne Bay Museum Trust – be part of it

Can you join the Herne Bay Museum Trust?

People power is needed to form a new trust to run the Herne Bay Museum.

The Friends of Herne Bay Museum and the Herne Bay Historical Records Society have teamed up to lead the bid to create a charitable incorporated organisation to take charge of the William Street site.

The aim is to take over the day-to-day running from Canterbury City Council but volunteers are needed to make this a reality. Phil Rose, from the friends, said:

“The Friends and Historical Records Society are taking the lead as they are the two organisations that are historically closest to the museum and supply most of the exhibits. We are looking for support across the town.”

The trust will also be tasked with overseeing a remodelling of the museum. The Arts Council has handed a £77,000 grant to the city council with allocations of £15,000 for the two coastal museums towards renovation. Plans for how and when this will be spent have not yet been made.

The groups were sharing their ideas with residents and businesses at yesterday’s business showcase in the Kings Hall and are hoping to arrange a public meeting soon. The trust needs to be formed by the autumn so it is in place for a projected hand over from the council in April 2015.

People with every type of skill are needed. Friends of the Museum secretary David Cross said:

“Getting people involved is the main thing. To get the trust in place we need the right people with the right skills.”

Posts available will include a part time curator. The two groups are being helped by Kent museum development officer Sarah Corn, who was a student volunteer at the museum. She has helped to run East Grinstead museum with volunteers. Find out more at http://www.FoHBM.info

180 years of Herne Bay at Beach House

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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From 26th June until 3rd
July, the Historical Records Society have an exhibition at Beach House (corner of Beach Street and King’s
Road, opposite the William Street car park) to mark the town’s 180th
anniversary.

This
takes the form of a timeline of 180 years of interesting pictures and artefacts celebrating
the anniversary of the establishment of Herne Bay as a town.

Beach
House is open 10am-4pm daily, and entrance is free, so do pop in when you’re nearby.

Inspirational Herne Bay

How Herne Bay reinvigorated a famous French artist

When influential French artist Marcel Duchamp arrived in Herne Bay, he was considering giving up art, but after four weeks in the town he returned to Europe full of new ideas.

His time in Herne Bay will be celebrated with a
three-week festival starting at the end of July, featuring exhibitions,
talks, and a schools programme in which Bay youngsters produce their
own works of art to display. Organiser Sue Austen said:

“Marcel Duchamp has been voted
the most influential artist of the 21st century but when he arrived in
Herne Bay at the beginning of August 1913 he was just 26 and deeply
depressed by the reception his last major painting, Nude Descending a
Staircase, had received at the Armory Show in New York.

He was here to chaperone his sister Yvonne who was studying
English at Lynton College. He contemplated giving up art forever, but
after four short weeks Duchamp returned to Europe, refreshed and
intellectually invigorated. Later that year he produced the first kinetic sculpture, Bicycle
Wheel, published his ideas on objets trouvés and created the totally
unique Three Standard Stoppages.

The art world reeled from his new ideas – our town often has this effect on people.”

Sue, who together with Jason Hollingsworth make up the BayGuide
team behind the festival, said the aim was to show that Herne Bay was
still a special place.

An exhibition of work by invited local artists will be curated by
David Cross and staged at Beach House, the Bay Art Gallery and the
King’s Hall, along with outdoor exhibitions and pop-up galleries.

There will also be a talk by Mike Bundock of Herne Bay Historical
Records Society on what the town was like at the time, a sculpture
trail curated by Karen Simpson and a symposium at the King’s Hall
curated by Duchamp expert Francis M Naumann.

For more information visit iamnotdead.co.uk or their Facebook site. The team will also tweet from @Duchamp_HB

Marvellous Movie of Vintage Views

The opening of the film, which pensioner Mary Harris found among her mother’s belongingsPensioner Mary Harris’s find of a 90-year-old film showing the Herne Bay festival has aroused a lot of interest, and now bosses at the Little Theatre in Bullers Avenue are planning to show the clip, which vividly brings back to life the town as it was in 1922.

