http://www.rammuseum.org.ukLatest News from The Royal Albert Memorial Museumen-ushttp://www.rammuseum.org.uk/includes/classes/createNewsRSS.php RAMM’s collection of William Morris items will be displayed in the Red House, his Arts and Crafts home in Kent, during its anniversary year. All 33 items in RAMM’s collection are from Iceland and were donated to RAMM in 1939 by Mary Frances Lobb, the lover of Morris’s daughter. The eclectic mix includes slippers, a bodice, a cap, a 16th Century bible and carved horn spoons and containers. The Red House in Bexleyheath is the only house created, commissioned and lived in by William Morris, writer, artist, craftsman, socialist and founder of the Arts and Crafts movement. It is a building of extraordinary architectural and social significance and has only recently been acquired by the National Trust. The original features and furniture by Morris and Philip Webb, stained glass and paintings by Burne-Jones, the bold architecture and the garden designed to ‘clothe the house’, all add up to a fascinating and rewarding place to visit.http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/RAMM has added a contemporary hand-woven Egyptian tapestry to its world cultures collection. The large, colourful tapestry depicting rural Egyptian life will be included in the World cultures displays when the museum reopens in 2011. Created by Mahrous Abdou at the prestigious Ramses Wissa-Wassef Centre in Cairo, the stunning tapestry, which measures 2.9 by 1.8 metres, will delight visitors with its rich detail of everyday activities. Complementing RAMM’s collection of fabrics and textiles from the Middle East, North Africa and the wider world, it will also add to this wonderful resource for students, artists and craftsmen. The product of nine months dedicated labour the tapestry, Fields and Village on the Nile, lovingly depicts a rural way of life that is fast disappearing, lost to modernisation and the encroaching cities. The microcosm of agrarian life includes details of daily work and domestic chores, leisure activities, domestic animals and wildlife, dress and architecture. The tapestry can be enjoyed at many levels; for its stunning colours, for its picture of contemporary Egyptian life or for its craftsmanship and artistry. It is a tapestry that can be viewed time and time again, with each viewing revealing further detail and arousing further curiosity. The Ramses Wissa-Wassef Centre was founded in 1952. It helps village children develop their skill and creativity using high warp looms. With only three rules; no copying, no preliminary designs and no adult criticism, the innate artistic aptitude of children has flourished and many have become highly skilled craftsmen. Their originality and craftsmanship has developed an international reputation and their tapestries can be seen at galleries worldwide. The tapestry was purchased with assistance from Dr Jenny Balfour-Paul, The Art Fund, the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, and the Friends of Exeter Museums and Art Gallery.http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/X-ray images taken yesterday at Exeter Airport have confirmed that a 2,000 year old urn, found during a recent dig in Cullompton, is a burial urn containing cremated human remains. The images have also revealed several mysterious ‘curved’ objects near the bottom of the jar. These may be larger fragments of bone or possibly metal objects. The extraordinary black burnished ware urn was found in December at a Cullompton town centre site owned by Millwood Homes (Devon) Ltd. It was unearthed by South West Archaeology Ltd along with a wide range of Roman artefacts. South West Archaeology has commissioned RAMM to conserve the most fragile/important objects and the museum turned to Exeter Airport for help because the burial pot was too large for their machine. The pot is believed to be from the 1st to mid-2nd century. It was found buried upright in a pit with a smaller pot alongside and a large, shale ‘board’ covering them both. The pot is extremely unusual as it is complete and seemingly undamaged. Roman pots hardly ever survive in such good condition in Devon. Even more unusual is the shale board which was found over the pots. The archaeologists and museum’s conservators are struggling to find a comparative object from anywhere in Roman Britain. A Roman fort at St Andrews Hill in Cullompton, which was abandoned around the mid-70s AD, was discovered in 1984. This new discovery is evidence that the Roman‘s occupation was much more extensive and continued from the 1st century until the late 4th century. The excavation has revealed a large quantity of pottery and given tantalising glimpses of evidence that there was a Romanised building with a hypocaust (under-floor central heating) and stone floors nearby. There are very few known Romanised buildings in Devon outside of Exeter. Image above: Anne Carlton, Exeter International Terminal and Security Manager; Bryn Morris, South West Archaeology Ltd; Alison Hopper Bishop, Museums Conservation Officer; Kirstie Williams, RAMM conservator, and Jenny Durrant, Assistant Curator of Antiquities, with the Roman pot. Anne Carlton, Terminal and Security Manager at Exeter Airport, said “Exeter has a state-of-the-art advanced cabin baggage detection machine and we are delighted to be able to make an exception for the museum and help out with this historic