Folk Music at Shrublands Community Centre

Folk sessions are held every Tuesday evening at Shrublands Community Centre on the Magdalene Estate.  They are organised by Roger Secker.  Folk music at Shrublands includes blues, jazz, rock and pop music as well as traditional songs and sea shanties.  Some excellent musicians from the area perform at these  sessions, which are going from strength to strength.

Bruer Tidman Show

In Attendance, by Bruer Tidman, 1996-2012, 170×152 cm

Bruer Tidman will be showing drawings and paintings at the Exhibition Galleries, Great Yarmouth Central Library, from 21st April to 9th May 2012, Monday to Saturday, 10.00-17.00 hrs.    Bruer’s work always look particularly radiant in this space – an exhibition not to miss!

Titian’s Diana and Actaeon

Titian’s Diana and Actaeon 1556-59 on tour from the National Gallery  It’s here and it’s magnificent!

Titian’s 16th century Venetian masterpiece is on show at Norwich Castle until 15 April. Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to see close up, one of the most remarkable paintings of the Italian Renaissance.  Titian special admission just £2/£1 (Conc.)  For more information click here

There’s still time to buy tickets for the Art Fund lecture on Wednesday 28 March. Douglas Skeggs of the National Association of Decorative and Fine Art Societies talks on Titian: The First Modern Artist.  The event runs from 6 – 8pm and tickets cost £12, including a glass of wine and private view.  To book , tel. 01603 495897

Historic features at St. George’s Chapel

Restoration work at St. George’s Chapel has uncovered “lavish and unique” original paint finishes on its timber columns which experts believe are of major historical significance.

A team from the University of Lincoln discovered the 300 year old finishes hidden under many layers of paint applied over the centuries and the original finishes appear to be still intact and well preserved.

The four most important columns at the East end of the building were decorated with an opulent scheme imitating lapis lazuli using ground blue glass and gold.  Experts now believe that these were part of a much more extensive paint scheme covering the entire chapel.  Michael Crick-Smith, a senior research fellow at University of Lincoln, said “What makes this find so exciting is the exceptional quality of these finishes.  You would normally only find such work in Royal Palaces and, in addition, we have found very unusual application techniques were used.  We consider this to be a find of national importance.”

Historian Stephen Heywood said the find significantly added to the historical understanding about the building. He said, ” St. George’s has recently been recognised as one of the most important examples of Baroque church architecture outside London.  These rich decorations – which would have involved great expense – demonstrate the great wealth and ambition of the Borough in the early 18th Century. Yet it was probably only a few decades before changes in the church towards a more radical Protestant ethic led to all these decorations being washed off or painted over.  It is wonderful to find that such an important element of the original scheme has survived.”

At present only small sample areas of the columns have been treated. Consultation is taking place between Hopkins Architects, English Heritage and the St. George’s Trust to decide whether to reveal all or some of the columns.  Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s Conservation Officer, Darren Barker, said. “It is a difficult decision – while it would be great to reveal the columns in their original state for the public to see, we also need to consider how this can be blended into a working performance venue.  We must ensure the long term protection of the finishes, and of course, cost may in the short term be a factor. Whatever decision is made, we are keen that it does not delay the completion of the building works.”

Repair work on the building by the contractor R. G. Carter is nearly complete and the intricate process has begun of fitting out and installing services into the building without effecting the historic fabric.

Gemma Smart, Conservator, working on the columns at St. George’s Chapel.

Experience Days at Great Yarmouth Museums

Great Yarmouth Museums are offering a schedule of five unique one-day workshops in February and March, with behind the scenes access to the museum collections and sessions with the curator, a costume designer and artists in residence.  The days are fully catered with lunch and refreshments.  Materials and equipment are included in the £45 fee.  The events are delivered in partnership with Norfolk Adult Education and the Community Partnerships Forum.  Advance booking is required, call 01493 743930.

8th February 2012  Undressing Queen  Elizabeth 1
An exploration of Elizabethan costume and a look at the sonnets and poetry that give insight into love and lust in the Tudor England.

15th February 2012 Costumes and Creativity
A chance to explore the stored collection of costume, textiles and accessories held in the museums and to work with a designer to make your own 1960′s handbag whilst learning the tricks of the trade.

29th February 2012 Inspiring Seascapes
Gt. Yarmouth Museums has a stunning collection of seascapes in its art collection, ranging from Cotman to Maggie Hambling.  Philip Harvey is artist in residence on this workshop and will teach the techniques used to create such artworks.

7th March, 2012 Hand Painted Glass
Based on the collection of ornate decorative glass at the Elizabethan House Museum,  this workshop will teach techniques to enable you to create your own painted glass.

14th March 2012 The Secrets of Watercolours
A great opportunity to explore the reserve art collection kept in store, with explanation of the techniques used in watercolour paintings provided by an artist in residence.

For more information phone 010493 743930 or to find more details on the Norfolk Museums website, click here.

The World in Great Yarmouth

Call for Participants

Time and Tide Museum of Great Yarmouth Life are planning an exhibition for 2012 and are looking for people who would  like to share their story with our local museum.

Time and Tide museum was developed in consultation with local people to present their stories and ensure the community was at the heart of its displays. The diversity and richness of our community is forever growing and has developed significantly since the museum was first opened.

