The New Museum: Latest News.

Fusiliers' Museum Press Releases

23rd September 2008

Copycat Amy at the Fusilier Museum

Now that the Fusilier Museum in Wellington Barracks is closed to the public, the museum staff and volunteers are focusing full-time on preparing for the move to the new museum which will open at the Arts and Crafts Centre next year. Amy Warburton is a history student on a placement with the museum from the University of Central Lancashire. Under supervision from Helen Castle who is managing the move of the collection, Amy is doing some of the digitization work on the archive which will make a selection of the photographs, diaries, letters and records in the museum's archive much more easily accessible to the public.
The digitized material will be available on a touch-screen computer in the main display galleries - so while serious researchers can make an appointment and use the museum's dedicated archive facility, casual visitors can also browse some of the fascinating material without causing any wear or tear to the precious originals. Some of the images Amy has worked with are in a photo album of wonderful glass negative photographs taken in Japan; there are also WW1 photos, and other much older documents from the XXth Regiment of Foot.
Helen Castle said: "Amy has been a fantastic help to us and we simply couldn't get the job done without the excellent volunteer support that we have. But the really nice thing is to see how much people enjoying doing this sort of work and, in Amy case, that as well as studying history at University she is actively working on real artifacts with us"
The museum is really starting to take shape on site now and the bricks are fast going into place on the Sparrow Park elevation. Don't forget our brick sponsorship scheme. If you haven't already,

Amy hard at work

7th September 2008

Come and meet the team!

'Heritage Open Days' is a once-a-year national event coordinated by the Civic Trust and English Heritage to celebrate England's architecture and culture. The idea is that free entry is offered to the public to places which are normally closed or which charge for admission. It's an opportunity to discover hidden architectural treasures and enjoy tours, events and activities which bring to life local history and culture.
As the Fusilier Museum is currently closed to enable the collection to be cleaned, prepared for redisplay and packed for the move, the project team decided to offer some insights to potential visitors into parts of the museum project which are not usually open to the public. So in conjunction with Bury's Tourist Information Team the Fusilier Museum is offering 3 events from the 11th to the 13th of September.
On Thursday 11th Helen Castle is hosting 'Behind Closed Doors' at 10.30am at Wellington Barracks and will be explaining and demonstrating the behind the scenes work that is going on with the collection. On Friday 12th at 10.30am, our project architect David Watkins will be leading a guided tour called 'More Than Meets the Eye' around the construction site at the Arts and Crafts Centre. Wear sensible shoes for that one! And on Saturday 13th at 10.30am Wellington Barracks I will be explaining the process of designing and building a museum exhibition and giving a few tasters of what to expect in the new displays in a session called 'People, Places and Perspectives.
The team are looking forward to meeting anyone who comes along to the events, which have a limited number of places. If you are interested in joining us call in at the Tourist information Centre, call them on 0161 253 5111 or email touristinformation@bury.gov.uk.

19th August 2008

The search is on for a Commercial Manager

The Fusilier Museum which will open in the Arts and Crafts Centre building on April 25th next year needs an enthusiastic and talented Commercial Manager to join its team. The search is now on as the work load in planning the museum's commercial activities become very heavy for volunteer directors. The museum company's Financial Director Edmund Gartside, a retired local business man with a great deal of experience, has been shouldering responsibility for cash flow and financial planning but now recognises that there is practical work to be carried out which requires appropriate experience of managing retail operations, planning events and marketing. Edmund said "It is essential that we find a good candidate for this pivotal role in the new museum's development. The right person will find themselves at the heart of a friendly and supportive team - with opportunities to make their own mark, develop their career and make a real contribution to the cultural, social and business life of Bury.

The job has already attracted some interest from people throughout the UK, but so far there are relatively few local enquiries, leading us to ask the question is the perfect applicant out there in Bury already and just doesn't know we need them. Advertisements have appeared 2 national publications and can also be found on two websites: www.museumsassociation.org in the jobs and careers section (type of job: commercial Manager) and www.leisureopportunities.co.uk in the arts and culture section, or a full job information pack can be obtained from me Rosemary Allen on 07966 245216. The closing date for applications is 31st August

11th August 2008

More training for Helen
As part of her training for assembling the displays in the new Fusilier Museum, which will open next April in the old Arts and Crafts Centre in Broad Street, Helen Castle from the museum has recently attended a course at Lancashire Museums Conservation Studio. The course, called A Practical Introduction to the Display of Historical Costume required each student to bring a garment either from their museum or own collection plus visual references, illustrating the same garment or a similar one being worn. Visual reference included books, print or photographs or a postcard of a painting.

The students worked with dummies, tools and equipment - and materials such as pattern paper and padding were supplied. By the end, everyone had learnt to make several different types of simple paper patterns for costume supports. Everyone also prepared several examples of supports and went on to mount and support the garments that they had brought with them. The objective is to represent the costume as realistically as possible whilst at the same time treating it with the utmost care and preserving it for the future.

