National Museums Liverpool Blog

It's almost time to re-open the planetarium now that all the refurbishment has been done. Our planetarium staff have been getting to grips with all the new equipment and here's John Moran from the team to tell us more.

---

Well we’re getting very close to opening day here in the planetarium. We'll be open again from Monday 30th of January and my colleagues and I are now almost up to speed with operating the new projection equipment.

We have had plenty of opportunity to view what the new projectors are capable of and all I can say is wow! For the time being we won’t have a huge selection of shows, as we are in the process of creating new ones, so we do need our kind visitors to bear with us for a while. But what we have got will blow your socks off.

The first of our new shows will be 'Chronicle of a journey to earth'. In this show an intergalactic traveller reaches our part of the galaxy looking for somewhere to settle and as he moves towards the sun he examines comets, planets, asteroids and earth. You will be able to follow the traveller's path and see close up what today’s science has discovered about each of the components of our solar system.

With the new equipment we will also be able to run fantastic live presenter-led shows. We will be able to talk to visitors while we show constellations, the movements of the sun, moon, planets and deep sky objects. We will also be able to show the planets as close or as far away as we like.

We’re looking forward to running shows and seeing what the general public think of their new planetarium. Get ready for blast off folks, its going to be good.

It's great to hear that volunteering at National Museums Liverpool can really be a memorable experience for those involved. Here's a blog by a recent volunteer who helped out in our Photography and Decorative Art departments...

---

My name is Adrian Foo-Gibney and for the last two weeks I have been on a Year 10 work placement with National Museums Liverpool. During my time here I have learnt many skills, ranging from hands-on skills like photography to communication skills. This was a great experience for me as I got along with all the members of staff and had fun as well as learning. Everyone was really friendly and made me feel comfortable.

During my first week in Photography I worked with David Flower. He taught me many skills and gave me lots of tips about photography. The things I learnt were really useful, as back in school I have taken the GCSE photography course. It will also help with my personal photographic skills.

I was given many jobs during the first week, including photographing hats, processing images and scanning negatives ready for editing.

In the second week I worked with Alyson Pollard in Decorative Arts where I got to work with my friend Joseph Evans who is also from my school, Calderstones. We worked together photographing men’s hats and suits and inputted all the data for them.

I have enjoyed my time working with the National Museums Liverpool and it was a privilege to be here. I would like to do a similar job when I leave school. This has been an amazing adventure for me and I will remember this placement for ages.

After enjoying the amusing adventures of Michael Bublé and his raptor friend we started trying to imagine what it’d be like if they came to face to face with our resident tarbosaurus!

We don’t think he’d be scared! Would you be?

If you love dinosaurs and you love Michael Bublé why not print out this photo and keep it in your wallet! And if you want to visit tarbosaurus and some raptors, get yourself down to World Museum before 15 April.

Photo credit- Thanks to VancityAllie for the original Michael Bublé photo.

As the title suggests, this year's major exhibition at Merseyside Maritime Museum, Titanic and Liverpool: the untold story, will focus on local connections to the disaster – a side of the tragedy that many people may not be aware of. The liner never visited the port but was registered here and many of the crew were based in Merseyside. The loss of the ship and so many people on board therefore had tragic consequences for many families in the area.

For example, Birkenhead-born William McMurray, aged 43, was a First Class bedroom steward on the Titanic. He lived with his wife and three young children in Kensington, Liverpool. Just three years earlier William had won a gallantry medal for helping to rescue 1,700 people from the stricken steamship Republic on 24 January 1909.

Wiilliam had been away in Belfast for several weeks before the Titanic's voyage. His daughter May Louise wrote her first letter to him while he was away, but it arrived in Southampton after the ship had sailed. Two days later he was one of more than 1,500 passengers and crew who died in the Titanic disaster.

The letter was returned to Liverpool and treasured for many years by the family before being donated to Merseyside Maritime Museum in 1989 by May Louise’s own daughter, William McMurray’s granddaughter. It will be displayed for the first time in the exhibition. Read the letter and listen to it being read out in this preview on the exhibition website.

