News from July 2007...

Recent Acquisitions

Among the most recent items to be acquired by Southend Museums Service are the following:

Printed Order of Service for the Memorial service to the late Queen Victoria, held at Clifftown Congregational Church, and dated 2nd February 1901. Accession Number SOUMS : S2007.139

The rest of this selection are items made by the Southend firm of E.K. Cole. Usually associated with the manufacture of radios and televisions, in which fields they were pioneers, the firm also produced a range of other electrical and domestic plastic goods. We are particularly keen to build up collections in these related fields.

Combination Screwdriver and Spanner, made by EKCO (E.K. Cole Ltd of Southend), and probably given away with radio sets. It has a bakelite (an early form of plastic) body and is marked with the trade name 'EKCO'. Accession Number SOUMS : S2007.137.

EKCO Boilette. Water heater and egg boiler, in which the heating element fits into a glass beaker. It is fitted with a wire support for an egg, which can be boiled 'in the cup'!

Probably dating from the late 1960s or early 1970s it was made after EKCO had been taken over by Pye. Accession Number SOUMS : S2007.138.

EKCO Hotplate, in original packaging. This comprised a plastic body in the centre of which sat a small 'nightlight' candle. Over this body fits a thin, perforated, metal sheet on which you would place you plate of food. Accession Number SOUMS : S2007.141.

EKCO Warm Glow Soil Heater. In original packaging, and unused A 50 ft. (about 15 m) length of coiled wire was placed into the ground, and plugged into the mains.

This would create a 'hot bed' for the forcing of, for example, early crops. Made by EKCO heating and Electrical Ltd, Southend.
Accession Number SOUMS : S2007.142.

News from May 2007...

Discover Wildlife at the Priory

Over Sunday and Monday of the spring bank holiday weekend (6^th and 7^th May), the Museums Service held its now almost annual wildlife extravaganza.

As usual it was extremely successful with over 750 visitors on both days. It was centred on the priory Museum, but there were plenty of outdoor attractions including the ever popular pond-dipping, mini-beast safaris and bird-watching walks. Inside the museum a variety of wildlife organisations had stalls including the Essex Beekeepers, EWT and the RSPB to name just a few.

Particularly big attractions were the Essex Reptile and Amphibian Club which put on an impressive display of snakes, lizards, toads and tarantulas. Not only could you examine the snakes close up, you could also have your photo taken whilst handling them – a good way to deal with phobias!

There was also the giant bugs display (see photographs), courtesy of the museum and Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm from where most of them were hired. Many children had great fun handling the Giant Millipede (almost a foot long) and an enormous Jungle Nymph stick insect which is one of the largest insects in the world.

The pond-dippers managed to find an impressive 3.5cm Water Stick-insect, tadpoles and even a young fish.

On the mini-beast safaris, amongst numerous good finds, a number of the introduced Asian Harlequin Ladybirds were found as well as the larva of a scarce hoverfly and a land leech, the last two never before recorded from the park.

Summing up – a great day out for all the family!

Exhibited bugs included;

   Giant Millipede, Epibolus

   Hissing Cockroach from Madagascar, Gromphorrhina

   Dragon-headed Bush-cricket or Katydid, Acridoxena

   Jungle nymph, Heteropteryx

   2 Stag beetles, one with brown wing cases ,Hexarthris and one all black, Dorcus (both from S E Asia)

   Leaf insect (Thailand), Phyllium

There are serious concerns about the apparent decline of several species of bumblebees in Britain, but just to show that all is not doom and gloom, here is some good news.

A new bumblebee is established in Britain and it has now reached Essex.

On 23rd May a male Bombus hypnorum (it hasn't got an English name yet) was brought to the museum. It was one of two visiting Cotoneaster in the garden of moth expert, Don Down who lives in Thundersley. This is the first record of this bee in Essex.

It was first noticed in Britain during a bee survey near the village of Landford on the edge of the New Forest (Wiltshire) on 17th July 2001. There have been several records since at various sites in southern England including a queen found in Tring, Hertfordshire on 26th February, 2007. Its presence in Essex was therefore not unexpected.

On the Continent this is a common and widespread bee found from north of the Arctic circle to the Mediterranean. Its range also extends eastwards across Asia to China. There is even a race on Taiwan. It is one of the species that is not particularly fussy about habitat and it is a common garden species on the Continent found alongside garden bumblebees already familiar to us. 

It is quite likely, therefore, that in few years we shall see a lot more of Bombus hypnorum.

News from April 2007...

Southchurch Hall Excavation Report

In the evening of Wednesday 25 April Southchurch Hall was host to a most important event in its long history. The report on the excavations that had taken place in the 1970s and 1980s, recently published in the East Anglian Archaeology series, was launched. 

The report, 'A Medieval Moated Manor by the Thames Estuary' was compiled by Nigel Brown, with contributions from David Gaimster, Hilary Major, Qita Mould, David Andrews, Pat Ryan, John Jackson, and others. The report is divided into a number of sections, dealing with an account of the excavations, the documentary history of the Hall, a building survey and a detailed account of the finds.

The excavations had been conducted by the late John Jackson and Eric Hills, and members of the Southend-on-Sea and District Antiquarian and Historical Society, under the overall direction of Leonard Helliwell and Don MacCleod of Southend Museum. Their discoveries pointed to the existence of a previous, and much larger, hall, together with Chapel and other buildings, together with a very well preserved bridge structure of stone and timber. The finds illustrated the national and international connections that the occupants had, with pottery, for example, coming from Spain and the Low Countries. Other finds included glass ware, leather work (including shoes) and many metal objects.

Southchurch Hall is one of the most thoroughly investigated medieval moated manor houses in the country. The fully illustrated report will be on sale at Southchurch Hall and Southend Central Museum very shortly.

News from February 2007...

A Night in Southchurch Hall Museum

Ever wondered what it would be like if a museum came to life at night? If people from the past came back for one evening and continued their day to day life as if they had never left. Well, on the cold clear evening of Friday 2^nd February the settings came to life at Southchurch Hall Museum.

Visitors to the museum came face to face with a Victorian cook busy in her kitchen,  the welcoming smell of stew simmering away, the cook complaining about extra washing she had to do while she was busy preparing food.  

Upstairs the eccentric visiting Victorian naturalist welcomed visitors to his lodgings and showed the butterflies he had just found, whilst in the old candle lit parlour the welcoming and graceful Elizabethan lady entertained and informed. Outside, in the cold of the night, the modern astronomer regaling the visitors with stories of the beautiful night sky and showed the visitors the rings of Saturn.

Back within the ancient hall itself, the 'men of the manor' with their armour and weapons, kept an eye on the house while the household were out celebrating Candlemass.

When all the visitors had seen these fascinating glimpses into other worlds everyone was welcomed back into the atmospheric great-hall for refreshments and food where there was one last surprise for them all -  'Good Companye' - a trio of singers sang Elizabethan madrigals by candlelight to the delighted audience.

Then after the visitors all left, still excited, the hall settled back to slumber in the cold dark, February night.

This was the first of a yet another packed year of events from the museums. Proceeds from this memorable evening have gone to the Friends of Southend Museums Service for their support of the forthcoming Priory Project -  the complete refurbishment and re-display of Southend's oldest and much loved building.