As a transient maritime community, changing and welcoming new influences is nothing new to Great Yarmouth. The presence of the port has long meant that people come and go with the boats and the seasons and trade relations across the North Sea, especially with Europe, have been important to the town’s prosperity. Sailors returning from world-wide journeys would bring back exotic objects, which have become part of the museum’s collections via the Sailors’ Home. At the height of the herring boom thousands of Scottish workers followed the fishing fleet to set up home here for the duration of the herring season.

For 2012 we are developing an exhibition to explore the journeys of people and objects to Norfolk, in particular, Great Yarmouth. The exhibition will reveal the paths those objects and people took to reach Great Yarmouth and celebrate the cultural diversity of our museum collections and the communities of our town.

We would like to tell the stories of more recent settlers, alongside objects which tell of Great Yarmouth’s historic cultural and trading exchanges taking the Olympic Values of Respect, Excellence and Friendship as our starting point. We want this exhibition to explore the world-wide cultural influences and histories that contribute to Great Yarmouth’s history and identity today.

We are looking for individuals, families and community groups who would like to share the story of their journeys to and lives in Great Yarmouth to form the core of the exhibition. We would like people to lend us something that is important to the story of their journey to display and share with others. We’d also like to interview as many people as possible to give them the opportunity to tell us why and how they came here and to present this an oral history. It would be wonderful to have photographs as well to add to the variety and colour of the exhibition. We plan to show all the contributions in our exhibition galleries alongside museum objects from our World Cultures collections. The exhibition will open at the end of March 2012 and run until the end of September.

If you or someone you know is interested in getting involved, please contact:
Alison Hall, Exhibitions Coordinator on 01493 743945 or email alison.hall@norfolk.gov.uk

Participants Submission form which can be copied and printed off, or alternatively, contact Alison at email address above to request an emailed or a hard copy.

John Sell Cotman on Yarmouth

Reading ‘John Sell Cotman 1782-1842′ edited by Miklos Rajnai (SBN 0-906969-19-0, Arts Council and Herbert Press, 1982), I came across this passage in a letter written by Cotman  to Frances Cholmeley, 13.April.1812: “I cannot call it paradise for I have no authority sacred or profane that introduce ships of any kind nto that region of delight…. My small garden leads me on to the road (Southtown Road) …Then , a green meadow, then the view along the banks of which, directly before my house, lies the condemned vessels of every nation, rigged and unrigged in the most picturesque manner possible.  Then, our merchant vessels from an Indiaman, Greenlandman, to a collier pass and repass every ebb and flow of the tide.  From my house…we reach the sea in about 3/4 of a mile, on which rides at times the Navy dimly moved in view.  Today at sea a frigate and an open brigg came to anchor.  In short I have never saw so animated a picture as this spot affords, it is always changing, always new.”  The river is not picturesque as it was - there are certainly no green meadows between Southtown Road and the river! – but it is still a dramatic scene as the workmanlike ships come and go, manoeuvring  on these fast flowing waters with such apparent ease, and the mood constantly transformed in the ever-changing light.

Rainbow over the Dolphin, from  Bollard Quay, June 2011

Retroskate Annual Gala

Retroskate (Marine Parade, Great Yarmouth) is holding its annual gala on 26th -27th November.  The event includes figure skating, basic skills, free, duo free, novelty and club show and will include an exhibition from Christopher Fox, the current Great Britain Junior champion. . Entry is £6 for one day, £10 for both, under 5s free, concessions £4. All day cafe. For more information tel 01493 854349

From the Retroskate website (http://www.retroskate.net/index.htm): 

RetroSkate (GY) Community Interest Company has been established to the provide the residents and visitors of Great Yarmouth a dedicated roller skating venue. The status of the CIC means thats we provide benefit to the community and is a form of Social Enterprise.

Great Yarmouth has a vast history in roller skating and has produced more national champions as a percentage of population than anywhere else in the country. The loss of facilities, some 20 years ago came as a great shock to the town as it was still extremely popular. Small artistic groups struggled on by using community sports halls. RetroSkate has develooped from one of these sessions run by North Sea Rollers with the collaboration of 4 people who bring together a wealth of experience and qualifications in both work and roller skating. We are passionate about roller skating and the many benefits it brings its participants at all ages and levels. It is also an activity that the whole family can participate in. Plus, Its FUN!

Also see Great Yarmouth Artistic Roller Skating Club : http://www.retroskateartistic.net/

Lardal Kantori Norwegian Choir concert

As part of the much loved Norwegian contribution to the Christmas Fayre running from 2nd – 4th  December, the Lardal Kantori Choir will performing at St. Nicholas Church on Saturday 3rd December starting at 7.30 pm.  The 35 strong mixed choir will be accompanied by soloists Filip Haakestad and Gjeril Songvoll, a talented soprano and a lead performer at last years Oslo Opera Festival.  Tickets are £7 and are on sale at the Priory Centre, Priory Plain, or online at www.gytcp.co.uk/events.  For more information call the Town Centre Partnership on 01493 745828.

Gorleston Community Choir

The 90 strong Gorleston Community Choir will be commemorating Jackie Whiting, the choir’s founder, with a Christmas Celebration at St. Andrews Church on 9th December, 2011 starting 7.30 pm.    Jackie Whiting, who was an active member of the church and founded the choir in 2009,  died in September 2011 after a short illness.  Her son Christopher has taken over as musical director and this concert which features carols and seasonal music.  Entrance is £5 and tickets are on sale at St. Andrew’s Church Officer (Tuesdays and Thursday 9-12.30 pm, Wednesdays 2-5 pm and Fridays 9.3 pm) or phone 01493 656078.

Facebook site:  http://www.facebook.com/GCCSing