Dear Friends and Fellow
Volunteers,
2025 is coming to an end and we embark on the next and exciting stage in the history of The Museum! This year we managed to celebrate our 40th anniversary with an incredible series of talks and events. I was truly amazed by the efforts of our band of merry volunteers, so thank you!
The Methodist Tapestry Collection had an amazing tour of Cumbria, in no small part due to the efforts of Sue Hinde. We also had several successful exhibitions in County Durham together with talks to local WI groups – thank you David!
After a slow start the scaffolding eventually went up and all the windows in the Chapel have now been replaced, work is continuing apace with the re-mortaring of the outside walls with lime mortar to preserve the heritage of the 1760 Chapel and allow the walls to ‘breathe’, hopefully avoiding any future damp problems. As the scaffolding went up the contactor and Phil Newbold could take a closer look at the state of the walls and as expected numerous problems have been found and corrected, not least the undulating south facing roof – it looked more like a ride from Alton Towers than one that would support our PV Panels. The contactor has worked through wind, rain and snow to get the roof repaired and it now awaits its crowning glory of PV Panels and unbroken tiles, so we all need to remember and be grateful for their efforts and skills.
Inside the Chapel the new floors are beginning to take shape. The new first floor gallery is looking fantastic it is so flat that no escaping marble can roll across the floor, another testament to the carpenter’s skills. There is still so much work still to be done but we have risen from the abyss of administration and are on the march to achieve a Museum and Visitor Centre that Weardale and our dedicated volunteers deserve. There are still major funding challenges ahead, but we have an incredible track record, thanks to Allan Percival, and are perceived as a worthwhile cause to support.
Besides the visible building work, there has been a great deal going on behind the scenes, a complete inventory of the Musuem is almost complete, a new web site is being implemented, the digitisation of our paper records is due to start in January, the Family History database has been expanded to include Tow Law (now approaching 80,000 records), our extensive photographic collection is due to be digitised to allow ‘free text searching’ and the email system is also under review and will hopefully be revamped in the New Year, pause for breath here!
We are working on a 3-year Marketing Plan which is about 80% complete, future displays have been identified for research (Burnhope Reservoir, the changing social conditions in Weardale, the coming of water and electricity to the Dale and Legends and Folklore). Our new book about Stanhope Dene has been launched and can be found on the shelves of the Dale Centre, where its sales have passed all expectations.
To complete the works on the link between the Chapel and the Manse we need to list, check, pack, transport and store the contents of the Wesley Room, this is fast becoming urgent, and we need all the help we can get. I am talking to a conservator who will be willing to assist us in this task and pass on any hits and tips. Depending on the schedule of works other artefacts may need to be stored safely, until they can be proudly displayed back in the new Museum.
A museum designer has also been engaged to help us interpret our artefacts in the Musuem and those stored in our unit at the Dales Centre, to realise our vision for the Museum, most of you would have heard me whitter on about this during our anniversary celebrations. This plan will be shared when it is complete.
There is still a long road to travel, with no doubt the usual potholes and unexpected diversions along the way, before we have the Visitor Centre, new car park and an amazing and vibrant Musuem. Although however hard this journey is going to be, it is probably the most exciting phase within the history of The Weardale Museum and gives all of us a chance to ensure that the history of Weardale is preserved for future generations and its myriad of stories are told in innovative ways. We will ensure that these stories are accessible to everyone and that the Musuem will become a must-see visitor destination and a permanent home to the incredible Methodist Tapestries Collection.
There is little more for me to say but to express my heartfelt gratitude and thanks to the volunteers that bring life to the Musuem and form this wonderful family.
A Very Special Christmas and New Year Greetings To You All from Myself And My Family.