Helen said "It was really important that I went on this course - it was great and I now feel much more confident about handling and displaying the Fusilier uniforms. There are many of them and some are quite rare and precious" No prizes for guessing which of the pieces of costume in the photograph, was Helen's project for the day!

13th August 2008

It's time to choose the chairs!
With the Fusilier Museum set to open in April next year, it's time to start thinking about details like the furniture and decoration for the café and even the design of the curtains in the Regimental Council Chamber. The museum's commercial activities will include lettings of the Regimental Headquarters' impressive rooms for meetings, lunches and dinners and offering the multipurpose space for receptions and launches - as well as operating a stylish café facing onto Moss Street with lovely views to the Art Gallery and Museum and into Sparrow Park. These features will provide a high-quality addition to the range of dining, meeting and entertainment facilities in the historic quarter of the town centre and will also be an essential source of income the museum.
Interior designer Stuart Green at Headland Design Associates who is working on the designs for the meeting and dining facilities said. "We are creating a different atmosphere in each space. The Regimental areas are much more sumptuous and traditional whilst the café is simpler and cleaner but still comfortable and stylish"
Joyce Kelly who will operate the catering facilities at the museum is planning the menus. She is putting the emphasis on quality and keeping it simple, using good ingredients and fresh local produce. The museum is currently advertising for a new Commercial Manager to begin work in October. This person will work closely with the Steering Group and with Joyce and the design team in developing and marketing these aspects of the museum's operation
The museum project which is now well underway at the Arts and Crafts Centre still depends on raising a final £300,000, to complete its display galleries - so please support our brick sponsorship scheme. If you haven't already, clip out the coupon from this newspaper or visit our stand in the Mill Gate Shopping Centre. The Campaign Office has also introduced a car raffle - providing a less serious way to support the project and the possibility of winning a new car!

Stuart working on mood boards for the museum café

14th July 2008

Helen reports great progress

At last week's Steering Group meeting for the Fusilier Museum Development Project, the Relocation Manager Helen Castle was able to report great progress with the ongoing documentation of the collection and with the work of the volunteers. Helen who is half way through her second year working at the museum, which is undertaking a massive redisplay and building conservation project, was first appointed for a fixed-term year long post as Documentation Officer. When the museum received a further grant from AGMA, Helen was offered a further year's work as Relocation Manager. She is responsible for preparing the collection for the move and planning how it will be managed.

Helen, who makes a monthly report to the meeting, updated the group on progress with conservation and collections care and explained that some additional volunteers were working over the summer. She said "Volunteer Brian Cooke and I have recorded 230 items in the silver collection alone and together with the other volunteers we have made great progress with the rest of our very diverse collection"

Helen has made an invaluable contribution to the museum team and has been asked to stay on and fill the permanent role of Museum Officer when the project opens in April next year. With three different titles in three years, she could be forgiven for having an identity crisis but continues in all her roles to focus her attention on the goal of giving the collection the best possible care and making it accessible to the public.

Helen Castle hard at work

8th July 2008

The Lutyens Memorial

The Lutyens Memorial has been at the top of the Development Project agenda again this week. The project architect David Watkins has been preparing the planning application for its removal to Sparrow Park and the landscape designers are putting the finishing touches to a revised layout for the park, which will need to be reinstated when the contractors leave the site just before Christmas this year. The exact location of the monument will be critical to the overall success of how the refurbished building and the park relate to each other.

The memorial will be a wonderful feature in the town centre and will be unveiled as part of the opening ceremony for the museum. It will undergo a complete refurbishment before being re-sited and a local firm of stonemasons have already been instructed..

The project Steering Group was sorry to hear that Mike Glover the curator of the museum was denied access to a public meeting held near Wellington Barracks by Councilor Walker last Tuesday. Councilor Walker objects to the removal of the memorial from Wellington Barracks and seemingly was unwilling to hear the regiment's case from Mike. His views and approach do not accord with the policy of the rest of the Council which has consistently supported the project.

Project leader Brian Gorski said "The memorial is close to the hearts of all Fusiliers in Lancashire and particularly in Bury. It is the role of the regiment to protect its interests and ensure its long term care"

The museum project which is now on site at the Arts and Crafts Centre still depends on raising a final £300,000, so please support our brick sponsorship scheme. If you haven't already, clip out the coupon from this newspaper or visit our stand in the Mill Gate Shopping Centre. The Campaign Office has also introduced a car raffle - providing a less serious way to support the project and the possibility of winning a new car! Learn more about this and the museum development or make a donation on our website www.fusiliersmuseum-lancashire.org.uk. For any other information call 0161 764 2208

Edwin Lutyens and his Memorial

2nd June 2008

SIR JOHN TIMMINS APPOINTED DIRECTOR OF FUSILIER MUSEUM

Col Sir John Timmins, recently retired Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, has joined the Board of the Fusilier Museum. Sir John is well known in Greater Manchester and his wide connections and knowledge of the County will be an asset in taking the museum project forward in the final stages of its development.