event.” http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/St Nicholas Priory has beaten hundreds of museums nationally to reach the shortlist for the 2010 Guardian Kids in Museums Award. Smelly, dirty, messy, noisy, tasty. These are the common characteristics of the six finalists announced last Saturday. They all provide sensory, hands-on experiences from which families emerge not only wiser, but grubbier. The six finalists will now be secretly visited by families of all shapes and sizes and measured against the Kids in Museums Manifesto – 20 ways to make a museum family friendly. The winner will be selected and announced in April. Dea Birkett, Director of Kids in Museums, said "Congratulations to St Nicholas Priory for deservedly getting on to the six strong shortlist of the Guardian Family Friendly Museum Award. This is testament to all the pioneering, innovative work being done by the museum. Judges were particularly impressed with the way in which children’s activities weren’t squeezed into one corner, but were everywhere, throughout the museum, so the whole place belonged to everyone.” The Shortlist: Beningbrough Hall & Gardens, York Great North Museum, Newcastle Upon Tyne Herbert Museum & Art Gallery, Coventry Highland Folk Museum, Newtownmore Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent St Nicholas Priory, Exeter Kids in Museums Manifesto Be welcoming. Cleaners, curators, front of house staff and those in the café should all be involved in making families feel welcome. Consider different families’ needs, with automatic doors, wheelchair-user friendly activities and Braille descriptions. Have flexible family tickets. Don’t dictate the size of a family. Families come in all shapes and sizes. Give a hand to parents to help their children enjoy the museum. Sometimes it isn’t the kids who are shy. Parents need your support too. Don’t say ssshhhush! Museums are places for debate and new ideas. Answer kids’ questions – not just those asked by adults. Address them directly when you do so. You don’t have to be experts on everything, just enthusiastic and open. ‘Don’t touch’ is never enough. Say why. Use positive remarks like, ‘Isn’t that a great painting! Let’s look at it together from further back.’ Teach respect by explaining why some things shouldn’t be touched. Direct to something nearby which can be. Reach out to homes and communities. Not everyone can come to you. Sometimes, you need to go to them first. Use your website to encourage families to visit and give clear information. Be honest about what you can’t provide, so visitors come prepared. No one can do everything. Don’t assume what kids want. They can appreciate fine art as well as finger painting. Involve kids, not just adults, in deciding what you offer. Don’t forget toddlers and teenagers. Older and younger children are often left out. Every age brings fresh ideas and insights. Be height aware. Display objects, art and labels low enough for a child to see. Watch your language! Use your imagination with signs, symbols and words understood by all ages. Be interactive and hands on, not only with computer screens and fancy gadgets. Dressing up and getting messy are as important as buttons to push. Produce guides, trails and activities for all the family together, not just the kids. Encourage families to chat. Have different sorts of spaces – big open spaces for children to let off steam. Picnic areas for families to bring their own food. Small quiet spaces where children and families can reflect. Provide somewhere to sit down. Keep an eye on your toilets, and make sure they’re always pleasant places, with baby changing facilities and room for pushchairs. It’s the one place every family will visit. Provide healthy, good-value food, high chairs and unlimited tap water. Your café should work to the same family friendly values as the rest of the museum. Provide a place to leave coats, bags and pushchairs. It makes it far easier for families to move around. Sell items in your shop that aren’t too expensive, and not just junk, but things kids will treasure. Give a friendly goodbye. Ask families to describe the best bit of their visit, either in words or pictures. Respect these responses and act on them. Invite them back.http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/Our Renaissance is a new publication focusing upon RAMM's achievements since the start of Renaissance, the government's groundbreaking investment in regional museums. The programme has enabled RAMM to enhance what it offers so it can attract more visitors, make the most of its collections and make a real difference to learning. Since the start of the Renaissance programme visitor numbers have risen by 31% – nearly a quarter of a million people visited RAMM in 2006 – and RAMM has won national awards in recognition of the quality of its customer care, its education service and most recently its volunteer programme.  