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Roman!Empire:!Power!and!People!!comes!to!SegedunumFriday! 29! May! was! the! date! of! out! triple!celebration! evening! and! it! certainly!was! a!wonderful!occasion.!!Mary!Glindon,!Member!of! Parliament! for! North! Tyneside,! Sue!Raikes,!Head!of! Learning,!Audiences!and!Volunteers!at!the!British!Museum!and!Maria!Bojanowska,!Head!of!National!Programmes!at!the!British!Museum!joined!us.!!!!The! main! event! was! the! opening! of! the!stunning!Roman&Empire:&Power&&&People!exhibition! (which! was! coLcurated! by! Sue!Raikes).! The! exhibition! which! fills! both!Galleries! 1! and! 2,! as! well! as! the! newly!

refurbished! Shrine! of! the! Standards,! has!numerous!fabulous!worldLclass!objects!and!provides!a!stunning!display!for!our!visitors!this!summer.!!We!also!officially!opened!the!new!Empire&&&Frontier! introductory! gallery! which! was!funded! through! DCMS! Wolfson,! the! Arts!Council,! a! number! of! grant! aiding!organisations! and! donations! from! our!visitors.! ! This! gallery! sets! the! context! for!Segedunum! within! the! Roman! Empire,!Roman! Britain! and! the! Hadrian’s! Wall!frontier.!

Summer!2015!

Last,! but! not! least!we! marked!Segedunum’s! 15th!birthday! with! some!rather! nifty! XV!badges!and!a!rather!delicious! Roman!helmet! cake!! ! This!significant! birthday!gave! us! the!

opportunity! to! reflect! back! on! the! last! 15!years.! ! Over! that! time! Segedunum! has!welcomed!660,000!visitors!–!local,!national!and!international.!!!The! Museum! has! also! won! a! number! of!awards! during! this! period! –! for! the!archaeological!work,!major!exhibitions,! the!schools! programme! and! for! the! quality! of!the!visitor!experience.!!Indeed!back!in!2001!it! was! named! in! an! article! in! the!Sunday&Times!as!one!of!the!top!10!museums!in!the!world!!!Highlights! have! included! high! profile!exhibitions! such! as! the! loans! from! the!National! Portrait! Gallery! and! the! British!Museum! –! most! memorable! were! the!Across& the& Board! board! games! exhibition!with!a!number!of!the!Lewis!Chessmen,!and!the! iconic!bronze!and!marble!busts!of! the!Emperor!Hadrian.!!Segedunum!has!also!played!a!key!role!as!a!venue!for!events!including!the!launch!of!the!!

Hadrian’s!Wall!Path!National!Trail!that!starts!/!ends!at!the!fort,!Illuminating&Hadrian’s&Wall!and!of!course!the!annual!Fireworks&from&the&Fort& event! that! attracts! a! huge! audience.!!Also! you! may! have! seen! Segedunum!featured!as!the!climax!venue!for!the!BBC’s!Hadrian’s& Wall& of& Sound& on! 5! June,! with!broadcasts! regionally! on! Look& North! and!nationally!on!The&One&Show!!

!It’s! been! a! great! 15! years! and! I’d! like! to!thank!you!all!for!your!continuing!support!and!for!being!part!of!Segedunum’s!story.!Finally,! looking! to! the! future!we!anticipate!that!the!archaeological!work!on!the!section!of! Hadrian’s!Wall! and! the! original! Roman!baths! site! will! begin! towards! the! end! of!August.! ! I’m! sure,! like! me! you’re! looking!forward! to! seeing! how! that! develops! and!how! the! next! part! of! Segedunum’s! story!unfolds.!!Geoff!Woodward!Museum!Manager!North!&!South!Tyneside.!

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Maureen!Underwood!Sad!news!–!Maureen!died!suddenly!at!home!on!Saturday!27th!June!and!her!funeral!took!place!on!Wednesday!8th!July!at!Tynemouth!Crematorium.!A!wreath!was!sent!on!behalf!of!the!Friends!and!many!Friends!attended!the!service.!!Maureen!was!a!tireless!worker!for!the!Friends!but!always!in!the!background!quietly!helping!to!serve!teas!and!coffees!at!our!events.!She!will!be!sadly!missed!and!our!condolences!and!best!wishes!go!to!her!family.!

!Conference!last!call.!

