A-Z of Services

Wrexham Museum Diary

The next twelve – fifteen months are going to be very eventful for Wrexham County Borough Museum and for the staff who work there.

Wrexham County Borough Museum – a great building and soon to be a better museum.

The staff and the displays have to move out.
The heritage service has to move to Bersham Heritage Centre.
The building has to be emptied.
Tenders for the construction work made, judged, and accepted.
The builders have to move in, do their work,and then move out.
The designers and the museum staff have to create the new displays.
These are just a few of the jobs that will be happening over the coming year.

For a behind the scenes view, read the museum diary. Each contributor will write in their own style.

Keep an eye out for the latest instalments.

John Exhibitions
Archive

John Exhibitions

July 8th

Meet with Hanmer Local History society to finalise which objects to display in planned exhibition.

July 10th – 20th

On leave. Visit the Menin Gate and In Flanders’ Fields museum in Ieper (Ypres), Belgium.

July 22nd

Off to Tŷ Mawr country park for their community fun day. A popular event even when the rain was pouring down.

July 23rd

Into the stores looking for objects connected to J H Morcom, a sculptor from Wrexham, who trained in Liverpool and later had a successful career in Leicester.

July 24th

Last minute admin for History Alive! Mopping up the late entries from vintage vehicle owners.

Paul Harston, the brains and the brawn behind Roman Tours,
the Roman re-enactment group coming to History Alive 2010

July 25th

The road show reaches Bellevue Park. I am not sure how much cross-dressing there was during the Middle Ages, but some lads just can’t resist the medieval lady’s costume.

Wrexham Heritage road show at Bellevue Park’s
centenary celebrations, Wrexham. 25.07.2010

Two local children, Victorian ‘boy’ and a medieval
‘squire’ trying on the historic costume. 25.07.2010

July 26th

Trawling our way through all the quotations for the planned audio-visuals and interactives.

July 27th

Meeting with Holt and Caer Alyn project groups. Each group is about to start work on their audio-visuals for the exhibition.

Carefully drilling between the stones! 27.07.2010

The front loggia of the museum after the
vaulted ceiling has been sandblasted. 27.07.2010

Mike Dowdall, ISG site manager,
briefing his workmen on their next tasks. 27.07.2010

Two heads are better than one or tackling the latest challenge!
Steve Grenter, project officer (left) and Mike Dowdall, site manager (right). 27.07.2010

Levi removing old wallpaper from the
corridor to the court rooms. 27.07.2010

Mike, what have you done to our special exhibitions gallery?!

July 28th

It’s like Britain’s Got Talent judging the quotations for the audio-visuals and interactives for the new galleries and the judges get more ruthless as the day progresses.

July 29th

Decide final site layout for History Alive. Signs in place guiding visitors to the fields behind the ironworks at Bersham.

This way for Wrexham’s best living history festival.

July 30th

Preparations for History Alive continue. Test drive an electric transit van for free. Very quiet. It’s like driving an enormous milk float with similar 0–60mph as well!

July 31st

Last minute preparations: weeding paths, litter picking, sorting out the programmes while constantly checking the Met Office website.

August 1st

Kick off at 7am with the arrival of the fairground rides, closely followed by the Roman legionaries, or rather Paul Harston’s re-enactment group, Roman Tours. The crowds come, the dark clouds stay away and the day is a success.

Deva Victrix, Roman Tour’s re-enactment team,
in training at Bersham. 01.08.2010

The Children’s Army, probably the most popular
participation displays at History Alive, Bersham. 01.08.2010

Now the professionals in action! 01.08.2010

One of the old veterans receiving some
care and attention, History Alive. 01.08.2010

Living history – ask any question you like.

Cynthia, Heather, Diane, Gaynor, Ron & Brian
of the Friends of Wrexham Museums staffed the road show

This BSA was one of large number of
classic motorcycles exhibited at History Alive. 01.08.2010

August 2nd

Finally meet the local historians who are making a film on the Battle of Crogen which took place in the Ceiriog Valley in 1165. Film sounds great and involves two local re-enactment groups.

August 4th

Mining disasters and deferential inquests, long winded letter to the editor, detailed reports on the passage of railway bills in Parliament, temperance society gatherings, endless debates amongst the Guardians of the Poor over the deserving and undeserving, public lectures on demanding intellectual subjects at the Music Hall and a continual stream of drunk and disorder cases at the borough court – these were the stuff of 1860s Wrexham if you believe the local papers from the time.

August 5th

Decision time: Which companies will produce the interactives for the main gallery?

August 6th

Choosing Welsh internationals for the ‘Stars of the Racecourse’ display in the main gallery. To qualify: we must have the player’s full international cap in the collection, then the individual must have played for Wrexham FC or played at the Racecourse for Wales in the season to which the cap belongs.