Curator Bill Longshaw has this news of a new display and event for Hollocaust Memorial Day:

---

"In December the Museum of Liverpool was delighted to accept a Holocaust Memorial Book into its collection. The book, created by Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR), tells the stories of many of the children who escaped Nazi Germany in the 1930s and settled in Liverpool.

We were presented with the book at the AJR's annual Hanukkah party. It was a fantastic afternoon, with traditional Jewish food and music and it was a privilege to meets some of the refugees who settled here more that seventy years ago.

The book will be on display in the Museum of Liverpool on Holocaust Memorial Day, Thursday 26 January. On the day there will also be a talk by Eric Cohen and Guido Alis, 3-4pm in Education area 3, on the first floor of the museum."

Often as a conservator, there are not many opportunities to engage with the public. Working in studios undertaking practical conservation work can leave little time for interaction with those who enjoy and visit the collections. So when I was recently given the opportunity to do a demonstration of ship model conservation at the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight Village I was eager to accept.

The Gallery is part of National Museums Liverpool, and houses a collection of fine and decorative art. The Lady Lever Art Gallery was founded by William Hesketh Lever, and contains the best of his personal art collection. As part of the education programme, the gallery runs demonstrations of various art related topics, and so I did an afternoon of ship model conservation in one of the galleries.

I chose a model in great need of conservation work, which would also be an interesting example. The wooden model depicts an 18th Century ship of war with 38 guns and fully rigged. Its many areas of deterioration included broken masts, tangled rigging, and lead disease. The model was very dirty and so I set up a table so that I could do cleaning whilst on the gallery.

Whilst it was fairly quiet, the people whom I spoke to were very interested in the conservation and it was great to be able to tell them what we do in Ship and Historic Model Conservation. Many visitors who approached me had not seen the demonstration advertised, and were simply curious as to what I was doing. Equally the visitors were interested in the type of ship the model depicted, and as I had researched this well, was able to explain the historical context which then informs the conservation process. Many were fascinated as to how I would be able to repair the complicated rigging, which requires extensive knowledge of ships rigging.

I thoroughly enjoyed talking to the public about the work we do in the Conservation Centre, as well as being able to share my enthusiasm for maritime history. I found that people were very interested in conservation and many had not heard of the profession previously. And not uncommon for conservators, the popular phrase of the day was “you must have a lot of patience”. 

Now that we're well into January I bet you've heard the phrase "2012 is the year I'm going to get fit" many times over from different people - perhaps you've even said it yourself. Putting those good intentions and new year's resolutuions into practice can be easier said than done though, as it's hard to motivate youself during the dark days of winter.

If this sounds familiar then the International Slavery Museum's Capoeira Club could be just the thing you need. All ages, levels of fitness and abilities are welcome to the friendly classes led by Daniel Baird - whether you have an interest in martial arts, dance or acrobatics or just want to try something new.

Education manager Vikky Evans-Hubbard is hoping to start the club on Saturday mornings, 10am-12noon, when enough people have signed up. So please ring 0151 478 4456 to register your interest, or email Vikky using this contact form.

Vikky explains the history and appeal of Capoeira:

---

"Capoeira was originated amongst enslaved Africans in Brazil in the sixteenth century, as a form of self defence. Disguised as a dance to escape the attention of the plantation owners, Capoeira has developed through centuries to a complex art. To ensure its survival, the traditional forms were infused with a new musical accompaniment. Capoeira's deadly potential was hidden by its dance like elegance, baffling acrobatics and the engaging rhythms of its music. For the enslaved, Capoeira was a literal and symbolic means of survival. It became a tool of escape and defence, making freedom attainable and affirming strength, self reliance and self esteem.
 
Capoeira has expanded beyond the borders of Brazil and is growing rapidly in other countries becoming popular in America and Europe. Capoeira appeals to many for many different reasons. First the pure beauty of the art is hypnotic. Capoeira is a dance and a fight. It's not only a combination of gymnastics, dance and martial arts but also music, culture, history, knowledge and playfulness."

Work has begun on our wonderful new planetarium! Here's John Moran from the planetarium to tell us how it's going so far...