This!is!a!reminder!that!the!BAFM!conference!!this!year!is!to!be!held!at!the!Cheltenham!Chase!Hotel!on!Friday!16th!–!Sunday!18th!October!2015.!The!theme!is!“Does&the&past&have&a&future?&&Engaging&the&next&generation”!!!!A!booking!form!and!outline!programme!can!be!found!at!the!end!of!this!newsletter.!!Although!the!form!gives!a!deadline!for!booking!of!1st!May!it!may!be!worth!checking!directly!with!BAFM!to!see!if!there!are!still!places!available.!There!is!always!a!full!report!on!proceedings!in!the!BAFM!Journal!and!we!will!summarise!this!in!a!future!Newsletter.!!BAFM!Journal!–!Summer!edition!The!Journal!has!just!been!published!so!this!is!a!brief!outline!of!points!of!interest.!A!fuller!report!will!be!given!in!the!next!Newsletter.!!Items! of! local! interest! include! a! feature! on! Friends! of! the! Laing,! celebrating! 50! years! of!existence!and!a!full!page!feature!on!the!already!well!publicised!exhibition!at!Bowes!Museum,!“Yves&St&Laurent:&Style&is&Eternal”!which!runs!!from!11th!July!to!25th!October!and!is!the!first!Yves!St!Laurent!exhibition!to!be!held!in!the!UK.!!Also!of!interest!is!a!report!on!the!BAFM!NE!Regional!Conference!held!at!Segedunum!in!April!which! featured! a! keynote! speech! by! our! own! Bill! Griffiths! on! the! Present! and! Future! of!Museums!in!the!North!East.!!!

Meet!your!Committee!!

My!name!is!Phyllis!Benoist.!M.A.!B.A.!(Hons)!!When! I! was! at! school! my! favourite! subject! was! history,! I!studied! this! among! other! subjects! for! my! G.C.E! and! A!level!qualifications.!I!later!attended!Newcastle!University!and!obtained!a!Masters!Degree!in!History!of!Ideas!also,!in!addition!I!graduated!a!BA!(Hons:)!degree!in!History!of!Visual!Arts.!!My!enthusiasm!has!never!waned,!and!as!such,!I!enrolled!for!various!topics!through!the!"Future!Learn"!University!online!courses*.!These!include:!Life&on&the&Roman&Wall&:&Shell&Shock&in&the&First&World&War.&(Parts&I&&&II)&:&Wellington&and&the&Battle&of&Waterloo.!!I! joined! The! friends! of! Segedunum! to! expand! my! knowledge,! I! am! also! a! member! of!Wallquest.! I! was! part! of! the! team! who! researched! the! location! of! the! original! Roman!bathhouse.!I!am!a!TWAM!volunteer!!I!consider!it!a!privileged!to!have!!become!a!committee!member!of!The!Friends!of!Segedunum!and!which!I!enjoy!very!much.!!.!(*! Ed’s! note:! for! more! information! on! these! courses! –! (which! are! free)! visit:!www.futurelearn.com!)!

Tyne!and!Wear!Museums!and!Archives!Service!Impact!Statement!2014/15!

Every! year! TWAM! publishes! an! Impact! Statement! which! describes! the! its! activities,!achievements!!and!!financial!performance!for!the!whole!TWAM!service.!There!is!a!section!for!each!museum!within!TWAM!and!the!section!relating!to!Segedunum!is!set!out!below.!!!“Important&archaeological&discoveries,&mustRsee&events&and&a&programme&to&commemorate&the&centenary&of&WW1&made& for&a&varied&and& interesting&year.&Volunteers&working&on& the&Heritage& Lottery& funded,& community& archaeology& project& WallQuest& made& their& most&significant&discovery&to&date,&by&finding&the&fort’s&original&Roman&baths.&The&site&of&the&Roman&baths& had& long& been& forgotten,& having& last& been& seen& 200& years& ago& when& they& were&discovered&during&the&building&of&a&coal&staith&leading&to&the&river.&The&man&who&discovered&the&original&bathhouse&in&1814,&John&Hodgson&(1779&R&1845),&was&Segedunum’s&subject&for&Wall&Face:&Portraits&of&the&People&Who&Revealed&Hadrian’s&Wall.&The&WallRwide&exhibition&of&portraits&of&the&pioneers,&who&protected,&conserved&or&told&the&story&of&Hadrian’s&Wall&was&dispersed&across&11&Roman&attractions&and&featured&prints&and&photographs&from&the&National&Portrait& Gallery.& As& part& of& TWAM’s&Wor& Life& 1914R18& programme& to& commemorate& the&centenary& of& WW1,& Segedunum& staged& an& exhibition& Ships,& Coal& && Zeppelins& R& North&Tyneside&in&the&First&World&War&exploring&the&importance&of&our&shipbuilding&industry&in&the&war& effort& and& a& number& of& events& and& talks.& Some& events& have& now& become& firmly&established&in&Segedunum’s&calendar&and&get&more&popular&every&year&including&Fireworks&at&the&Fort&R&now&one&of&the&largest&free&firework&displays&in&the&North&East&attracting&over&12,500&people.&Over&12&months&the&museum&attracted&48,527&visitors&and&9121&children&took&part&in&organised&educational&activities.”&&The! full! statement! can!be! viewed!at! https://twmuseums.org.uk/corporateLpublicationsLandLpolicies/impactLreportLandLaccounts?!!

