National Museums Liverpool Blog - sudley house

'Waiting for legal advice'

Sorry to those of you who won't have seen the answer to July's Name That Object competition - slight technical hitch. The answer was 'Waiting for Legal Advice' by James Campbell, and the winner of the exhibition catalogue was A Porter of Liverpool. Another competition and another prize next month.

There's just a few days left to submit your application for one of the 10 Creative Apprenticeships on offer. A number of Merseyside-based cultural organisations, including National Museums Liverpool, are involved in a project to foster emerging talent and give young hopefuls a solid grounding in the arts and culture industry.

By the end of the year-long apprenticeship you'll have earned a Level 2 Certificate in Creative and Cultural Practice, and a Level 2 National Award in Community Arts Management, but perhaps more importantly you'll have developed the skills and contacts you'll need for a career in the industry.

More details are available on the Creative Partnerships Liverpool website.

Claire Olson summarises National Volunteers Week, and thanks all the willing souls who help out here.

Lauren Yule (centre with badge), our assistant volunteer coordinator, with youth volunteers from the Mersey V's.

Last week the Volunteers Team were out and about at different venues and events in the North West promoting volunteering opportunities at NML.

During the week we met with lots of people who are keen ‘volunteers in the making’ and eager to find out more. We also received lots of positive feedback about our museums, with many families telling us how much they enjoyed visiting! We also welcomed the launch of Mersey v’s; our new Young Persons' Steering Group, who will be championing volunteering across NML.

National Volunteers Week may only come once a year, but we would like to take this opportunity to thank our volunteers for all their support and hard work throughout the whole year – their positive involvement is much appreciated – as acknowledged by our director, Dr David Fleming:

“I have nothing but praise for volunteers, who devote their own time to helping make museums more popular and accessible. Volunteer effort is often overlooked, but without volunteers most museums would provide an immeasurably poorer public service.”

If you wish to find out more about becoming a volunteer at NML please contact the Volunteer Team on 0151 478 4775 or volunteerenquiries@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk and keep an eye on the blog for more volunteer updates coming soon!

The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed that there wasn't a May Name That Object competition. We were rather busy with the redesign for the main site (check it out if you've not already) and it kind of took a back seat.

Anyway, June's is now up with the first clue available here. As ever you need to figure out which object from our collections (and our website) the detail is from and email us the answer using the contact link on the competition page. There's a new clue every day this week.

We've had lots of enquiries from people wanting to buy the Art In The Age of Steam exhibition catalogue so that's this month's prize. Good luck.

Isobel at Sudley House

Work experience student Isobel from South Liverpool has been busy working hard in the Press and Marketing office for the last 2 weeks. Isobel went on a visit to Sudley House to check out the recent renovations, here’s what she thought of it:

'Situated in an expanse of picturesque grounds Sudley House is an interesting, historic place full of intriguing paintings and furnishings. For a year now it has been re-opened to the public, following a period of restoration. So today I visited the house to discover whether any changes made have been successful or yet another modernisation of a historic building, ruining its original features.

Although the entrance pathway has been widened to make way for coaches and tourists I feel it makes little difference when the grounds are so elegant, on this sunny day they look beautiful and it is very tempting to spend my day strolling through the gardens!

Sudley House tells a story of Liverpool’s history and the Holt family. Featured on the televisions standing on the ground floor rooms are stories told by Mr Holt, Emily Holt and their maid. The tale starts with Mr Holt, a wealthy man whose business was in ships and Liverpool’s bustling harbour. This man bought the house which was then passed onto his daughter after he died. When Emma, the daughter, died she left the house to the people of Liverpool. 

One update that surprised me was the new lift. It seems misplaced amongst the wooden furnishings and delicate paintings. However after an explanation it does seem necessary for enabling those with disabilities to visit the House.

On the first floor were several exhibitions, all different and appealing to a range of interests. What was particularly special to me was the competition exhibit, in which entrees had to make an arts/crafts piece inspired by something in the house. It was obvious that a lot of thought had gone into the pieces the all seemed to be different and winners in their own right. The winning piece was extraordinary: a stained glass window standing in a window capturing the sun magnificently and glowing in an array of bright colours.

It is somewhat impressive the number of paintings Mr Holt had in his collection and furthermore that they are still intact at the house. My favourite was the bright parrot whose red coat stands proud on an upstairs wall. Another eye-catching display was the china.