Sir John has a military background having served in the Royal Engineers and had several senior military appointments. He was also an aide-de-camp to the Queen and High Sheriff of Greater Manchester prior to being appointed Lord Lieutenant of the County in 1987. Sir John's professional and managerial career has been in the building and civil engineering industry. He was North West Regional President of the National Federation of Building Trade Employers and the Cheshire Area Chairman of the Federation.

In announcing the appointment Col Brian Gorski, Chairman of the Fusilier Museum said: 'I am delighted that Sir John is joining us. His widespread connections, his building and engineering experience and his knowledge of other museums in the county will be an invaluable asset in completing the project and ensuring its success in the future.'

Sir John said: 'I am looking forward to working with the Fusiliers and to contributing to a project that will secure the future of the historic Arts & Crafts Centre and at the same time enhance the display of the Fusiliers unique collection in more appropriate surroundings.'

Sir John Timmins

28th May 2008

Fusilier Museum search for a Manager

The Fusilier Museum is set to open in the newly refurbished Arts and Crafts Centre next April and intends to open in full operational mode. This means that the activities programme will be published and menus and corporate hospitality will be advertised in late autumn with bookings being taken throughout the winter. By the time the museum opens, the Steering Group are aiming to have plenty of booking for use of the meeting and dining spaces that will form part of the museum and Regimental Headquarters

"We will be advertising for a Commercial Manager next month" said project leader Brian Gorski, "We need to recruit an experienced senior person to run commercial operations and to take responsibility for the learning and commercial activities of the new museum - the Steering Group have taken the development proposals as far as they can - now they need to be implemented"

A pack of information about the post including a full job description and a project history is now being assembles and advertisements will be designed and published in appropriate journals during June. The aim is to cast the net wide and then short list to perhaps 6 candidates before interviews take place. The new post holder will start work from a temporary office in late September and will move to the Arts and crafts Centre early next year. Closer to the opening several other jobs will be advertised including reception and attendant staff.

20th May 2008

The Zac Speakman Challenge

Fusilier Museum fundraising is still in full swing as the project goes all out to raise the remaining cash to relocate to the Arts and Crafts Centre in Bury town centre, where the new museum is schedule to open in April 09.

The project is now being supported by the Zac Speakman Challenge, as a memorial to Captain Zachary Speakman, a serving officer from the 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers who died on a training exercise on Mont Blanc in July 2005. Zac's family and friends, led by his parents John and Maria in Manchester are organising several different activities including a car boot sale, a quiz night, a jewellery party and raffles, whilst his brother Nik and his cousin Stewart are entering the Mont Blanc Marathon on 29th June. This is a gruelling high altitude full marathon which finishes 2,000 metres higher than it begins.

The challenge team plan to raise as much as possible in memory of Zac and will be donating funds to both the Fusilier Museum Project and to the Mountain Rescue Service of England and Wales. Project Leader Brian Gorski said "We are both touched and pleased that the Speakman family have chosen to celebrate Zac's life through these positive and generous actions. The museum project is about both the past and the future and is a fitting memorial to this young officer"

Captain Zachary Speakman

12th May 2008

Temporary close of museum announced

The Fusiliers Museum in Wellington Barracks will close its doors for the last time on 4th August this year. But only to reopen them, nine months later in the newly refurbished Arts and Crafts Centre in Bury town centre. The museum is being relocated as part of a 3.75million Heritage Lottery Fund project which includes the refurbishment of one of Bury's best loved historic buildings. The new museum will open with its revised title of Fusilier Museum on Gallipoli weekend in 2009.

Museum Curator Mike Glover said "With so much conservation work taking place, which involves objects being removed from display to go to the Conservation Studios. And with the huge amount of careful cleaning, recording and packing which needs to take place here; it won't be possible to carry on opening to the public after the beginning of August" The date has been agreed to enable anybody wishing to attend the museum on Minden Sunday - a special day in the regimental calendar - to pay a last visit before the closure.

Some large objects have already been taken to Preston, where the Lancashire County's Conservation Team will be working on them in their specialist studio. Helen Castle who is managing the removal of the collection has planned the work, which is meticulous and painstaking, to take place between now and mid February. After which, the redisplay will start to take place.

28th April 2008

Keeping the books in order

The European Regional Development Fund, togther with the Heritage Lottery Fund, Bury Council and the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is a major funder of the Fusilier Museum Development Project. The existing museum, sited at Wellington Baracks in Bolton Road will move to the Arts and Crafts Centre in the town centre early next year and will reopen to the public with new displays and visitor services facilities.