---

The refurbishment of the Planetarium is now under way! Standing there watching as this historic part of the museum was being ripped out, which has been a part of my life for 7 years, I couldn’t believe how brutal everything seemed. Our star projector was stripped down to the bear bones and all the wires and connections were pulled out and snipped with wire cutters. I think I actually felt every cut!

But I know that the end result will be worth it. The shelving which surrounds the seats has now been removed, so this makes the Planetarium seem much bigger. When the work is finished it will look as though the dome is actually floating in mid-air. It's going to be a fantastic experience for visitors! Watch this space for further progress reports.

Here's our Planetarium demonstrator, John Moran, to tell us what planets we can look out for in the night sky this month...

---

Hope you’re all over your Christmas hangovers! Well if you’re looking for a good way to involve the kids in science without having to go anywhere, then you should get out in the back garden. There are planets galore this month in the night sky for those of you with telescopes.

Jupiter, the king of planets, is unmistakable as it is so bright. Try viewing the Galilean’s (which are the four planet sized moons orbiting this gas giant, named after the man who discovered them, Galileo) at about 8pm. Check the position of the moons, then leave your telescope set up and go back to it two hours later and you will find that the moons have changed position. Also look for the equatorial bands and the great Red Spot on Jupiter too. It’s a really rewarding object to view.

Next up is the home to many a spaceman story, the red planet Mars. Swing your telescope towards the east at around about 10pm (but the kids should be in bed by now!) and look for Mars behind the constellation of Leo. Again, it is unmistakable as it is clearly red and it doesn’t twinkle. If you’re lucky you may get to see the polar icecaps.

Lastly, for our viewing pleasure, we have the ringed beauty Saturn following behind Mars from 1am. Your telescope will clearly show off the gorgeous ring system and the gap between rings and planet. Nothing will prepare you for the first time you see the rings of Saturn, it truly is one of the most breathtaking sights. See what you think when you first glimpse it and let me know...

I used to enjoy going for a row on the park lake but now such an experience is difficult to come by.

There are no rowing boats left on Liverpool’s lakes, which is a great shame. No longer do you hear the iconic cry: “Come in number 12!” when your half hour is up.

Many marine paintings feature them but they are often overlooked – the humble rowing boat has always been a key part of maritime life.

Merseyside Maritime Museum’s Art & The Sea gallery features many models and pictures with all types of oar-driven boats from lifeboats to the working boats of the Mersey.

The painting Elinor Chapman off Liverpool by Joseph Heard (1799 – 1859) features a device often used by the artist – he tilts the vessel slightly to show what is happening on deck.

Heard gives the same treatment to a passing small boat that scurrying past under sail. The oars can be seen stowed ready for use when they approach the quayside.

Eight men in a rowing boat are included in 28 Gun Ship in the Mersey by John Jenkinson (pictured). Six of them pause with their oars out of the water as the warship passes.

This painting dates from around the time of the Battle of Trafalgar (1805) and shows a frigate – the type of vessel used in patrol and defence work. Horatio Nelson defeated the Spanish and French fleets in the battle. As a result peace reigned and the Royal Navy dominated the seas for the next century.

The victory was an important factor in the growth and prosperity of Liverpool and other ports because British merchant ships could travel the seas largely without fear of attack.

At least six rowing boats can be seen in a beautifully-detailed painting called The Brig St Lucia in the Mersey by Robert Salmon. They carry between three and six people.

The painting was commissioned by Hugh Owen, captain of the St Lucia 1821 – 1823. St Lucia was built in Liverpool in 1818 for the Caribbean trade in sugar and other tropical goods.

The museum’s ship models depict lifeboats in various levels of detail. These include the Empress Queen, my own favourite of all the models on display.

The Haverford is one of the few that includes the oars in the lifeboats – 18 are depicted in this tour de force of the model-makers craft.

Some, including the original Titanic builder’s model, have the lifeboats covered with tarpaulins.

Three rowing boats were constructed in amazing detail in the Pilkington Collection of French Prisoner-of-War Models, outstanding treasures of the museum. One depicts a large boat with seating for about 20 rowers.

This is a version of my Maritime Tale that originally appeared in the Liverpool Echo.