To me Sudley House is a motivational member of Liverpool’s variety of museums, catering to the needs of many and doing essential work regarding those with learning disabilities. Sudley House would be ideal for a family outings or school trips and teaching about Liverpool’s heritage.'

Our trading arm, NML Trading, is holding a Recruitment Open Day on Saturday 10th May. They're looking to recruit Team Leaders, Catering Assistants, Venue Supervisors, Chefs and Banqueting staff. They're looking for people who are passionate about catering for their daytime operation plus occasional evening work. You'll be working in Liverpool’s world class museums, providing high quality food and refreshments to over two million visitors each year.

To find out more about the roles on offer, bring your CV to World Museum Liverpool, William Brown Street, Liverpool between 10.30am and 4.30pm.

Today is day one in April's Name That Object competition and here is today's clue. To win a copy of the rather nice catalogue that accompanies the Art In The Age of Steam exhibition all you have to do is identify the object in question (it's an artwork this month) from the clues given every day this week, and email us your answer using the link on the competition page. Best of British.

Can't believe no one's got this yet - thought it would have gone yesterday. The prize in this month's Name That Object game is still not won and today is the last day. This is today's clue - bit of a give away. All of this week's clues, plus the link to enter the competition, are on the Name That Object page. The prize is the catalogue from the recent Joseph Wright of Derby in Liverpool exhibition.

This month's final clue

The second of what will hopefully be a monthly feature (prizes allowing) begins on Monday. Name that Object shows a new detail from an object in our collection every day for five days. Could be from any venue and any collection.  To win the prize all you have to do is identify the object and be the first to mail us the correct answer (use the 'contact us' form link on the competition page). As there's only one prize - the rather excellent catalogue that accompanied the recent Joseph Wright of Derby in Liverpool exhibition - most of you will be 'playing for fun', and it is fun as you'll discover if you check out last month's game - bit of a warm up for you.

Hogarth in his new home

Here's a snap of last month's prize - a Superlambanana now christened Hogarth (I'll leave you to figure out why) - happily ensconced in his new home. His new owner got the answer right on clue one so you'll probably have to be there from kick off on Monday to be in with a chance. To make it a bit easier I'll tell you it is a painting and it is featured on our website.

You can also play via the rss feed so there's no chance of you missing a clue.

Today we've launched what will hopefully become a regular feature on the site - our 'Name that Object' competition. We'll be revealing a new detail of an object (it's an artwork this time - bit of a clue for you there) every day for a week with the answer at the end. This is today's clue. There's a prize of a miniature Superlambanana to the first person to correctly identify the piece and to email us the answer using the form on the competition page.

If you're as forgetful as me you can always subscribe to the rss feed to get updates, or just click backwards to see previous clues. And as a final hint I'll tell you that the object is somewhere on our website. There, I've said too much already...

The first clue in the name that object competition

The recent refurbishment of Sudley House gave our conservators the opportunity to spend some quality time with the paintings and objects on display there. A new online feature about the conservation of one of Sudley's paintings, Gainsborough's portrait of 'Viscountess Folkestone', reveals some interesting discoveries that conservators have made about the materials and techniques used.

Their analysis has shown that Gainsborough completely changed the composition of the portrait, painting over the initial landscape in the background to move the setting indoors. This may seem quite considerate for the elderly Viscountess, bringing her inside into the warmth (especially on a windy day like today). However, he also abandoned her initial seated pose and made her stand up in the finished painting, which is no way to treat an elderly widow if you ask me.

The study of the painting has also revealed information about the pigments and paint medium used. It's a great example of how conservators use modern techniques to study old objects in the collections and try to piece together information about their past.

Now it’s coming to the end of the year. Your reindeer antlers are drooping after the office Christmas party, the sequins on your party dress are fading and you’re wondering what happened to that pile of sprouts you hid behind the piano to avoid eating them (and avoid upsetting your host). So while you consider if you can stomach another mince pie, why not have a think about your favourite National Museums Liverpool exhibition from 2007 and vote in our online poll!

Did ‘Doves and Dreams’ inspire you way back in Spring of this year? Or did you enjoy getting an intimate glimpse of The Beatles with Michael Peto’s revealing photography exhibition? Have your say and come back to find out the results in January. Once you’ve voted, you can also check out our program of events for 2008 here…

Note: Now These Days Are Gone, Victorian Visions, Magical History Tour and Merchant Palaces are continuing into 2008.