News!from!the!Journal! Two!interesting!pieces!of!news!on!Roman!sites!in!the!region!appeared!in!the!Journal!for!27th!July!2015.!!!The!first!relates!to!Binchester.!!By!chance!on!the!day!after!our!visit!a!seven!year!dig!at! the! site! came! to! an! end.! The! dig!was!once! the! largest! Roman! dig! in! County!Durham! and! has! produced! a! number! of!artefacts! relating! to! metal! manufacture!which!apparently!took!place!in!the!Roman!period! at! the! site.! ! Although! the! dig! has!ended!there!is!still!much!work!to!be!done!in!analysis! and! research! of! the! finds!uncovered!during!the!dig.!

!The! second! relates! to! the! proposal! to!replace!the!Visitor!Centre!at!Once!Brewed!on! Hadrian’s! Wall! with! a! £14m! project!called! the! Sill! National! Landscape!Discovery!Centre.!The!good!news! is! that!the! project! has! attracted! funding! of! £1m!from!the!North!East!Rural!Growth!Network.!!!The! Sill! is! being! developed! by!Northumberland! National! Park! Authority!with! the! Youth! Hostels! Association!(England!and!Wales.)!

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It!is!expected!to!create!at!least!120!jobs,!contribute!almost!£5m!in!visitor!spending!to!the!North!East!economy!annually!and!provide!a!training!and!education!facility.!The!Centre!will!house!a!rural!enterprise!hub!for!10!to!20!businesses.!!In!February,!The!Sill!received!£7.8m!from!the!Heritage!Lottery!Fund.!The!project!has!also!received!investment!from!other!supporters,!including!£500,000!from!Northumberland!County!Council.!!The$latest$ investment$means$that$£13.4m$of$the$overall$£14.2m$cost$of$The$Sill$has$been$secured.$Construction$is$expected$to$begin$on$site$later$this$year$and$The$Sill$will$open$in$summer$2017.$$

From!your!committee!!Since! the! last! Newsletter! we! held! two!meetings,! ! in! June! and! July.! The!most!important! topic! in! the! first!meeting!was!Liz.!We!were!very!keen!to!show!the!high!regard!Liz! is!held! in!by!the!Friends!and!we!agreed!to!send!her!best!wishes!and!flowers!from!the!Committee!and!from!the!Membership!!.!We!temporarily!allocated!her! duties! amongst! the! Committee!members!L!!Chair!to!cover!finances,!Alan!Maddison! to! become! events! manager!and!other!Committee!members!to!cover!meeting! and! greeting! at! events.! Chair!also!to!coordinate!items!for!the!Summer!Newsletter!with!John!Fleet.!!We! then! considered! the! arrangements!for!the!coach!trip!on!18th!July!and!it!was!agreed!that!we!needed!a!strong!effort!to!sell!tickets.!!Finally! it! was! agreed! that! the! profit! of!£160!from!the!ANLHS!event!in!May!to!be!

split! between! Friends! of! Segedunum!£65k!Wallsend!Local!History!Society!£65!and!Friends!of!Wallsend!Green!£30.!!The!main!items!in!the!July!meeting!were!a! very! positive! report! on! Liz’s! progress!and! final!preparations! for! the!coach! trip!were! agreed,! particularly! checking! with!the! coach! company! and! the! guides! for!Binchester!and!Escomb!church.!We!agreed!that!we!would!start!planning!next! year’s! programme! at! the! next!committee! in! August.! ! On! the! latter!subject! we! rely! very! much! on!recommendations! from! members! to!ensure!the!high!standard!of!speakers!is!maintained!so!if!you!have!attended!an!interesting!and!informative!talk!please!let!us!have!details!of!the!speaker!and!topic.!!Mike!Halsey!Chair!

! !

Book!review!!