http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/Five objects from RAMM's collection have been chosen to tell a history of Devon and its place in the world as part of a wider partnership between the BBC, the British Museum and museums across the UK. At its heart is a landmark series on BBC Radio 4, A History of the World in 100 Objects, which starts today. Museums in each county have also been tasked with choosing their own selection of 10 of the most important items. Devon museums are represented by Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery, Torquay Museum and Exeter's Royal Albert Memorial Museum. Their selection includes a prehistoric human jaw bone, Captain Scott's skis and a medieval puzzle jug. They can all be seen on the BBC Local site for Devon, www.bbc.co.uk/devon and will feature in an exhibition at Exeter's historic Guildhall this August. The partnership will have wide coverage on television and radio and listeners and viewers are being encouraged to propose further objects with local or global appeal by uploading the images to the BBC website. Ten of these People's objects will be added to the museums' selection in late March.http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/  A famous quilt from RAMM's collection will feature in the V&A's first major exhibition of quilts.The patchwork quilt was made by Joanna Southcott, a controversial Exeter figure, in around 1810. It includes a fascinating mix of printed textiles whose variety of patterns and dyes show the range of techniques available to cotton printers and fabric manufacturers at the time. Joanna Southcott worked for Taylors, a firm of upholsterers just off Fore Street in Exeter, and the fabrics used for the patchwork may have been off-cuts from textiles used in the business. The quilt was last on show at RAMM in 2002 in an exhibition about Joanna Southcott's colourful life.Known and referred to in her lifetime as The Exeter Prophetess, Joanna Southcott came to prominence in 1792 at the age of 42 after she published her prophecies. She had many detractors but gathered over 14,000 sincere followers throughout the country and, even now, is still revered by followers in England, Australia and America.The Southcott Quilt will appear alongside a fascinating array of quilts, including the luxurious Bishops Court Quilt (1690), said to have been slept under by the future Charles II as he fled the Civil War, the Rajah Quilt, a transportation quilt which has never before been shown outside the National Gallery of Australia, and a coverlet depicting George III reviewing the troops (1803-05).Quilts 1700-2010 will be on display at the V&A, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL from 20 March to 4 July 2010.http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/  A new full colour 64-page guide tells the history of the Priory and sets in context what can be seen today. With stunning colour photographs, this book is both a beautiful souvenir of a visit to the Priory and a record of its history.St Nicholas Priory: From Monastery to Museum is on sale now at the Priory and at RAMM in the Library, price £3.50.http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/Exeter MP and Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw joined funders, contractors and museum staff on Friday 11 December to celebrate progress in the Museum development project. To commemorate the occasion, Ben Bradshaw helped conceal a time capsule in the temporary exhibitions gallery. The capsule contained thoughts from both local people and those involved in the project. Their thoughts record contemporary issues; personal, local and global - painting a picture of everyday life in Exeter for future generations to discover.Exeter City Council's Lead Councillor for Environment and Leisure, Cllr Kevin Mitchell, said: "The Royal Albert Memorial Museum is one of Exeter City Council's flagship services. Being such an important part of lives of so many people in Exeter and Devon, it is fitting that their thoughts are being buried to commemorate this momentous period in the Museum's development. This ceremony also marks an important milestone in the development project: construction works will soon make way for the exhibition fit out and we all look forward to the reopening of the Museum in spring 2011."The 2001-2011 Development Project treats the Museum buildings as a single unit for the first time in its 140 year history. RAMM was built over a thirty year period to house the museum along with a school of arts, a school of science and a library. Each has flourished, outgrown its allotted space and moved on, leaving the museum to expand until it could grow no more. The city library moved out of the Museum in 1930, the school of science ultimately developed into Exeter University and the school of art is now Plymouth University's Faculty of Art & Education. The redevelopment will allow further growth with an additional entrance and a new temporary exhibitions gallery and all sections of the building will be integrated to serve Museum visitors for generations to come.The Development Project is supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund. Allies and Morrison, London are the Architectural Designers and Ralph Appelbaum Associates of New York/London the Exhibition Designers.Image above: Steve Tapson, Regional Director of BAM Construction, Hazel Ball, ECC Director for Community and Environment, Sam Hunt, Heritage Lottery Fund SW Committee and Ben Bradshaw MP, Secretary of State for the Department of Media, Culture and Sport.Time capsule inscriptionThis time capsule commemorates Exeter City Council's Royal Albert Memorial Museum Development Project (2001-2011). It was buried by the Hon Ben Bradshaw MP, Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport in December 2009.The capsule contains the thoughts of local people collected during November 2009.Main