Looking for inspiration for writing or for creating your own artwork can sometimes be hard in a busy city, so I tried going out to see the exhibitions at Sudley House, to see if this would help. Having not been at National Museums Liverpool for long, I had never been, even though it is tucked away in leafy Mossley Hill, not far from my house. After getting a brief video 'talk' off a George Holt look-a-like, I started to take in the vast personal collection of work belonging to the man himself. In the Garden Hall, I found what turned out to be my favourite painting in the gallery; Circe and Scylla, by John Melhuish Strudwick.

The painting tells the story of two characters, Circe and Scylla, from the Greek myth as retold by the Roman author Ovid. It is a tale of jealousy and revenge, as the enchantress Circe poisons the water that Scylla is about to bathe in - because Scylla has captured the affections of the man Circe wants. I don't have a degree in fine art or anything like that, but I like the painting because of the mysterious and foreboding feeling it evokes, with the dark and mist and also because of the amazing detail that you can only see if you get up really close. Luckily at Sudley House, you are able to do this!

On the bottom right hand corner you can see the poison dropping into the river, with tiny bubbles and splashes as it hits the surface - I nearly missed the evil looking bat, lurking in the darkness nearby. I think you can tell that Circe is intent on bad things, not only by her expression, but also by the way her hand is clenched at her dress. I think details like these are really great in a painting.

I like to look at paintings before reading about them, to decide what I think the painting is about - my guess was something representing heaven and hell, you can probably see why I thought that. The other thing I like is that Scylla reminds me of Boticelli's Venus as well, with those robes and flowing hair.

It definitely inspired me to look up the myth, to see what happens next - Scylla is supposed to turn into a sea monster! I'd recommend going to have a look as you can't really appreciate it from a photograph and it is really good being able to go to a gallery and see such interesting paintings up close.

Clare Hamilton's Sunday programme came from the newly-reopened Sudley House. You can catch it on BBC Radio Merseyside's 'listen again' facility. Featured are decorative arts curator Robin Emmerson, talking about the history of the house and the Merchant Palaces exhibition, and George Holt (aka Paul O'Keefe) taking about his life and collection.

Blue Funnel Line poster. Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post & Echo.

Since childhood I, Stephen Guy, have loved visiting Sudley House, Mossley Hill, Liverpool, which reopens this Saturday 26 May following a £1 million refurbishment.

It is the former home of George Holt, a member of the Victorian shipping family dynasty. When he retired from his company, Lamport and Holt, he extended Sudley to house his magnificent art collection where it remains to this day.

One of his brothers was Alfred Holt, founder of the legendary Blue Funnel Line. Alfred aimed to build safe, reliable and economic ships and achieved this with great distinction. From the 1890s his vessels were of such high quality that the term Holts’ Class was used to describe such excellence. The technical distinction of Holt ships became a great source of pride within the company.

The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 was a major boost to Blue Funnel because it shortened the UK to China route by 3,300 miles. From the 1890s it had a worldwide network covering Java, Australia, USA and across the Pacific Ocean. However, the China and Far East trade remained Blue Funnel’s core business until the early 1970s. Blue Funnel later became the Ocean Group, ceasing to own ships in the late 1980s.

The Merseyside Maritime Museum has many Blue Funnel-related items in its collections. The ship models include the motor vessel Priam of 1966, among the last conventional cargo liners to be built for the company. In just a few years she became outdated due to the advent of huge container ships.

Another model is one such container ship - the 58,000 ton Liverpool Bay of 1971 built for Overseas Containers Ltd (OCL), of which the Ocean Group was a founder member.

A fascinating map shows where 41 Blue Funnel ships were sunk in the Second World War. A total of 324 of the company’s seafarers lost their lives. There is a builder’s half-model of one of these unfortunate ships – the Cyclops of 1906. She was sunk by the U-23 submarine in the north Atlantic in 1942 with the loss of 87 lives.

There is the ship’s bell from the Demodocus (1912) which hung for many years in the old Liverpool Institute (now Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts). It was presented by Lawrence Durning Holt, chairman of the school governors, in the early 1950s.
 
A new Maritime Tale appears every Saturday in the Liverpool Echo.
 

A couple of programmes to catch over the next couple of weeks. On Wednesday 16 May at 7pm on BBC2, Jonathan Meades: Abroad Again will be looking at urban regeneration, and visits Liverpool when he'll be checking out the Art and the Sea gallery at the Merseyside Maritime Museum.

Then, 26 May sees the reopening of Sudley House. BBC Radio Merseyside are marking the occassion on the Sunday (27 May) at 1-3pm with a mix of pre-recorded and live interviews from the gallery. 