Most!members!will! know! that! we! have! a!wellLrespected! author! in! our! ranks! –!Ken!Hutchinson,! our! vice! chair,! who! is! also!chair!of!the!Wallsend!Local!History!Society.!!Ken’s!recent!book,!Wallsend!History!Tour!was!published!in!May,!is!the!seventh!which!he’s!published!since!2009.!!The!book!provides!a!collection!of!excellent!quality! pictures! of! Wallsend! past! and!(recent)!present.!!!But! Wallsend! History! Tour! is! not! just! a!picture!book!–!each!picture!is!linked!to!!

explanatory! text!which!provides!a!history!of!the!town.!There!is!a!detailed!map!of!Wallsend!showing!the!main! buildings! of! interest! in! the! town’s!history! and! it! is! small! enough! to! slip! into!your!pocket!to!accompany!you!on!a!tour!of!the! town.! Highly! recommended! and!available! from!Ken! or! at! the!Segedunum!shop.!!A spread from the book showing Nick Hodgson and (inset) Bill Griffiths at Segedunum !! !

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!British!Association!of!Friends!of!Museums!and!Galleries!

!I!was! one! of! the! 6! Friends! of! Segedunum! who! attended! BAFM’s! North! East! ! Regional!Conference!on!25th!April!(the!first!time!Segedunum!has!hosted!this!event).!!It’s!always!interesting!to!meet!representatives!of!other!Friends!Groups!–!the!Groups!vary!so!much! in!size,!and! the! range!of! their! activities.!We!heard! from! the!Friends!of!Sunderland!Museum!(said!to!be!the!first!Museum!established!outside!London,!in!1846),!and!the!Friends!of!Hatton!Gallery,!who!told!us!about!the!refurbishment!scheduled!for!2016/2017.!!!The!Friends!of!the!Laing!Art!Gallery!are!a!much!larger!group,!who!provide!financial!support!for!various!exhibitions!(and!even!arrange!holidays!for!members,!in!the!UK!and!abroad).!In!contrast,!the!Friends!of!Bede’s!World!were!established!only!in!2013,!and!have!only!about!40!members.!The!largest!local!Friends!group!appears!to!be!the!Friends!of!the!Bowes!Museum,!with!2160!members.!In!the!last!4!years!they!have!supported!Bowes!to!the!tune!of!£50,000!per!annum,!and!also!given!a!magnificent!£100,000! “topLup”! to! the!Museum’s!endowment!fund.!!At!Segedunum!we’re!lucky!to!have!regular!visits!from!Bill!Griffiths,!Head!of!Programmes!and!Archives!for!Tyne!and!Wear!Museums.!In!two!presentations,!Bill!described!the!development!of!the!Museum!at!Segedunum!from!its!beginnings!to!the!recent!discovery!of!the!foundations!of! the! original! bathhouse.! He! also! gave! us! an! illuminating! summary! of! the! changes! in!organisation!and!funding!possibilities!for!the!wide!variety!of!museums!in!our!area.!(Despite!the!“cuts”,!visitor!numbers!are!actually!increasing.)!In!the!future,!there!will!be!more!emphasis!on! increased! diversity,! training! for! skills,! adapting! for! the! digital! age,! and! increasing! the!involvement!of!young!people.!!The!other!main!speaker!was!Karen!Barker,!an!expert!on!the!problems!of!conserving!artefacts!discovered!in!a!“dig”,!often!in!an!advanced!state!of!corrosion.!She!led!us!through!the!complex!worlds!of!chemistry!and!metallurgy,!dealing!with!the!value!of!XLray!examination,!the!“agents!of!decay”!(such!as!exposure!to!air!or!contact!with!damp!soil),!the!effects!of!different!cleaning!agents,!and!how!to!house!artefacts!in!a!“stable!environment”.!!Finally!we!heard!from!Bernard!Rostrum!(from!Rochdale),!acting!BAFM!Chairman.!He!made!it! plain! that! the! marvellous! work! carried! out! by! Friends! Groups,! and! coLordinated! and!supported! by! BAFM,! depends! on! the! commitment! and! leadership! of! comparatively! few!people.!There’s!always!scope!for!any!of!us!who’d!like!to!get!more!involved!!!At!Segedunum,!we!aren’t!often!asked!to!“dig!deep”!in!our!pockets/purses!–!our!subscriptions!are,!in!my!view,!the!best!bargain!around!!So!the!cost!of!the!Conference!at!Ł18!might!seem!high.!But!I!thought! it!was!worth!every!penny,!and!I’d!encourage!any!Friend!to!try!a! future!Regional!Conference!for!themselves.!(If!only!I’d!brought!a!basket!for!some!of!the!surplus!from!the!buffet!)!!Stuart!Armstrong!March!2015!