contractor                                              BAM Construction LtdArchitects                                                       Allies and MorrisonExhibition Designers                                      Ralph Appelbaum AssociatesProject Manager and Quantity Surveyor        Focus Consultants UK LtdStructural and Services Engineers                 Building Design Partnership   Construction Design Managment                   Northcroft                    http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/  In recognition of our pioneering work with families, St Nicholas Priory has made it to the 20-strong long list for the 2009 Guardian Kids in Museums Award.The long list will now go before a panel of distinguished judges, chaired by Jenny Abramsky, Chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund. This panel will draw up a short list of museums which will be road tested anonymously by families who will pick the winner.This is the second time that the museum service has gained recognition for its family provision, in 2003 RAMM made it into the same national award.  http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/  While contractors are hard at work on the Museum site staff at RAMM are busy preparing the fabulous new displays.At the Ark, RAMM's off site store, conservators are preparing all the objects that will be on show when RAMM reopens in 2011.One mammoth task is conserving RAMM's collection of 38,000 mollusc shells. Long hours have been spent patiently cleaning the inside and outside of every shell, from tiny cup-and-saucer limpets to large spiny whelks and amazing tropical monsters. Progress is steady and we have now just passed the half way mark, 20,000 shells have been treated so far.All of these shells will be housed with other fragile and sensitive items in the collections study centre on the ground floor of the new RAMM. Visitors to the study centre will be able to see them as well as RAMM's amazing collection of over 60,000 butterflies and sensitive items from the art collection.http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/Living Here, a neighbourhood initiative celebrating life in Exeter west of the River Exe, was shortlisted in the Homes and Communities Academy Awards 2009, the Government's national award scheme for sustainable communities.Through partnerships, projects, public events and a dynamic community website, Living Here is encouraging people who live and work in Alphington, Cowick, Exwick and St Thomas to explore, celebrate and record life on the west side of the River Exe.Schools, community providers, groups, individuals and volunteers are all part of Living Here. Activities have taken place in pubs, shopping centres, schools, libraries, community halls, young peoples centres, day centres, playgroups, churches, parks, skate parks and playing fields.People west of the Exe have organised and joined exhibitions, attended workshops, researched local histories, written local trails, collected stories and traced roots. They are asking questions, finding answers, meeting their neighbours, exploring identities and finding out what they have in common.Living Here has put up one cob storytelling house, commissioned five new plays, supported three community exhibitions, published new learning resources, assisted with three publications, accessioned four objects, made three films and one radio show, started a monthly research group, set up a new local history group, trained community editors and created an evolving community website, Living Here: West of the Exe.Living Here is managed by RAMM with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council's Renaissance Programme. http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/RAMM has shown itself to be at the top of the class for educational visits by being awarded a Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge.  The Quality Badge scheme combines for the first time learning and safety into one easily recognisable badge for all organisations providing learning outside the classroom experiences.Cllr Kevin Mitchell, Exeter's Lead Councillor for Leisure and Museums said "Being awarded the Quality Badge is a real coup for the council. It shows that we offer young people the type of high quality learning experiences they really benefit from. We're thrilled to get official recognition for our efforts and we look forward to welcoming even more local children to our workshops."RAMM offers a wide range of workshopsThe Museum Learning Team offers a wide range of experiences to children and families. Workshops linked to the National Curriculum are offered to schools. These include Romans, Ancient Egypt, World War 2, Small World/World Cultures and art workshops in the classroom and Tudor Life and Wood and Wind: The Great Fire of London workshops at St Nicholas Priory. The team also integrates family learning into gallery visits, organises special family activities and is developing an early years trail for St Nicholas Priory. In 2006, they were awarded the Sandford Award for heritage education.About the AwardThe LOtC Quality Badge was developed by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom with the Department for Children, Schools and Families. It is the first national accreditation scheme giving an easily recognisable and trusted Quality Badge to all types of organisations providing safe high quality educational