Installation of the glass elevator - if only there was a chocolate factory to go with it

I went for a look around Sudley House earlier this week. Sudley contains the only Victorian merchant's art collection still held in its original setting and is due to re-open its grand doors on Saturday 26 May after a period of refurbishment.

In addition to housing fabulous works by Turner, Reynolds and Gainsborough Sudley now boasts a special exhibition space, dedicated learning suite and has increased accessibility thanks to a great glass elevator Willy Wonka would be proud of.

Charlie Coburn one of our gallery attendants at Sudley has been keenly documenting the improvement works. His photographs provide an interesting insight into the hard work that happens behind the scenes at NML. Check out his images on our Flickr page - the builders have certainly been busy.

With venues re-opening and the prospect of another glorious night for the reds in Europe, the penultimate week in May looks set to be an exciting one. I can't wait. 

Penny Craige in costume as Mary the maid

At first glance this looks like a scene from Doctor Who, with a Victorian maid being attacked by an evil alien robot. Don't worry, there's no need for sonic screwdrivers, this is just a photo that Mark Saunders from our AV department sent me of some of the work they're doing for the refurfbishment of Sudley House.

To be honest, I had no idea that the AV guys led such a glamorous life, hobnobbing with actors and film crews, as I thought they just dealt with the technical side of things. However, they were involved in every aspect of this project, from getting the scripts approved, to finding the right actors and getting them kitted out in the right period costumes, and of course the filming itself in local studios Toxteth TV. Actually, these costumes are on hire from the BBC, so maybe they have been in Doctor Who after all!

The filming is for a series of video clips that will be shown in Sudley House when it reopens on 26 May. The actors are playing two of the former inhabitants of the house, George Holt and his daughter Emma, as well as Mary, the fictional maid. Together they will introduce visitors to the house and give a glimpse of what life was really like there when it was still a family home.

You can see more photos of the filming at Toxteth TV in a Flickr slideshow.

Norman Killen - lost in music

Two Liverpool legends turned 60 this week, both of whom I met when I started working at the Walker Art Gallery a long time ago (we’re talking more years than I have fingers here).

I’ll never forget being introduced to Julian Treuherz on my first day of work as an information assistant at the Walker. He told me that he thought the front of house staff were the most important people working in the building, as we were the first ones the public saw when they came in.

Give him his due though, as the keeper of 3 national galleries (the Walker, Lady Lever Art Gallery and Sudley House) and the brains behind blockbuster exhibitions including Rossetti in 2003 and Alma Tadema in 1997, he wasn’t exactly insignificant himself. Julian retired on Friday but I hear that he'll still be involved with a major exhibition at the gallery next year.

Also celebrating his sixth decade is one of my former colleagues from the info desk, Norman Killen. He spent most of my first weeks tidying up after me, then once he had knocked me into shape he started broadening my musical horizons with some mix tapes that I still treasure. He was well placed to do this, for after DJ-ing at many of the city’s coolest clubs including Eric’s and the Sink, as well as working at Probe Records, he has played a major part in improving the musical taste of the city over the years.

As you’d expect, the music at his party on Saturday was fantastic. The birthday boy himself got behind the turntable, in between live music from the Rocketeers and Deaf School, who were joined for one song by a singer who was truly 'one step beyond'. Happily Norman has no intention of hanging up his uniform, or his record bag, just yet. The Walker just wouldn't be the same without him.

Subtitle: diversionary tactics part 2.

Festive detail from the not very festive Daphnephoria

Today's foray into the world of 'kind of work' has been provided by the Guardian art & architecture blog which has posed the question 'what is your favourite Christmas painting?' In the spirit of 'diversionary tactics' I'd better go for images from our own collections. You'll know a lot of these as they are regularly used on Christmas cards. My choices are:

• Peter Doig's 'Blotter'
• The Shortening Winter's Day Is Near A Close by Farquharson (proper chocolate box stuff)
• The image shown is a detail from The Daphnephoria by Lord Leighton which, despite being used on lots of Christmas cards, isn't even about winter. The Daphnephoria was an ancient festival held every nine years in honour of the god, Apollo. So now you know.
• Snowdrift by Edward Onslow Ford is often used as well, despite being about the end of winter and the coming of spring. 
• Just realised that one our most popular Christmas pics isn't on our main site (job for the new year me thinks), Angel Playing A Flageolet by Burne-Jones.

