Heritage Centre News - TrustNews April 1985
Exhibitions
During the past three months we have mounted three exhibitions all of which, in differing ways, illustrated how our heritage is continually changing.
The first was a presentation of the entries for the Preservation Trust's Architectural Awards competition. With this was associated a small exhibit by the Hants & Isle of Wight Naturalists' Trust illustrating some of the threats to our landscape.
This was followed by the revised Winchester Area Local Plan (WALP) which was very well attended but largely by people interested in a personal problem rather than the overall concept of the plan. From our own personal view it seems that the present Heritage Centre is not threatened by the development of the City Centre. Perhaps because the WALP was shown for only two weeks, several people attended the third exhibition hoping to see WALP.
The third exhibition was of the English Tourist Board's report on Tourism in Winchester and the City Council's reaction to it. Though this did not attract a large number of visitors it is of importance to the Heritage Centre as our future success will depend to some extent on our ability to attract tourists.
Children and the Heritage Centre
At last we seem to be developing this side of our activities. Currently an interesting display by 10 - 11 year olds from King's Worthy School on their project on Jewry Street is in the upstairs room. King's Worthy School has booked this room in June for 3 days as their centre while they carry out a project on the High Street.
A Junior School from Croydon has booked the room as a foul weather escape in May, as has also a school from the Portsmouth area. In association with the "Wildlife and Your City" exhibition, children's holiday lectures have been arranged on 9th and 11th April.
The Itchen Valley Branch of NADFAS (a new corporate member of the Trust) has expressed interest in arranging projects for children in the Summer Holidays.
Books and other things
The Book Sale on 30th March produced a net profit of over £130 - a very satisfactory result.
Our book stock is now very low and needs to be rebuilt. Please think of the Heritage Centre when you are spring-cleaning your shelves, and ask others to do the same. Collection can be arranged if necessary.
We would also be glad to have gramophone records of all kinds, including the old 78s. (An old wind-up gramophone would be useful, too). Other saleable items are prints and pictures (framed or unframed), sheet music, runs of good quality magazines, postcards and photographs. (If you have something which could be of interest to the Trust's Archives Committee, please attach your name and telephone number or address).
We can't take bric-a-brac at the present time as our storage facilities are only suitable for items that can be stacked.
Donations and Gifts
Through the good offices of one of our members we have received £250 from Shell International towards the cost of buying furniture. Many of the present tables and chairs in the Centre presently are on loan, so we still welcome gifts of these items.
Volunteers
The Hon. Manager is always pleased to hear from people who would like to help man the Centre. Volunteers are not expected to be experts on the exhibition. Perhaps the main attribute is a liking for people, and one of the main tasks to recruit members to the Preservation Trust. For further information apply to Dr. George Swift, 12 Ashbarn Crescent, Badger's Farm, Winchester. (Tel. 53481).