experiences outside the classroom. The badge is designed to make it easier for teachers to identify providers of quality educational visits. There are currently 14 accredited providers in the South West, including 4 others in the heritage and museums sector.Ed Balls, Secretary of State Children, Schools and Families, said: "Educational visits are among the most memorable experiences in a child's school life. Quality Badges offer teachers a guarantee that not only is a venue providing the sort of educational value that they can build on in class long after the visit but they also have the appropriate risk management structures in place."It is a significant victory in our battle to move away from the misguided perception that learning outside the classroom is a potential minefield for teachers. I want to see teachers using Quality Badges as practical decision making tool. It should ensure that many more young people have memorable, exciting and valuable learning outside the classroom experiences. I congratulate the Royal Albert Memorial Museum on being awarded the badge." http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/    Exeter has devised an exhibition and programme of activities called Sex and History and is already working with other South West museum partners, the Science Museum and the Wellcome Trust. Sex and History will use museum objects as a starting point for young people to think about the diversity of human sexuality. Young participants will work with historians, artists and healthcare professionals to explore the meaning and social importance of artefacts from the Wellcome Collection, collected by pharmaceutical giant Sir Henry Wellcome from all over the world. These range from 16th century chastity belts to Japanese pillow books. The culmination of the project will be a major national exhibition at RAMM in 2012 as part of its reopening programme. Other displays, workshops and programmes will be developed with young people and held in venues popular with them over the next three years."I am delighted that Exeter will be leading the South West Museum's contribution to the Cultural Olympiad. With our partners across the region, we will apply the Olympic ideals to the creative process producing exhibitions and displays worthy of the Olympic logo." said Cllr Kevin Mitchell, Lead Councillor for Environment and Leisure."This is a wonderful opportunity for the University of Exeter to work with young people throughout the South West to produce artwork and exhibitions and engage in debate. Our aim is to generate a sense of excitement about the relevance of the past and of objects in museums to our lives today," said Dr Rebecca Langlands, Department of Classics and Centre for Medical History, University of Exeter.Camilla Morgan, 21 of Exeter, has been involved with the project since its inception. She believes that getting young people's perspectives on collections brings a fresh approach to history. "I think we can bring an 'un-academic' view, more of an impulsive reaction to objects. It's easy to have preconceptions about museums but the stuff you can learn there can be really interesting - it's up to us to get the message across."The Cultural OlympiadThe four-year Cultural Olympiad started in September 2008. It celebrates cultures, people and languages - in London, the UK and around the world during the build up to the 2012 London Games. It divides into three sections: 1. Ceremonies - extraordinary live spectacles watched on television by one in three people around the world. 2. Major projects - A number of major cultural projects featured in the London 2012 bid, forming the backbone of the Cultural Olympiad. 3. Inspire mark projects - local and regional events featuring in our UK-wide celebration. The core partnership for the South West's contribution Sex & History is made up of:1. The University of Exeter's Centre for Medical History2. The South West Museums Hub comprising of RAMM; Bristol Museums, Galleries and Archives; the Royal Cornwall museum; Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery; and Bournemouth's Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum.3. The Science Museum, Londonhttp://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/    Mrs Treadwin lived, worked and died in Exeter. She dedicated her life to Devon lace and is still fondly remembered by contemporary lace makers both nationally and internationally and by local historians. She was a highly respected lace manufacturer, famous for her innovative designs, the revival of old designs and the 40 years of Royal patronage that her Exeter manufactory received. Her book, patterns and designs are still a source of inspiration to lace makers.Devon Lace Teachers, inspired by lace expert Carol McFadzean, raised £3,700 to pay for a replacement for her dilapidated nineteenth century headstone. Carol McFadzean is the Chairperson of the Devon Lace Teachers and President of OIDFA, the International Bobbin and Needlelace Organisation. Along with fellow lace teacher, Liz Trebble, she is also a regular volunteer at RAMM. The unveiling of the new headstone by the Lord Mayor was witnessed by Devon Lace Teachers, representatives of national lace organisations (the Lace Guild and the Lace Circle) and curators from the RAMM.RAMM has some fine examples of Mrs Treadwin's work in its collections. A few examples may currently be seen at RAMM in the Library, the Museum's