News from Leatherhead Museum Committee in 2007

from the August 2007 LDLHS Newsletter
At a recent meeting we welcomed Goff Powell to our committee which now consists of Fred Meynen (chair), Margaret Longstreeth (secretary and membership), Gwen Hoad (treasurer) and members Julia Lack, Alan Pooley, Goff Powell and Pat Seymour.

Craft Days
The three craft days in June attracted 135 visitors of whom 45 were children. In presenting ‘The Magic of Woodland’, Robin Christian introduced children to making a model hurdle fence and a besom out of hazel sticks, and Julia Lack helped them to create their own piece of woodland in a sand tray. She also encouraged them to recognise woodland birds and butterflies. On the second day Justine Munson brought her potter’s wheel and Meredith Worsfold his jigsaws, and on the final day the Epsom Spinners came to demonstrate the theme ‘from fleece to finished garment’. On every occasion the emphasis was on ‘having a go yourself’, and the children were able to take away the products of their craft.

Coffee Morning and Sale
We had a good attendance with the various stalls which brought a record profit. This year we carried on into the afternoon with the stalls offering plants, cakes and bring-and-buy objects, and I am grateful to all the members and helpers for their hard work.
Both the craft days and coffee morning attracted new visitors to the museum, and the craft days received good coverage in “The Leatherhead Advertiser”, all of which help to advertise and promote the museum.
Fred Meynen

MUSEUM APPEAL - EXHIBITION AND PROGRESS REPORT
On Saturday and Sunday 8th and 9th September as part of the Heritage Weekend there will be an exhibition in support of the Museum Appeal at the Letherhead Institute. Schemes to enhance the appearance of the museum will be on display. There are currently three alternatives being examined by the trustees who will value your comments and suggestions. Opening times are from 10am to 4pm. I would welcome offers of help with the exhibition.

The appeal is continuing to attract donations but there is some concern that there are very few smaller donations so far. Almost all donations have been for £50 or more. Larger donations continue to be welcome but the trustees wish to be able to thank supporters who are able to give £5, £10 or £20 as well as those who can afford to give more.

The story so far. The first 10 donors gave £613 and an income of £284 per year by standing order. The first 20 donors brought the totals to £2,023 and (by standing orders) £412. By 30 the totals were £2,714 and £635. By 40 donations had reached £3,762 and £743. The latest totals are £4,596 and £743. The regular donations are very important : they provide a breathing space during which time we can build up an endowment which will provide a regular income of £1,500 per year to keep the museum ticking over.

So far donations have been spent on:
• Maintenance of gutters
• Repointing the flint base wall between the front and middle downstairs rooms of the museum
• Renewal of the back door and rerouting the down pipes between Hampton Cottage and Devonshire House so that the water from the roof is no longer discharged on to the ground.

We need future funds to:
• Improve ventilation
• Excavate the path between Devonshire House and the Museum. This path is 18" above the museum floor. The ground needs to be 6" to 9" lower than the floor to prevent damp seeping sideways into the museum.
• Some windows need to be repaired
• Also, if it is practicable, the trustees would like to improve wheelchair access.

With your help this will all be achieved.
John Morris
01372 362524

from the May 2007 LDLHS Newsletter
Leatherhead Museum re-opened to the public on 5th April after its winter closure. During the time that the museum has been closed the displays have been refreshed and now virtually all the display cabinets have been recently acquired and fitted with internal illumination.

As well as containing general artefacts from past times, back to Roman times, the Leatherhead and District Local History Society attempts to use its museum as a record of many of the activities of some of the major trades and industries in the area. They have major displays about Goblins, Ronsons and The Ashtead Potters.

You can learn the story of H Cecil Booth who was the inventor of the vacuum cleaner and learn of its development and how he brought his Goblin company to Ashtead just before the Second World War and established the business in the factory which had previously been used by the Rayon Manufacturing Company. They also made automatic tea making machines (Teasmades) and as well as many vacuum cleaners the museum has a large selection of Teasmades many of which are on display. Goblin also bought the Magneta Time Company and the master and slave clocks in the museum were made in Ashtead and were used in the Preston Park (Brighton) telephone exchange.

Ronsons also came to Leatherhead in the late 1930s, and from a small operation at Dorincourt they developed the manufacture of cigarette lighters until they were the largest employer in the town having built a large new factory in Randalls Road. Leatherhead Museum has a representative selection of Ronson lighters, both pocket and table lighters, fuelled by petrol and later butane. They did not only make lighters, however, as shown by the displays of gas candles, blow torches, pipes, hair dryers, electric shavers and electric toothbrushes.

