| |
In subsequent years his wise counsel was
always at our disposal and he gladly accepted our invitation
in 1994 to become a Vice President of the Arkwright Society and
later a member of the Executive.
In this capacity he was particularly associated with the
Annual Arkwright Lecture at the University of Derby. Not
only was he able to persuade distinguished speakers such
as Loyd Grossman, Liz Forgan and Melvyn Bragg to attend but
he helped to give a distinctive character to the lecture
by his own vibrant and adroit chairmanship. He also strongly
supported our commitment to the Derwent Valley World Heritage
Site and was instrumental in securing a visit by the then,
Minister for the Arts, Tessa Blackstone MP in May 2003. He
chaired a session of the National Conference of the UK World
Heritage Sites held at Cromford Mill in November 2004, a
cause for which he constantly lobbied at home and abroad.
In so many different ways we benefited from his forceful
intellect allied with his great sensitivity and acute judgement,
always garbed in an unassuming manner
and often laced with biting wit. A compassionate man, he appreciated and contributed
to the employment and education opportunities which the Mill offers. Many times
when faced with a problem we have said “better find out what Phillip thinks”.
Sadly no longer an option but how grateful we are for his prompt responses, wisdom
and friendship over so many years.
Phillip will be commemorated by the renaming of the Annual Arkwright Lecture
in 2006 to The Phillip Whitehead Memorial Lecture.
Pictured above with Melvyn
Bragg: The late Phillip Whitehead MP – a
commited and much missed supporter of the Arkwright
Society.
|
> Back to
top
TV Diary
Those with Sky TV may have seen “Britain’s
Best Breaks”, screened on Channel 160 on 16th November.
The show included the Mill as part of a Peak District feature
of twelve local attractions.
Arkwright enthusiasts will be
interested to know that the Channel 4 programme “Time
Team” featured
an archaeological dig at an Arkwright Mill in Manchester in
their 5th February screening entitled “Rubble at the
Mill”. In the programme they particularly looked for
the source of two steam engines and the water that powered
the mill, and highlighted the relationship between industrial
archaeology and social history.
Though not featuring Cromford
Mill itself, “My Famous Family” to be screened
in May will be following the family tree of the Nightingale
and Browner families, both of whom were engaged in the textile
industry in Derbyshire in the 18th and 19th centuries. The
programme (one of a five part series) will include a sequence
about Peter Nightingale’s Mill at Lea Bridge (now Smedley’s)
and his relationship with Richard Arkwright.
Finally, filming
is now underway for Melvyn Bragg’s “Twelve Books
That Changed the World”. Arkwright’s patent for
his spinning machine is one of the key texts in focus and the
show will feature Melvyn Bragg at the site, both inside the
mill buildings and outside looking at the broader landscape
of the area.
> Back
to top
Quiltessential
Quiltessential opened for business on 15
October 2005. Located in the Mill Yard, next to the gift shop,
it is a specialist textile craft shop selling a wide range
of patchwork and quilting fabrics and equipment, along with
a range of items useful for a variety of textile crafts. General
sewing equipment is also stocked, as are decorative trimmings
including ribbons and beads, and handmade gifts and cards.
There is a changing range of quilts on display, some of which
are for sale.
Owner Ann Mayner has 25 years experience
of patchwork. She started sewing at the age of four and has
never really
stopped! Past interests include dressmaking, tailoring and
soft furnishings but patchwork has become an all-consuming
passion in recent years. Patchwork is enjoying something
of a renaissance and more people see it as an exciting contemporary
art form. This is reflected in the growing number of national
and international exhibitions, which attract many thousands
of visitors. Ann has exhibited quilts in a number of major
shows. She particularly enjoys creating small decorative
items
such as wall hangings. Ann is an active member of The Quilters’ Guild
of the British Isles, latterly as regional co-ordinator and
she currently serves on the Guild’s Exhibitions team.
This is Ann’s first business, and it is the fulfilment
of a long-held ambition. She took the decision to open a shop
in July last year, and after a day spent searching for suitable
premises, visited the Café in the mill yard for much-needed
refreshment. Unbelievably, there was an empty shop unit in
the Mill, and it was the ideal size for the venture. The
synergy between textile crafts and the historic cotton mill
make for
an ideal partnership!
