Cradle to the Grave

Cradle to the Grave

Saturday 7 September

A guided tour of Queen Street’s legacy of Victorian public buildings including a look inside the former National & Infant School and Primitive Methodist Chapel, now the Joseph Wright Hall and referencing the research of local history by students of the  Barton upon Humber branch of the Workers’ Educational Association and the Department of Adult Education of the University of Hull in the early 1980s.  Their research was published in Cradle to the Grave – Barton on Humber in the 1850s, edited by Rex Russell and published in 1984.

The tour is free and starts at the Wilderspin School Museum at 11am and lasts up to one hour.

Booking is essential so we can control numbers – you can ring (01652 635172) close to the day to check availability.

The Age of the Train

To mark the 175th anniversary of the railway reaching Barton, award winning railway writer and broadcaster Christian Wolmar tells the fascinating history of the rise and fall of the state-owned British Rail from its post war origins to its dismantlement fifty years later reflecting the political dogmas of the times.

Christian writes regularly for a wide variety of publications including the Independent, Evening Standard and Rail magazine, and appears frequently on TV and radio as a commentator.

His latest book is “British Rail” is an authoritative and fascinating history of the rise and fall of the state-owned British Railways, providing a new perspective on national loss in a time of privatisation.

From its creation after the Second World War, through its fifty-year lifetime, British Rail was an innovative powerhouse that transformed our transport system. Uniting disparate lines into a highly competent organisation – heralding ‘The Age of the Train’ – and, for a time, providing one of the fastest regular rail services in the world.

Born into post-war austerity, traumatised, impoverished and exploited by a hostile press, the state-owned railway was dismissed as a dinosaur unable to evolve, and swept away by a government hellbent on selling it off.

If your memories of BR are “stale sandwiches” or “the wrong kind of snow” this talk will put the other side of the story.

Friday 6 September, 7.30pm

Tickets are £10 in advance* (£12 otd) and £6 for Civic Society Members.

Sunday Tours

Discover “one of the most important schools in England” with one of our expert guides.

One-hour tours at 11am and 1.30pm.  £5pp includes an Annual Ticket and refreshments.

Sundays 6 October, 3 November and 1 December.

Booking essential by phone (01652) 635172.  Bookings close on the preceding Friday.

Pedalling to Pickwell

Our volunteers “cycled” from Barton to Pickwell in Leicestershire, a distance of some 90 miles, to raise funds for further upgrading work in the Joseph Wright Hall, formerly a Victorian Primitive Methodist Chapel.

The Queen Street chapel ceased to be used by the Methodists on Easter Day 1961. The organ, by Forster & Andrews of Hull, was dismantled and sold to Immingham Anglican Church; it is now in the parish church at Pickwell, Leicestershire.

Funds raised from the “ride” will help towards lighting improvements for the Hall’s auditorium. £600 was raised and we’re looking to increase that to £1,000 with your help.

You can sponsor us online via Facebook’s Go Fund Me here: https://gofund.me/45d585c3

Pop in throughout the day on the 6th July to see how we’re doing and lend us your support.  Admission is free to see the “cyclists” and buy refreshments in our pop-up café and there’ll be a chance to hear about plans for further refurbishment the Hall.

The Museum is open too – admission is £5 (Adult Annual Ticket), children FREE.

Inclusive guided tours are running today at 11am and 1.30pm  included in the admission fee – we ask visitors to pre book if possible (Tel. 01652 635172)

Please share the Go Fund Me link with friends and family, or encourage them to sign our sponsorship form at Reception (Thursdays – Saturdays, 11am – 3pm) to help us reach our goal!

Left:      The Chapel organ built by Forster & Andrews of Hull.

Centre: The fluorescent strip lights we want to replace are old, costly to run and not ecofriendly.

Right:    Lights, Action! We’ve modified the platform stage, got theatrical lighting and new seats – but the ceiling lights need replacing.

Weekend Tours

The Church School & Wilderspin Story

Join one of our FREE guided tours to find out why Historic England has described our building as “one of the most important schools in England“.  You’ll see the unique Model School designed by Samuel Wilderspin and we’ll explain how his Infant System worked, compare it to a traditional Victorian classroom for older children, then move on to the later story of the Barton Church School which will undoubtedly trigger memories of your own schooldays.

These one-hour tours start at 11am and 1.30pm and require no bookig – just turn up!

Unsuitable for very young children.  There’s plenty of seating as you move through the building.

“l learned more than just walking round by myself. It was definitely a worthwhile experience, and l would recommend it to anyone interested in local/social history. Thank you.”

Open Day & Book Sale

THIS SATURDAY 1 June is our annual Open Day with FREE admission, a chance to look behind the scenes and find out about volunteering opportunities with us and other Barton volunteering projects.  And peruse our expanded selection of pre-loved books.

Tours at 11am and 1.30pm.  No need to book.

Monday Tea Club with Slow Circular Earth

A free event for families to cook and eat together, enjoy a healthy meal, and discover affordable, nutritious options.

4pm – 6.30pm at Wilderspin

22 & 29 April and 13 & 20 May

Learn cooking skills and help reduce food waste to care for the planet.

Have fun and make new friends.

To book – message Slow Circular Earth or text 07875 407997

Lifelong Learning at Barton

This newly formed group provides short educational and informative courses for everyone aged 18 year and over.

Sessions are held at Wilderspin in the Joseph Wright Hall.

Maritime Archaeology runs from 17 January until 21 February on Wednesday afternoons between 1.30pm and 3.30pm.  Tutor: Simon Tomson.  Fee: £60 (six sessions)

Contact 07442 160785 for more details.

Slow Circular Earth’s Community Fridge

The Community fridge is a simple solution to wasting less, through the sharing of good quality food.

A community fridge is a space where everyone can share their surplus food, including donations from local businesses, producers, households and gardens.

Slow Circular Earth is working with Hubbub in collaboration with Coop and Starbucks to help provide 6.8 million meals to people who need them most and to enable local communities to give what they can and take what they need, so that nothing goes to waste.

You can get involved by:

• Sharing or donating your surplus food
• Volunteering your time to help support
• Spreading the word using #CommunityFridge

The aim is to reduce food waste and promote sustainable eating habits, with regular  workshops to learn how to cook delicious, healthy, and budget-friendly meals using surplus food, and compiling a community cookbook together.

For more information and updates, please visit our website at slowcircularearth.co.uk or follow us on social media at:

https://www.facebook.com/slowcircularearthuk

https://www.instagram.com/slowcircularearthuk/

Cafe Changes

Due to rising energy and supply costs the Old School Canteen cafe has ceased trading at the Museum.

But … every cloud as they say …. and we’re pleased to be hosting Slow Circular Earth’s Zero Waste pop up cafe on Fridays between 10.30am and 1.30pm.

They’re also running a Community Fridge – so pop in on Fridays whe it’s all happening!