The European funding which is managed by Marketing Manchester requires a detailed reporting and grant application process with regular visits from the team at Manchester Enterprises to ensure that high standards of recording and filing information are being observed. A recent visit took place at Wellington Barracks and Nicola Moss, Andy Hill and Kellie Bradley came armed with questions and copies of our reports to check that we were observing the rules correctly.

Only parts of the project qualitfy for the funding and these are related to both the weaving shed refurbishmnet and the construction of a new access block to provide creative industries in the basemnet with an independent access. As well as asking challenging questions and inspecting the records, Nicola, Andy and Kellie also had a good look round the old displays - to see what all the fuss is about.

Regimental Secretary and Museum Curator Mike Glover said "These inspections certainly keep us on our toes. We have moved from a tiny annual budget to spending nearly £4 million over a two year period and we have had to introduce new systems to cope"
The museum project which is now on site at the Arts and Crafts Centre still depends on raising a final £300,000, so please support our
brick sponsorship scheme

22nd April 2008

Sparrow Park collaboration

Mike Bent and Helen Blyth from Bury Council Parks and Recreation Team came to visit us at Wellington Barracks last week. The building works taking place for the new Fusilier Museum at the Arts and Crafts Centre in Bury town centre will release a small piece of land which was formally an enclosed refuse space outside of the old caretaker's house. This land will become part of Sparrow Park, where the Fusilier's Lutyens Memorial will be re-sited ready for the new museum's opening to the public on Gallipoli Day in 2009.
Part of the park is currently being used as a safe area for the removal and transport of waste material which has been cleared form the site to accommodate a lift shaft. After work is complete this area will need to be reinstated and both Bury Council and the Fusilier Project Team are keen that the garden should be re-landscaped. "It will need to reflect the quality of the new brickwork fascia, which is being provided through the brick sponsorship scheme." said Museum Curator Mike Glover.

Mike and Helen came to discuss options for planting and alerted the Fusiliers to the possibility of applying for funding for the landscape works through the Community Spaces Scheme which is supported by the Big Lottery Fund and administered by Groundwork Bury. Completing this application is a new addition to my task list and will go ahead after the architect's colleagues Brock Carmichael Landscape have been drafted in to produce a garden design plan.

With only a year to go to completion, the brick sponsorship scheme is a crucial fundraiser and will provide the new park's backdrop.

16th April 2008

A Brand New SEAT Ibiza Car to be Raffled for Museum Appeal Fund Donated by Hobin Of Bury. Click here for details.

Click on this logo to go to the Hobin Web Site:

Left to Right
David Hobin Managing Director of Hobin SEAT Bury and Preston,
Joyce Elliot, Joan Clarke (Musuem Fund Raisers)
Col Eric Davidson Museum Director, and Michelle Wilkinson from Hobin of Bury

The draw for the car will take place at the Fusilier Museum Moss Street Bury
Gallipoli Saturday 25th April 2009
The opening day of the new museum
Here are the Photo's of the car its a SEAT Ibiza 3 Door
Click on any of the photo's to enlarge it

Joyce Elliot and Joan Clarke Museum Fund raisers with the car	Joan, Joyce with Michelle Wilkinson and Christopher Hall (in Car) from Hobin SEAT ( sorry Michelle and Christopher are not part of the raffle. Just the Car)

David Hobin, (MD) Hobin Colin Nichols (Millgate Centre Manager) and Eric Davidson
David Hobin MD (Hobin SEAT) with Col Eric Davidson

Press release from the Bury Times
by Terry Morgan

THE last big push for Bury's Fusilier Museum has stepped up a gear.

Fundraisers feel they are now very much in the driving seat in achieving their aim of raising the final £300,000 needed for the museum project after recruiting a local businessman to their ranks.

David Hobin, owner of car dealership Hobin of Bury, has generously donated a SEAT Ibiza which will be raffled off over the next 12 months.

Tickets are on sale at £1 each and the winner will be unveiled when the new museum opens next year on April 25 - the 94th anniversary of the Lancashire Landings at Gallipoli.

It was at Gallipoli where the Fusiliers were rewarded for their most celebrated act of bravery when six Victoria Crosses were won before breakfast.

In total, the Fusliers won more VCs in the First World War than any other British regiment, with a total of 18.

Lieutenant Colonel Eric Davidson, director of the Fusilier Museum project, welcomed Mr Hobin's support.

He said: "We are absolutely delighted to welcome David on board.

"We have one year to raise the £300,000 needed to complete the museum and the donation of the Seat car will go a long way to helping us achieve our aim."

Mr Hobin, who has dealerships in Bell Lane, Bury, as well as in Manchester and Preston, said: "My children were born in Bury and I have a nephew who is serving in the armed forces.

"The Fusilier Museum is an important addition to the town's attractions and I am delighted to give my support to such a great cause."

