Items still on the shopping list include watches and scientific instruments, miners’ and map makers’ equipment, items that record the changes to people’s lives in the Derwent Valley, early geographical and natural science publications, items uniquely associated with individual mills and even small items like boxes of thread.   

 We would love to hear from you if think you have something that might be of interest to the project.  Please email Anna Rhodes at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery anna.rhodes@derbyshire.gov.uk

 Below you can see some of the objects that we have collected so far.

Buxton Museum and Art Gallery bought this enamelled patch box in January 2012.  It dates from the late 19^th century and has a transfer print of the Crescent in Buxton.

Patch boxes were used to store ‘patches’ which were decorative beauty spots used to cover blemishes, scars, moles etc.  They ranged from purely functional paper or mole skin patches to highly decorative silk and satin ones which were cut into elaborate shapes such as hearts, stars and diamonds.

Buxton Crescent was a popular subject for artists and printmakers and features on a range of souvenirs from the period. 

Buxton Crescent, oil on Canvas, artist unknown, c. 1825

Buxton Crescent attributed to W. Cowen, c. 1850

Join us to celebrate the launch of Alvaston Park Science Garden

Wednesday, 18th January, 5.00pm to 9.00pm at Alvaston Park, Derby

• See images from Flamsteed’s Star Atlas projected onto the new building.

• Join Derby and District Astronomical Society to look at the wonders of the night sky through one of their telescopes.

• Do some astronomy-themed crafts with Derby Museum and Art Gallery.

• Planet-themed pizza and cakes will be available from the Mad Hatter’s Tea Rooms.

 The evening is a BBC Stargazing LIVE Event and is free. Dress up warm!

Sotheby’s in New York are selling a Blue John vase which is 48.3 cm (19 inches) tall. It comes with an equally large auction estimate of $150,000 – $250,000.  That’s £97,000 – £162,000!

A LARGE REGENCY BLUE JOHN KRATER-FORM VASE, ATTRIBUTED TO JAMES SHORE 
CIRCA 1815

It belongs to Princeton University and is attributed to James Shore who also made the large tazza at Chatsworth House. It is thought that the largest Blue John vase ever made is in the Geological Museum in London (now the Natural History Museum).

However things aren’t quite that simple and there is much confusion, mystery and rumour surrounding these large pieces. You can find out more about the mysteries of the crude engravings, later modifications and mismeasurements by reading Trevor D. Ford’s article ‘The largest blue john vases ever made’.

Like all good stories it leaves us with the tantalising thought that there was possibly an even bigger vase that has now been lost in the mists of time.

Ford’s article has flagged up another anomaly.  Written in 1992 it states that Princeton University have a large Blue John urn – so far so good.  But the auction provenance for the Princeton vase says that it passed through Sotheby’s sale room in 1985 and 2004.  So did Princeton buy it in 1985? Sell it somewhere else and then buy it back in 2004?  Or did they originally have two of them?  If so, could one have been the long lost largest vase?

 The mystery continues….

Buxton Museum and Art Gallery has bought a watercolour of the New Bath Hotel in Matlock Bath.  The picture was sold to the museum by a private seller and has just come back after undergoing conservation work – check out the before and after photos below.   

 The watercolour shows the front of the hotel, a rather windswept looking fir tree and groups of visitors – complete with the ubiquitous angler that graces so many Derbyshire scenes.

 The sign on the gable end of the hotel reads ‘Saxton’s New Bath Hotel’.  George Saxton and his son (also George) owned the New Bath Hotel from around 1797 to the 1850s.  During this period Matlock Bath was a burgeoning tourist town attracting visitors with its warm medicinal waters and rocky picturesque setting – you’ll see the watercolour shows the hotel against a backdrop of limestone cliffs.

 Matlock Bath had many hotels and boarding houses but ‘well to do’ visitors would stay at either the New Bath Hotel, Temple Hotel or Hodkinson’s Hotel. 

The three hotels had the same tariff and  in 1819 they charged  5s a week for a bed chamber, 14s to a guinea for a private parlour and bathing was 6d a time.  Each hotel would have also provided post-chaises and horses for excursions to local beauty spots. 

 Dr. Granville writing in ‘The Spas of England’ in 1841 considered the New Bath Hotel the best of the three with the decorated ball room being its main attraction.  Benjamin Bryan in his 1903 book ‘History of Matlock’ describes the hotel as being ‘finely placed, has been thoroughly modernised, is luxuriously finished, and admirably managed’. 

 

 

 

 

Our first stop was Helmshore Textile Museum in Rossendale, Lancashire. On arrival we were met by Suzanne and Louise who gave us an introduction to the site and a much needed cup of coffee. The museum consists of 2 mill buildings which are packed full of original machinery and informative, yet accessible, interpretation. Together with its sister museum, Queen Street Mill in Burnley, the museum holds Designated Collection status.

We were really impressed with the hands-on low-tech interactives and it was fantastic to see the original water wheel in motion. Another highlight was seeing Arkwright’s 96 spindle water frame – the only complete one in existence.

Louise gave up a whole morning (and some) to show us round which was really appreciated. We picked her brains on operational issues and have come away with lots of ideas for our own sites.

After a (very) quick lunch we got back on the minibus and headed to Bolton Museum’s off-site store. Erin and her colleagues showed us their textiles, local studies section and their textile machinery. Of particular interest to us was the original waterwheel shaft and a finisher carder which both originally came from Cromford Mill.

It is always nice to have a poke around another museum’s store and at Buxton Museum we have been inspired to re-pack some of our costume collection, so a big thanks to the staff at Bolton Museum for showing us around.

During these workshops families created their own theatres and stories featuring scenery and characters linked to museum collections. 

 The theatres were filmed and we’ll be uploading the film online soon. In the meantime you can get a flavour of the event and some of the colourful characters that were created from these photos.

As part of the Wright of Derby Festival, Derby University is holding a one-day conference on Thurs, 12 January 2012.

The conference explores Joseph Wright and his relevance to Derby in the 21^st century.   Speakers include academics from Nottingham, Derby, Keele and Glasgow Universities as well as our lovely Enlightenment! colleague Lucy Salt –  Keeper of Art at Derby Museum and Art Gallery.

For more information including the conference programme visit the University of Derby website.

A noctuary was used principally to monitor a night watchman’s rounds.  The pins would be depressed every 15 minutes by the turn of a lever.

John Whitehurst III was the third generation of the family to make clocks in Derby.  He was born in 1788 eldest son of John Whitehurst II nephew and heir of the firm’s founder John Whitehurst FRS.  He was apprenticed to his father in 1809 and was thereafter in partnership with him until his father’s death in 1834.  A leading local freemason, he won the competition to make the clock for the new Palace of Westminster in 1855, but died the same year without work having started.  The firm was taken over by Roskell of Liverpool and closed in 1862.

 In August 2010 Derby bought an angle barometer made by John Whitehurst FRS, find out more here.