Ann has expertise in many patchwork
techniques and is also knowledgeable about the history of
the craft and
about the place patchwork and quilting has in contemporary
textile art. She gives individual tuition and also arranges
regular practical workshops on a range of techniques.
The
shop is open every day, from 10 to 5 Monday to Saturday and
from
11 to 4 on Sundays.
> Back
to top
Clock Face Recovery
What a wonderful surprise it was
to receive a call in November from the Gartland family
of Mansfield. “Hunting for treasure” at a
car boot sale they had come across a clock face which
looked interesting, and after purchasing it, they began
to try and trace its history. The wonders of today’s
modern internet facility meant that as soon as they entered
its details on to their computer it came up as registered
stolen. After enquiries with the Police the Gartlands
got in touch with the Society to say they believed it
was indeed the face of our clock, stolen in a bungled
robbery in February 2003.
Examination of the face revealed
that they were correct, and the face is now safely back
in the hands of the Society reunited with the pendulum
which was dropped by the burglars and the clock case
which was badly damaged during the break in.
The mechanism
and hands are still missing but the clock is now being
fitted with another mechanism and hands of the same era
and, from the outside at least, will certainly look like
its old self once again.
Details of the process of restoration
will be given in our next newsletter as we follow the
clock’s progress through to its reinstatement at
the Mill.
In the meantime, a very warm thank you to the
Gartlands for their detective work, and to all those
who helped in our campaign to recover the clock. Remember – the
mechanism is still out there so keep on looking!
|
|
> Back
to top
The Learning Centre
- A New Look for 2006
The Cromford Learning Centre, and the Karten
CTEC Centre have been given a face lift by the University of
Derby in Buxton. The centres provide training focused around
IT and because of the nature of the building the activities
of the centre are split between two floors. The ground floor
has been designed with facilities for disabled students with
adaptive devices that include voice recognition software, Braille
printer and graphic tablet. Upstairs able-bodied students are
offered an ever-widening curriculum supporting the University’s
development of e-learning and its commitment to bringing learning
to smaller communities in Derbyshire. The facilities available
will therefore continue to improve.
The location, adjacent
to Arkwright’s Cromford Mill and within the Derwent Valley
Mills World Heritage Site is significant for the local community
in terms of placing the modern world at the centre of an old
world; for the students it joins them to the developing commercial
environment.
The staff at the centre is experienced in meeting
the needs of all students and gives support and guidance where
needed. IT courses offered include ECDL and CLAiT levels 1 & 2,
together with other Learndirect and Basic Skills courses. All
courses, based upon flexible individual learning, are offered
at very competitive prices and are available for an immediate
start. Free tasters are possible.
For further information please
call in to the centre at Carriage House on Mill Lane or call
us on 01629 826285, alternatively Email: karten@derby.ac.uk
> Back
to top
Notice Board
A Sad Goodbye
It is with great sadness that
the Society reports the recent death of Maureen Summers on
21st January 2006. Maureen, a talented artist, was a long term
friend and supporter of the Society’s work and had, for
many years, displayed her paintings in the Restaurant. By her
own request, those of her paintings still hanging in the Restaurant
will remain on sale. She will be sadly missed.
Call to all
Heritage Open Day Supporters
It is time to get our plans for
this years HODs underway. If you have any ideas for places
to visit, tours or talks that you think might fit into our
programme please contact Louise Sweeney on 01629 823256 or
by email at
visitorservices@arkwrightsociety.org.uk
Plants Please!
May
is fast approaching and as usual we will be hosting both the
Specialist and the Cottage Garden Plant Sales here at the Mill
over the two bank holidays. Sales of plants bring in much needed
donations to the Society and any plants donated to us will
be on sale outside Shop in the Yard throughout the Spring and
Summer months. So come on all you green fingered supporters – pot
up a few extras in your greenhouse for us and deliver your
donated plants to the Shop in the Yard. Your help is very much
appreciated.
Volunteer Opportunity
Interested in books? – our
new bargain bookstore needs a volunteer to help with the running
of shop one day a week. No experience necessary but a love
of books a must! Call Ros on 01629 823256 for details
> Back
to top
Art at the Mill 2006
> Back
to top
Registered Charity No: 515526
|
|