The multi-million pound museum will be housed in the former Bury Arts and Craft college in Broad Street./ It will be dedicated to the 300-plus years history of the regiment - from its early days when it was known as the Twentieth Foot and then the Lancashire Fusiliers, to its present day title of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

Raffle tickets for the car can be bought from the existing museum at Wellington Barracks in Bolton Road or from the Mill Gate shopping centre's information stand on market days.

To Buy Tickets send a cheque and Self Stamped Address Envelope to:-
Col Eric Davidson
Fusiliers Museum Appeal
Wellington Barrack
Bolton Road
Bury
Lancs
BL8 2PL
The Cheque should be made out to
"The Fusiliers Museum Appeal"
Please put on the outside of the Envelope "CAR RAFFLE"
There are two way's of doing the next bit
1. Eric will fill in the stubs of the ticket with your name and address and send back the tickets to you.
or
2. Eric will send the full ticket to you. you fill in the stubs and then you return the stubs to Eric.

10th April 2008

31st March 2008

Not long now!

Whilst the Project Team for the new Fusiliers Museum, which will open in the Arts and Crafts Centre in April 2009, continues to juggle the responsibilities of running a building contract, designing the museum interior and fundraising - they also now have to think about how the museum is going to be run when it is open. The first stage in planning the grand opening, the publicity campaign and the brochures and leaflets that will advertise the new museum's services has been to get the corporate identity right.

"We want the name to be clear and memorable and have the correct historical references" said project leader Brain Gorski; "after considering several options we have decided to go with Fusilier Museum, with no s and no need for apostrophes. This gives a new simplicity to the letter-style and logo that we have been using so far in publicising the project"

The logo and lettering has now been amended by Museum Designers Headland Design who are working on the interior and exhibition design for the project, as well as the museum's corporate material, including the second Annual Report which will shortly be published. Architects Brock Carmichael from Liverpool who have designed the building's extension and refurbishment are now developing signage proposals for the building in the same style.

Unfortunately around £300,000 is still needed to complete the project, with only a year to go. If you haven't already supported the brick sponsorship scheme, please do so now! Why not visit our stand in the Mill Gate Shopping Centre. Every brick sponsor is issued with a certificate and their name and message will be preserved forever in the museum.or click on the link below
http://www.fusiliersmuseum-lancashire.org.uk/buy-a-brick.html

22nd March 2008

Why the Lutyens Memorial is on the move
By Rosemary Allen

THE relocation of the Fusiliers Museum to the Arts and Crafts Centre in Broad Street, which is currently being restored and converted to make a fully accessible modern museum, means that its current site at the old Wellington Barracks will be vacated.

The Lancashire Regimental headquarters will be moved to the same building and naturally the Lutyens Memorial will also be re-sited in Sparrow Park, where it will sit in a prominent position directly alongside the new museum entrance.

Moving the memorial has been an emotive issue and there has been some opposition to it from those who, for various reasons, want it to stay where it is. The project manager for the museum development, Rosemary Allen said: "One of the great strengths of the Fusiliers' Museum has been that so many local people feel strongly about the links between the fusiliers and Bury.

Naturally for the same reasons, some people are very unhappy about the memorial moving. That's why we want people in the Bury community to know that these sort of decisions are not taken lightly and why we also want them to know the full story of the monument's status and the plans for its future."

Strictly speaking. the Lutyens Memorial belongs to the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, the regiment which was created in 1968 through the amalgamation of the Lancashire Fusiliers and three other fusilier regiments.

Its care and maintenance is the responsibility of the same group of trustees who own the museum collection - and it is they who must make any decisions about both the collection and memorial.

The trustees are chosen to represent all Lancashire Fusiliers past and present and all members of the current regiment who come from Lancashire. They can't please everybody of course, but they certainly have the best interests of the Lancashire Fusiliers heritage at heart. So far the trustees have managed to raise £25,000 for some overdue conservation and restoration work.

The memorial still needs daily care and maintenance, which is undertaken by the museum staff, and it now sits within a pleasant grassed area outside the Lancashire Regimental HQ which is maintained by Bury Council. Once the museum and headquarters move and the Association Club closes, the grounds maintenance will no longer take place and the site which belongs to the MoD will be sold.

The memorial will continue to be cared for by the museum staff as it sits alongside the new museum in a redesigned Sparrow Park, which will continue to be planted and managed by the council.

The MoD has agreed to fund the move of the headquarters from the sale of the site so this sale is an essential source of funding for the project, which still lacks some of the money required for its completion.

When the original barracks closed in the 1960s people began to scatter the ashes of their loved ones around the memorial. The ground is not consecrated and this happened over the years with permission from various regimental secretaries. Obviously the trustees understand people's feelings about this and have already instructed that the earth surrounding the structure should be carefully removed and relocated at the foot of the memorial in Sparrow Park.

The Rev Dr John Findon, rector of Bury and regimental chaplain, will dedicate the site and conduct a memorial service to celebrate the lives of all fusiliers from Lancashire who were killed while serving their country, as well as those whose ashes were scattered in the memorial gardens.