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The British Association of Friends of Museums Conference

Name: Address:

Post code: Phone: Email: Mobile: Friends organisation: Position, if applicable: BAfM region: Name of partner/friend, if applicable: Please indicate below the events for which you wish to book a place Cost per

person: No of places:

Total cost

1. Conference Reception at The Wilson on Friday evening (16 October) £15.00 £ 2. Conference (including lunch and refreshments) on Saturday ( 17 October) £50.00 £ 3. Conference Dinner at the Daffodil on Saturday evening (17 October) £45.00 £ 4. Buffet lunch at The Wilson on Sunday (18 October) £15.00 £ Please indicate below your accommodation requirements at the conference hotel Cost:

Friday & Saturday nights at the Cheltenham Chase Hotel: single room, inc breakfast £198.00 £ Friday & Saturday nights at the Cheltenham Chase Hotel: double room, inc breakfast £218.00 £ 1 night only at the Cheltenham Chase Hotel (Fri/Sat): single room, including breakfast £99.00 £ 1 night only at the Cheltenham Chase Hotel (Fri/Sat): double room, including breakfast £109.00 £ x Additional nights can be booked directly with the hotel. OVERALL TOTAL x Free coach transfers between the hotel and town centre for the main events are included.

£

Please indicate whether you are interested in the free walking tours, as follows: Friday 16 October at 2.30 pm Tour A � No of places ….. Tour B � No of places ….. Sunday 18 October at 10.30 am Tour A � No of places ….. Tour B � No of places …..

Please tick here if you would be interested in a coach tour as an alternative to the walking tour. This will have a Cotswolds/Arts & Crafts theme and will be arranged if there is sufficient interest. There will be a small charge. � Yes, on Friday afternoon. � Yes, on Sunday morning. � Please tick here if you would like our colleagues at the Tourist Information Centre to help you find your own hotel accommodation in or around Cheltenham.

� Please tick here if you would be interested in staying as a guest in the home of a member of one of the host organisations. Please state whether you would need a double or a single room, and any special requirements:

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. NOW … 1. Please return this booking form NO LATER THAN 1st MAY 2015 as the rates shown for the conference

hotel cannot be guaranteed after this date. The balance is due by 4th September 2015. 2. Include a deposit cheque for £50 per person (non-refundable) payable to FCAGM Conference Account. 3. Enclose a large stamped addressed envelope if you require your acknowledgement to be sent by post. 4. Send to: BAfM Conference, c/o Mike Turner, Top Flight Printing, 93 St George’s Place, Cheltenham, Glos

GL50 3QB.

Email us at conference@fcagm.org.uk or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BAfM2015

Does the past have a future? Engaging the next generation Friday 16 – Sunday 18 October 2015 in Cheltenham

BOOKING FORM

Liz!Liddle!!Good!news!L!Liz!is!much!better!and!has!started!a!course!of!treatment!which!is!going!well.!She!has!been!keeping!in!touch!by!phone!and!text.!We!will!keep!you!updated!on!her!progress!

Contact!Details:!Friends!of!Segedunum!

Secretary:!Liz!Liddle!secretary@segedunumfriends.co.uk!or!mobile:!07960!409!003!

Newsletter!Editor:!John!Fleet!newsletter@segedunumfriends.co.uk!

Friends!of!Segedunum!2015!Dates!for!your!Diary:!

!Saturday!3rd!October! Prof!Reg!Hall!“History!of!Newcastle!Hospitals”!! (as!this!will!be!included!in!the!annual!“Age!takes!Centre!Stage”!

programme! it! will! be! necessary! to! reserve! a! place! through!Segedunum’s!reception.!The!usual!£2!charge!will!apply!only!for!non!members!as!a!contribution!towards!the!tea!and!biscuits)!

!Sat!19th!December! Prof! John! Derry! “Augustus:! ! Restorer! ! of! the! Republic! and!

Founder!of!the!Principate!! L!followed!by!Christmas!Lunch!! (details!of!menu!and!price!of!lunch!are!being!worked!out!now!and!

will!be!announced!at!Prof!Reg!Hall’s!talk)!

!Wallsend!Local!History!Society!2015!

Dates!for!your!Diary:!!

Monday!10th!August! Mrs!Freda!Thompson!“Newcastle!Grainger!Market”!Monday!14th!Sept! Edmund!Hall!“Tramways!of!Tyneside”!Monday!12th!October! Ken!Hutchinson!“Lost!Newcastle”!Monday!9th!November! Andrew!Clark!“Homefront!in!Wartime”!Monday!14th!December! George! Laws! Slide! show! from! our! archives! &! Christmas!Festivities!The!Society!meets!in!St!Luke’s!Church!Hall,!Frank!Street,!Wallsend!L!7pm!to!9pm.!!Membership!fee!is!£8!per!year.!!Visitors!welcome,!£2!per!meeting.!!There!are!facilities!for!disabled!persons.!!