Historian and curator of the Herne Bay Historical Records Society Mike Bundock will be giving a talk before the screening. He said:

“I’m planning to give a  talk about the town from 1899 – when the third pier was built — to the early 1920 and finish with the film, which I have yet to see and am eagerly awaiting a look at.”

Mike Bundock’s talk is titled Herne Bay – The Edwardian Era To The 1920s and will take place at the Herne Bay Little Theatre, Bullers Avenue, Herne Bay, on Saturday, March 3, at 7.30pm.

Admission for the event is £3 and booking is recommended via the box office on 01227 366004.

Historical Records Society: new season

HBHRS Programme 2011/2012

OCT 6	A.G.M. followed by:	Images of Herne Bay from the Air: from the Collection, and refreshments
OCT 20	Frank Turner	Harold Gough Memorial Lecture: The Dambuster Trials at Reculver and Lady Stardust
NOV 3	Bob & Neil Lawrence	Antiques in your Garden Shed
NOV 17	James Brazier	Women At War 1914-1918
DEC 1	Helen Allinson	Life in England 1900-1918
FEB 2	Mike Bundock	80th Anniversary Founder’s Lecture: Herne Bay’s Public Buildings
FEB 16	John Fishpool	Raiders & Invaders: The Defence of Kent from Iron Age to Cold War
MAR 1	Derek Butler	Sturry & Broad Oak
MAR 15	Peter Meiklejohn	Dickens in Kent
APR 5	David Birch	Lead Kindly Light – The South Foreland Lighthouse
APR 28		HBHRS Wine & Wisdom evening, at Christ Church, entry by ticket. Details TBA.
TBA		Walks Back in Time

 

Competitions

The local gardening competition is organised by our Herne Bay in Bloom Committee with assistance from the council in producing promotional matter and the Street Scene Team in identifying suitable gardens and containers for entry. This year the committee have worked very hard to secure the sponsorship of local businesses for each class of competition. Judging takes place towards the end of June, and prizes are awarded at an awards ceremony in early July.

In addition they have ordered special trophies which can be kept for the first prize winner in each class as a permanent memento of their achievement. Judges are drawn from the Herne Bay Allotments Association, Herne Horticultural and Rose Society, and ex horticultural professionals. Extending the planter theme, the Town Centre Partnership provide potato containers to interested businesses for sponsorship. The best container will be eligible for a prize.

HBHRS Wine & Wisdom 26th March

HBHRS Wine & Wisdom Evening at Christ Church: Entry by ticket, details TBA.

HBHRS Lecture 17th March

Mr. Ian Tittley: “History of the Natural History of North Kent”

The Herne Bay Historical Records Society Lecture meetings are held in the Lower Hall, Herne Bay United Church, High Street, Herne Bay (click here for a picture). Doors open from 6.30pm, the lectures start at 7:00pm. Meetings are open to members and guests.

The meetings are free to Members on production of their Membership cards (if requested). Visitors may attend if there is room, when a charge of £2.00 per meeting will be made. The Annual Subscription for 2010/2011 is £10.00 per member, falling due on October 1st.

Programme 2010/2011

Here’s this season’s programme at the Herne Bay Historical Records Society:

2010

7th October: A.G.M. Followed by some more: “Images from the archives”

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21st October: Peter Ewart: “The Swing Riots”

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4th November: HAROLD GOUGH MEMORIAL LECTURE: Brian Philp: “Excavations of the Roman Fort at Reculver”

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18th November: Richard Filmer: “Hops and Hop Picking”

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2nd December: John Fishpool: “Raiders & Invaders – The Defence of Kent from Iron Age to Cold War”

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2011

3rd February: Anthea Bryant: “Canterbury, the Hidden City – Saints and Pilgrims”

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17th February: Mike Bundock: “Beltinge and the East Cliff”

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3rd March: Dr. Rebecca Oakes: “Kent Medieval Church Leaders”

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17th March: Mr. lan Tittley: “History of the Natural History of North Kent”

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26th March: HBHRS Wine & Wisdom Evening at Christ Church: Entry by ticket, details TBA.

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7th April: End of Season Social 

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Dates TBA: Walks Back in Time

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Teas and Coffees are available after the lecture meetings