Wellington Barracks will not be forgotten. It will be reflected in the new museum and it is the intention of both the regiment and the council that the last remaining part of the original 1845 barracks - the gateway - will be retained as a memorial to all who served in the regiment and to their former Bury home.

4th March 2008

Up on the roof!

The complex mix of funding which is making the move of the Fusiliers Museum to the Arts and Crafts Centre possible; brings with it - its own burden of work and responsibility. The funds which are most easy to manage are those which come from charitable trusts or through the sterling efforts of the Campaign Office and the Fusiliers Association.

This hard won cash goes straight into the appeal account and is available to be spent meeting bills for bricks and mortar and for contractor's bills when it is needed. Other funding which comes through the Heritage Lottery Fund and through the European Regional Development Fund is much more complicated because particular parts of the project are eligible whilst others are not and in some cases, work has to be completed and the bills paid before the contributions can be paid. You would only have to see my face to understand the misery of the mountains of paperwork that need to be completed,

The European funding is a case in point - as only parts of the project which are related to the buildings industrial past are eligible and the funding programme finishes in the middle of 2008. So contractors Anelays are literally battling against time to complete roof repairs before the end of March when a claim will be submitted to Europe. Site Manager Gary Wilson said "We will be continuing to work through Easter week when we normally shut down to ensure that ERDF eligible works are completed in time". That will only leave the paperwork to worry about so my Easter holidays will probably be cancelled too!

Unfortunately the faster the work goes ahead the faster the bills for payment are presented and £300,000 is still needed to complete the project. If you haven't already supported the brick sponsorship scheme, please do so now! Clip out the coupon from the Bury Times or visit our stand in the Mill Gate Shopping Centre. Every brick sponsor is issued with a certificate and their name and message will be preserved forever in the museum. Learn more about this and the museum project or make a donation. For any other information call 0161 764 2208.

Work on the roof

28th Feb 2008

I Wish I could have been with you, Annie

Last week's topical article about valentine cards got Helen Castle thinking. Helen at the Fusiliers' Museum is preparing the collection and archive to be moved to its new location at the Arts and Crafts Centre, where the new museum will open in April 2009. "I have been looking at some of the cards in the archive" she told me "and the messages written on them are often more fascinating than the cards themselves" She sent me a photograph of 3 postcards from someone called Bert to his sweetheart Annie. Bert was based at Martinique Barracks in Aldershot in 1916. One reads:

'My dear darling Annie
I was very pleased to receive your lovely letter today to know you were keeping well dear. I am pleased to know that George is quite well. I am feeling in the best of health, but the weather is very hot for training. I hope you enjoyed yourself at Haslingden on Tuesday. I wish I could have been with you. Hope to hear from you soon. I will close with all my love and heaps of kisses.
Ever Yours
Loving sweetheart Bert xxxxxxxx'

Click on photo to see enlarged version

These brief personal insights delight Helen and the team of volunteers that she works with and make working with the collection a very rewarding task. Less romantic work is proceeding on the construction site. Members of the steering Group attended a Site Meeting this week. It was brief and very routine -a reassuring sign that work is on schedule and progressing well. After the meeting the team toured the site where the new layout is beginning to take shape with some of the internal partitions and new staircases already in position.

Unfortunately good progress results in regular large bills and with approximately £300,000 still needed, Campaign Manager Eric Davidson is pushing the brick sponsorship scheme harder than ever. If you haven't already supported Eric and his team's efforts, please ... visit our stand in the Mill Gate Shopping Centre. Every brick sponsor is issued with a certificate and their name and message will be preserved forever in the museum. Learn more about this here.

20th Feb 2008

Wartime Valentines

Did you get a valentine card this year? I didn't, my husband did get as far as buying one but left it at the office and the moment passed - never mind it will do for next year. Apparently the tradition originated from St Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries, and he left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter signed "From Your Valentine".

I don't know if this is true, but the tradition of valentines is certainly a long one and is related to Austrian and German love tokens which were produced until around 1820. These were beautifully hand-made little items, given all year round and adorned with hearts and images of sweethearts. Many had a transparent net background embossed with gold trimmings. Traditional hand-made Valentine cards became less popular in this country towards the end of the nineteenth century. The Post Office noticed a decline in the number being delivered. Printed postcards were just becoming popular at this time, and this helped to continue the practice of sending Valentines.

During the First World War, postcards were often sent between soldiers and their families, and picture postcard Valentines sent home to loved ones were greatly treasured. These cards were a contrast to patriotic & propaganda cards, scenes of devastation on the Western Front, overseas campaigns, soldiers, weapons, ships, aircraft and personalities from both sides, which were produced in large numbers.

