Heritage Centre - TrustNews Summer 1992
The Heritage Centre, home of the Preservation Trust, has had an industrious spring with, first, the Trust's Design Award Exhibition followed by the Eurotunnel exhibition kindly loaned by the creators of the Channel Tunnel. This exhibition was opened by Councillor Pamela Peskett, Chairman of the Twinning Committee, and Edward Kellett-Bowman MEP, and coincided with Winchester's Open Weekend. To promote W.O.W. Radio Solent's Nick Girdler used the Centre the next day as the base for his live Saturday morning programme, which subsequently brought us visitors from a wide area to make one of the most successful exhibitions in the Centre in recent times.
The revolving displays (currently William Walker, Magdalen Hill Butterfly Reserve and Roger Brown's part model of Winchester in 1871 (soon to be changed again) and the Trust's Current Activities Panel depicting the work of the various subcommittees (Development Control, Landscape, Urban Studies including Chippindale Ventures etc) call for hard work and ingenuity in keeping the Trust's ideals to the forefront of Wintonians and visitors alike.
Many useful contacts have been made and maintained. One important occasion was the use of the Centre by the Chamber of Commerce. The Twinning Committee and other local committees intend to meet regularly at the Centre, as well as other community groups. It is still surprising after a decade, to meet people who have never heard of the Centre - one Chamber of Commerce member thought he was going to a village hall, and one eminent cleric from Winchster Close had never head of it!
Despite yet more building work (street repairing to be followed by the building of the new Community Support Centre) future plans include a display of Edwardian postcards entitled 'Wish you were here'; public houses, to be followed by The Fine Arts Auction Sale, postponed from March, to be held on Saturday October 3rd. This will give more time to collect enough items to make it a success - so please look through your attics and cellars! (see programme and form enclosed with this Newsletter).
Splendid work is being undertaken to enhance the whole ambience of the Centre, ranging from the shop, videos and displays. The new model of the Brooks Shopping Centre (kindly loaned by Ladbrokes) and another exciting "promise" will bring the story of Winchester up to the 1990s. Much credit for the enhancements must go to our new manager, Tony Hunter and the sub-committee headed by Rosemary Kinnaird Smith and Alan Cooke. The Centre is making every effort to promote the Trust and to get members more involved by exploring the possibilities of having winter Saturday openings (with coffee) and revising opening hours. Incidentally, the Manager is looking for people to join the team of stewards to look after the Centre during opening hours, so if anyone has an occasional two hours to spare please let him know. Watch this space for future developments, or better still, come and visit the Centre!
Now on view at the Centre is a fascinating large scale aerial view of Winchester presented by Aerofilms Limited. This was taken from an Islander aircraft flying at 5000 feet using a 200 foot long film. It is well worth a look.
Part of a recent leaflet about the Heritage Centre