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Durban House Heritage Centre opens Over 150 guests attended the official opening of the new £1m Durban House Heritage Centre Exhibition by Notts writer and ex-Coronation Street star Billy Ivory. Among those present were the Mayor of Eastwood Councillor Ellie Lodziak, Broxtowe's Mayor Councillor Maureen Tewson, the Chairman of Greasley Parish Council Councillor Ken Marsland as well as Leaders of Nottinghamshire County Council, Broxtowe Borough Council, local MPs and MEPs. Organisers of
'The D H Lawrence Heritage Experience'
are hoping to attract Lawrence fans world-wide to the new exhibition,
as well as educational school parties, academics and of course
local residents. And they estimate that more than 20,000 visitors
a year will view the exhibition, forming part of the Blue Line
Trail, a tour around places in the town linked to Lawrence's life
opened by the former Conservative Chancellor Ken Clarke. The new
exhibition also complements the nearby D H Lawrence Birthplace
Museum on Victoria Street (pictured below). Visitors to the Durban House Exhibition can see a Victorian street scene, crawl through a narrow mine working, experience the fun of a Victorian Fair and sit in a schoolroom which Lawrence would have recognised as a boy. And the first thing they will encounter at the entrance to the exhibition is a model of a young boy waiting to pick up his father's wages - just as Lawrence did as a boy from the former caol company's offices when it belonged to mine-owners Barber, Walker & Co. Broxtowe's Tourism and Heritage Officer Joan Wildgust said all the items featured were unique and had never been exhibited before. She said: "We are trying to bring a new interpretation to Lawrence`s work in order to make it more accessible to everyone. The exhibition begins with a history of Eastwood, which includes a copy of the Domesday Book's entry about Eastwood. Next there is a kitchen scene at nearby Haggs Farm showing a life-size model of Lawrence with his girlfriend, soulmate and mentor Jessie Chambers who is Miriam in the semi-autobiographical Sons and Lovers." A copy of the pages of Lady Chatterley`s Lover used in the notorious 1960 trial which eventually established the literary worth of the novel is another of the exhibition`s notable features. Said Joan: "After the schoolroom the exhibition then moves to the future - what Lawrence would have experienced had he shared the fate of his contempories." A room full of mining memorabilia includes the 'Coal Crawl', a mock-up of a 3ft 2in high Brinsley Colliery tunnel, which visitors can try out for size. Also featured is a Purdy Lamp, invented by Eastwood man William Purdy in the 1870s, who was unfortunately beaten to fame and fortune by the Davey Lamp because he couldn't afford the copyright fees. A mine accident book containing some gruesome entries reads; 'pinned beneath cattle and relighter' and 'kicked by a horse'. Other local industries also feature strongly in the exhibition, including framework knitting, pottery, agriculture and the canals. A video showing the history of the town's trams - or the 'Ripley Rattlers' as they were known - takes the visitors on the last section of the exhibition 'The Wakes', which again features strongly at the beginning of Lawrence's Sons and Lovers. Here younger visitors to the exhibition can throw balls through holes in an original fairground target board, then enjoy pulling faces into a distorted mirror, next to which is a Victorian merry-go-round horse. The exhibition also includes a 'dressing-up box' of Victorian costumes for the youngsters to try on and replicas of Lawrence's postcards sent from all over the world. Said Broxtowe Borough Council Leader Councillor Milan Radulovic: "The most important aspect of this exhibition is that we are trying to teach local people about their heritage which will hopefully give them a greater sense of pride in their community." Information from Eastwood &
Kimberley Advertiser and Greasley, Awsworth, Newthorpe, and Watnall
News |
The
interactive exhibition, which cost more than £1m, has been
funded by European and Government money, along with cash from