These are the types of exhibit which are particularly poignant and often plentiful in regimental museums and archives. When the new Fusiliers museum opens in The Arts and Craft Centre in April 2009, it will have two temporary exhibition areas, and opportunities to mount temporary exhibitions on themes such as Wartime Romances.

Museum Curator Mike Glover said "We will be able to take a more sparse approach to the display of collection in the main galleries because we will be bringing stored collections out regularly for use in temporary shows. We hope to mount 4 displays every year"

hand made Valentinnes card

12th Feb 2008

Flower Power for the Fusiliers

Bury Times readers who pass by Sparrow Park will notice that construction work at the Arts and Crafts Centre has caused a large part of the park to be temporarily incorporated into the building site. Contractors are working on the restoration of the building and its sensitive conversion for a new life as the Fusiliers Museum. Part of the park is being used as a thoroughfare for building materials which are delivered to the site and for the removal of waste materials with as little impact as possible on the busy pavement and roadways of Broad Street and Moss Street.

The contractors will be onsite until November when the butterfly of the new museum will emerge from its chrysalis of scaffolding and metal hoardings. In the meantime some of Bury's young art enthusiasts are planning to restore the parks usual summer colour with their art work. A meeting is taking place tomorrow to see if painted murals can be fastened to the scaffolding so that Sparrow Park can take its usual place in Bury in Bloom - but this year with a virtual touch.

The old museum, which is still located in Wellington Barracks on Bolton Road is inviting the young artists to visit and take inspiration from Fusiliers flower connections. As a regiment that was involved in the Battle of Minden in Germany, the red rose has special significance for the Fusiliers. Poppies are also very important in regimental history - whilst the embroideries in the collection produced by soldiers recovering from shell shock - also include floral images.

Curator Mike Glover said "It's actually surprising when you look into it how many connections there are between flowers and regimental history - and it would be great to see this reflected in the murals which are produced"

When the scaffolding comes down, we hope to reveal a new stack-bonded red brick wall behind Sparrow Park - but this depends on raising the money to pay for the bricks, so please support our brick sponsorship scheme. If you haven't already, clip out the coupon from this newspaper or visit our stand in the Mill Gate Shopping Centre. Every brick sponsor is issued with a certificate and their name and message will be preserved forever in the museum. Learn more about this and the museum project or make a donation on our website www.fusiliersmuseum-lancashire.org.uk. For any other information call 0161 764 2208.

30th Jan 2008

Who remembers this screen?

After last week's meeting, the Steering Group went to have a look at the progress that is being made on site at the Arts and Crafts Centre in Broad Street, which will open in the spring of 2009 as the new Fusiliers' Museum. Everybody was kitted out with safety boots, hard hats and high-vis jackets and Tim Donlan from William Anelay - the construction company who are undertaking the work showed the group around.

Of particular interest was this glazed screen, which has recently been revealed during the removal of partitions that would have been inserted well after the building first opened. The screen appears to have been panelled up to dado height and would once have made an imposing entrance to one of the Technical School's rooms. The architects have now redesigned the area around it so that it can be incorporated into the vestibule that leads to the museum's large and airy multi-purpose education room. Stained glass specialists will be brought in to repair the screen, which is very well preserved with the exception of some of the pains of stained glass.

Helen Castle on the museum staff is now keen to know if anyone remembers the screen before it was covered up or better still has a photograph which shows it as it used to be. "We are keen to collect and interpret artefacts and images which are directly related to the history of the building as well as to the Fusiliers" said Helen, who is working hard on documenting and researching the collection for the new displays

Please help us to continue this valuable work and pay for the restoration of the screen by supporting the brick sponsorship scheme. The money raised will provide stack-bonded red bricks for the wall of the museum which faces onto Sparrow Park. If you haven't already bought some, please clip out the coupon from this newspaper or visit our stand in the Mill Gate Shopping Centre. Every brick sponsor is issued with a certificate and their name and message will be preserved forever in the museum. Learn more about this and the museum project or make a donation on our website www.fusiliersmuseum-lancashire.org.uk. For any other information call 0161 764 2208.

Screen at the Arts and Crafts Centre

Keneally VC would be so proud!

Construction work is progressing well at the Arts and Crafts Centre - the new home of the Fusiliers' Museum which will open to the public in the spring of 2009. Only the very wet weather we have recently had is causing any concern to the programme, so let's hope the forecast improves. The design and layout of the Lancashire Fusiliers' Gallery is nearly at a stage when the showcases can be ordered. These take a long time to construct and prepare and will house objects as diverse as goblets, textiles, jewellery, guns, notebooks and of course the many medals in the collections - including several of the famous "6 VCs before breakfast" which have become synonymous with Fusilier history.