The museum is justifiably proud of its collection of products from Ashtead Potters Ltd. This enterprise was set up in 1922 by Sir Lawrence and Lady Kathleen Weaver to train disabled ex-servicemen or their dependents in the manufacture of pottery. The pottery was in operation until 1935 during which time they produced a wide range of items, mainly of art-deco design many of which are in the Society’s collection and a good proportion are on display in the museum.

As well as the three manufacturers mentioned above reference is made to the Cable Manufacturing Company, Burney and Blackburne and Stanley Steam Cars. It is certain that there are still many folk living in the area who would have worked at one of these companies and would enjoy a nostalgic visit to Hampton Cottage in Church Street. The museum staff would also welcome any information which these visitors could tell them about the companies and their products.

This is a small museum which has recently been accorded Accredited Museum status and is well worth a visit, or even a re-visit.

Although they are tiny, one of their most recent displays concerns the Leatherhead Aviation Service and features the propeller from one of the aircraft operated by that company.
© P.Tarplee
March, 2007

from the May 2007 LDLHS Newsletter
National Archaeology Week, 2007
Saturday 14th, Thursday,19th, Friday, 20th & Saturday, 21st July
The programme for this years’ National Archaeology Week which runs from 14th to 22nd July. It will be presented at the Leatherhead Museum on the above dates.

Our theme this year is entitled : Aspects of Archaeology & Local History

The Standing Exhibition will feature : -
Artefacts from Roman Villa site at Ashtead ,
Roman box-flue tile & brick production from Ashtead,
Bridges & tunnels in the Leatherhead District,
Aerial Photographs and Archaeology,
Ice Age Network,
An exhibition of the work of the Portable Antiquities Scheme

Hands on Demonstrations
Saturdays, 14th & 21st July
From 1pm until 4pm Justin Munson will be showing Pot Making for children and parents

On all Museum open days from: 10.00am – 1.00pm
Reconstruct Archaeology – Romano-British box-flue tile demonstration and application of roller patterns, combing, scoring. Experiment and make your own original patterns.

Finds Day with David Williams Saturday 21st July,10am – 1pm
Meet David Williams the Surrey Finds Liaison Officer – David is interested to meet all new and established metal detectorists to look at their discoveries, to identify and record their collections.

Members of the public are also welcome to bring along artefacts discovered in their gardens or whilst out walking.
David recently appeared in the Channel 4 Production – Time Team’s “Big Dig” at Godstone, Surrey.

Saturday 21st July - Meet the Metal Detectorists
John Cole & Bill Meads have been invited to the Museum to give a demonstration on the use of Metal Detectors in support of the work of the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

John & Bill were involved in the Channel Four production of the Time Team’s ‘Big Dig’ : John at Buckingham Palace and Bill at Windsor Castle. They have also been very active in providing a very useful service to the Hatch Furlong dig at Ewell for the second year running. The timing of this event will be confirmed on the posters.

Just come along and have some fun’ and support your History Society and Local Museum. All the events are free.
David Hartley

from the Feb 2007 LDLHS Newsletter
LEATHERHEAD MUSEUM : THE 2006 SEASON AND A LOOK AHEAD
Last year we recorded 1461 visitors, an average figure, but 200 less than the previous year which of course included the birthday celebrations.

Marianne Tate from the Grange Centre who helped us one morning a month, abstracted data from the Visitors Book. This indicated that
50% came from our immediate area,
25% from London and the close South-east,
14% from elsewhere in England and
12% from Europe and the rest of the world.

In this last category we recorded visitors from: Australia, Austria, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, India, Ireland, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Poland, Seychelles, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and USA.

Whilst this may just seem of casual interest, analysis such as this is a necessary part of the work that has to be done behind the front if we are to develop and improve the service that we give to the public.

Planning for 2007
Even before the season closes, we have to look forward and prepare for the new one, This time, there will not be any significant changes in the displays : however, attention will be drawn more to the industrial and trade history exhibits in the upstairs front room.

For quite a few years, Graham Evans the Curator has set out and put together both the permanent and in particular the temporary displays, the highlight being in my opinion the story of the Titanic. We are sad to learn that he is planning to move, and thus there will later this year be a vacancy for an honorary Curator. Since our earlier appeals we have gained some help ‘round the back’ , but we are still desperately short of helpers, in administration, in dealing with conservation assessments and in other fields.

Bairstow Eves, the estate agents across the road, have once again very kindly allowed us, at no cost, the use of their meeting room for our Stewards’ briefing sessions that will take place in March. Stewards, the public face of the Society and of the Museum, are regarded in law as being effectively employees of the Society [albeit unpaid], and thus these sessions form a very important part of the operation of the Museum.
The Museum is flourishing, and I look forward to the new season. I would however just like to prod the few members of the Society who have not been in the Museum recently (and I know there are some), to come and have a look.

We open again on Thursday, 5th April.
Alan V Pooley