Guess this is the National Museums Liverpool blog signing off for a few days. Have a restful and peaceful holiday, whatever you end up doing.

It's around this time that people start asking me what big exciting things are going to be happening in our venues next year. Something that I'm looking forward to is the reopening of Sudley House. The venue, in my old student stomping ground of south Liverpool, is currently being refurbished to improve access and create new displays. Dave Moffat, assistant curator of decorative art, is pictured above with two of the dolls that will be going in Sudley's new Toy Zone, which will feature vintage playthings as well as brand new activities for young visitors. Keep an eye on the website for details of the opening in summer 2007.

There are more dolls in the selection of Christmas e-cards on our website - our conservators have assured me that they have treated the dolls much more carefully than the girl on the Doll's bathtime e-card!

Detail from Holman Hunt's 'The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple'

There's an interesting article on the 24 Hour Museum site by Jacob Simon from the National Portrait Gallery on the portrayal of disability in art. Several of the artists mentioned also feature in our collections including Zoffany, Hogarth and Reynolds.

This got me thinking about the portrayal of disability in our own collections, and wondering how much attitudes have changed in the time since these magnificent pieces were painted. Just off the top of my head I can think of the blind man in Holman Hunt's 'The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple' (see image), and three depictions of Nelson (by West, Drummond and Maclise) who at the time of his death was missing an eye and an arm.  

Benjamin Robert Haydon considered himself near blind but still managed to produce several works including 'Christ Blessing the Little Children' which was commissioned to decorate a chapel for the blind (this linked page includes his son's description of Haydon wearing several pairs of spectacles at once).

There is also the theory that JMW Turner had increasing problems with his sight as he aged - colour blind from an early age and then cataracts in later life (check out this Guardian article). Works like The Falls of the Clyde might be seen as the result of a condition, though we probably wouldn't describe Turner as disabled.  

I guess the most famous modern representation of disability in art is Marc Quinn's wonderful statue, 'Alison Lapper Pregnant', which stands in Trafalgar Square. It seems that attitudes really have changed.

Should also mention, in case you've missed it, that National Museum Liverpool is hosting events as part of this year's DaDa Fest. More details on the North West Disability Arts Forum website.

See this painting at the Stubbs exhibition at Tate Britain

They say that wherever you go in the world you'll meet a scouser. I'm not sure if paintings and other items from scouse collections count, but I certainly encountered a lot when I was down in London at the weekend. It was starting to feel like a home away from home.

I saw a familiar pair of cheeks at the Hockney exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, which features Peter getting out of Nick's pool from the Walker. If you go then have a look at the painting from the gallery opposite, as it's beautifully framed by the arched doorways - a really nice touch I thought. Next door the National Gallery are featuring another Walker painting, The Murder, in their Cézanne in Britain exhibition.

There are no less than 9 (count them!) works from the Walker and Lady Lever Art Gallery in George Stubbs: A celebration at Tate Britain, an exhibition that you may have seen at the Walker earlier this year. Another popular painting, the Walker's Henry VIII, is also there in the Holbein in England exhibition.

In the Imperial War Museum you can read the story of canine hero Jet and see a painting of him from our collections in the exhibition The Animals' War. The beautiful sculpture Danaid that visitors to Sudley House will remember is currently on show in the Royal Academy's Rodin exhibition. 

It's not just works of art that have made it down to London either. The exhibition The Great White Bear at the Horniman Museum includes photographs of every taxidermied polar bear in UK collections, which were taken by artists Bryndís Snaebjörnsdóttir and Mark Wilson as part of the project nanoq: flat out and bluesome. Our polar bear is featured, although its circumstances have changed since the artists photographed it in storage a couple of years ago. Since then it has been conserved at the National Conservation Centre and is now back out on display again at World Museum Liverpool.

The good news is that there's still lots to see in our galleries in Liverpool - well we are the capital of culture for 2008 after all! With such an embarrassment of riches up here it's only fair that we share them with the Londoners when we can.

Here are some behind the scenes shots of Sudley House, the art gallery and former merchants' house, which is undergoing a bit of a face lift at the moment. The building is currently closed and is due to reopen in spring 2007. The images show the rear first floor exhibition area, the new lift under construction and an exterior view from the former walled garden. More details on the plans for Sudley can be found on our main website.

The new lift will make Sudley House so much more accessible

Gallery attendants admire the revamped first floor exhibition space

Scaffolding surrounds the building