Charmaine Slater, the great niece of one of the famous 6, recently paid a visit to the old museum in Wellington Barracks. She is planning to write a book about her great uncle. Private William Keneally VC and wanted to carry out some research in the museum archive. The famous six were selected from within the Battalion on the instructions of the Divisional Commander because the remarkable gallantry of so many of the officers and men made it difficult for outsiders to choose the VC winners. There were reported to have been "the most signal acts of bravery and devotion to duty". The Keneally VC is in the museum collection and Charmaine's children were able to see the medal that represents some of their family history close up.

The family hadn't known about the development of the new museum and was delighted to learn about the plans. Charmaine said, "My uncle would be so proud to know that 90 years later people still remember him and his comrades and that they will be able to see the VC. We are really looking forward to visiting the new museum next year"

We on the Project Team still have some work ahead to make this happen - including closing the funding gap! Please help us by supporting the brick sponsorship scheme. The money raised will provide stack-bonded red bricks for the wall of the museum which faces onto Sparrow Park. If you haven't already bought some, please clip out the coupon from this newspaper or visit our stand in the Mill Gate Shopping Centre. Every brick sponsor is issued with a certificate and their name and message, like Keneally's medal will be preserved forever in the museum.

Charmaine and the Keneally Family

Lottery Success

The Fusiliers' Museum has been awarded a stage 2 pass by the Heritage Lottery Fund for its application for £2million towards the costs of developing a new museum in Bury town centre. The project which has a total cost of £3.4million can now move onto full implementation, ready to open at the end of 2008. The success of this bid, which has been awarded the maximum sum available on a regional basis, is a great boost for both the Fusiliers and for the town of Bury. The remaining costs of £1.4million are being raised through a Fundraising Appeal which has been supported by Bury Council, the Regiment, charitable trusts, businesses and many private individuals.

Colonel Brian Gorski, the project leader said "This news is fantastic! We have worked very hard over a long period to secure the HLF funding. The success we have achieved is a tribute to all the people who have contributed so much as well as to the quality of the project. We have undertaken a very thorough planning process and it is exciting to be moving onto the next stage"

The museum, which has an excellent regimental collection dating back to the 17th century and including artefacts belonging to General Wolfe and The Emperor Napoleon, is moving to a former technical school in the cultural quarter of Bury. The Arts and Crafts Centre will be completely refurbished and made fully accessible and the displays will be modern, friendly and interactive. The project is seen by both the Regiment and the charitable company that will run the museum, as being as much about providing a cultural and community facility as it is about preserving the history of the four regiments involved.

The museum will collect and display historical artefacts, stories and
documents related to both the Lancashire Fusiliers and of the Royal Regiment of
Fusiliers' Museum Press Release

Fusiliers - who were created in 1968 when the Lancashire, Warwickshire, Northumberland and Royal Fusiliers were amalgamated. It will be a lively centre for regular events and for workshops, lectures, demonstrations and family activities.

Whilst the museum is essentially independent Bury Council are providing both capital and revenue support and have leased the building to the fusiliers over 125 years for a peppercorn rent. The museum will continue to receive financial support from both the MoD and the Regiment and will make up the remaining gap in its income through commercial activities which will include café, retail and room lettings. The Council Chamber, which will be sited in the former Boardroom of the Arts and Crafts Centre, will be dressed with regimental insignia and silver and is expected to be a popular venue for local business meetings, lunches and dinners

Bury Chief Executive Mark Sanders said "Bury has supported this project enthusiastically from the beginning, building on the longstanding bond between the town and the regiment. The redevelopment of the museum in one of Bury's best loved buildings in the heart of the cultural quarter fits with our vision for making Bury a better place for everyone"

The new Fusiliers' Museum will sit alongside the recently refurbished Bury Arts Gallery and Museum, which was also funded by HLF, and a project currently underway to refurbish the Bury Transport Museum which HLF are also supporting. It is planned that the three will work together in partnership on integrated events, activities and marketing. All three are located close to the popular East Lancashire Railway in the heart of Bury and will make a significant impact on the heritage appeal of the town.

Kape Tour 2006

The Drummers of the 1st Battalion on their Kape Tour 2006 (Keeping the Army in the public eye) in Minden Parade Bury Shopping Centre with the volunteers manning the Museum Appeal Stand.They played outside the Interchange and Market Hall and raised £540:00 for the Museum Appeal

Fund raising lunch at Bury Town Hall. 25th May 2006.

Regimental Colonel in Chief Field Marshal his Royal Highness the Duke of Kent KG, KCMG, GCVO, ADC (P) Fund raising lunch at Bury Town Hall on 25th May 2006

Colonel Eric exceeds expectations.

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Eric Davidson has just recovered from a broken arm and is pictured here presenting Colonel Brian Gorski with a cheque for £27,000. This is an amazing achievement and over the £20,000 target originally set last year. Eric's work is far from over and he has set himself a new target and he and his team continue their sterling effort.
Bury Times: 19th September 2006

Fusiliers' Museum, Lancashire

XX The Lancashire and Royal Regiment of Fusiliers' Collections Web Site

The New Museum: Latest News.