gallery next to Exeter Central Library and a wider selection will be displayed when RAMM reopens in 2011. RAMM's collection includes continental lace gathered by Mrs Treadwin, as well as many samples of East Devon trolly and bobbin laces, some of them made by Treadwin's manufactory. Mrs Treadwin also bequeathed the medals won at exhibitions to the museum. Carol McFadzean is the author of Devon Trolly Lace: The lost lace of the East Devon Coast (privately published, 2004) and Devon Trolly Lace patterns and Lace for Queen Victoria (privately published, 2007). She is currently researching the Treadwin's family history for a forthcoming book.http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/Primary schools can now bring children to St Nicholas Priory to be immersed in Tudor life. The session has been planned to link closely with the history curriculum and the entire day is delivered in role. Children join in the life of a prestigious Exeter household including the preparation of food, clothes, song, dance, games and gossip.The new workshop has been developed with teachers from RAMM's Advisory Panel who volunteered their children to be guinea pigs.The response has been enthusiastic. Comments from teachers and children included:'The period gossip within the kitchen gave the children a real and enjoyable understanding of what Elizabethan life was like in Exeter.''I liked that it was a hidden building, it really felt like I was going back in time.''We thought you were real Tudors.'While the Museum building is closed for development RAMM is also taking workshops out to Devon Primary Schools. Topics include Ancient Egyptians, the Romans, World War 2 and Art. From September the workshop on the 1666 Fire of London will also be held at St Nicholas Priory.http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/Exeter's ambitious plans to bring the Royal Albert Memorial Museum into the 21st century took a step back in time on Wednesday 30 July. Construction work on the £15 million project paused while a vital link with the Museum's past was removed for safe keeping.Following the demolition of the Conservation Laboratories at the rear of the Museum, Exeter City Council's Lead Councillor for Environment and Leisure, Cllr Kevin Mitchell, and Tony Richardson from the Heritage Lottery Fund oversaw the removal of an engraved commemorative stone. The inscription on the stone reads:This stone was laid on Monday March 16th 1891 by Charles Edwin Ware Esquire, Mayor of Exeter, in commemoration of the Jubilee of Queen Victoria 1887.The stone was laid when a laboratory and lecture room were built at RAMM for Exeter's School of Science. By 1911 the school had become the Royal Albert Memorial College and had outgrown its rooms at RAMM. It moved into Bradninch Place just behind the Museum, now the home of Exeter Phoenix. The college became the University College of the South West of England and subsequently the University of Exeter. The School of Arts moved into the vacated rooms, using them as a pottery and sculpture studio, and when the Art College moved out in 1978 they became the Museum's Conservation Laboratory. The Art College went on to become part of the University of Plymouth Department of Art.The Museum conservation department started life in 1968 in the basement of Rougemont House which was then home to the Museum of Archaeology and Antiquities. In 1978 Rougemont House was converted into a Museum of Costume and conservation and storage of bulk archaeological finds moved into the now demolished labs. The Archaeological Field Unit was then part of the city museum service and, with major developments like the Guildhall Shopping Centre taking place in the city, archaeological finds were the main focus of conservation. In the 1990s, as city centre developments reduced, there was a greater focus on the conservation of the general Museum collections and archaeological finds were moved from the main lab to a store at Haven Banks in 1996 to allow the expansion and modernisation of conservation facilities. The commemorative stone being removed from the lab will be taken to RAMM's off-site store and cared for with the city's collection.New developmentsThe buildings at the rear of RAMM have been demolished to make way for the construction of a new exhibition gallery, a second Museum entrance and access onto the city wall. The new gallery will allow RAMM to bring major national touring exhibitions to the South West and the new entrance will provide access to the Museum from the gardens. This work is part of a major development project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Exeter City Council and a number of charities and institutions. HBG is the project's main contractor. Since the building closed in December 2007, the city's collections have been taken away for safe storage, the inside fittings have been stripped out and the galleries that were built over a Norman defensive ditch have been underpinned to stop subsidence. This ambitious project will provide Exeter with a museum fit for the 21st century, revealing the original Museum spaces, redisplaying the city's collections, providing a new learning suite, a new temporary exhibition gallery and a new entrance and shop. The new RAMM opens in 2010.About the occasionExeter City Councillor Kevin Mitchell said:"Exeter City Council is proud to mark another milestone in Exeter's cultural development. When the Royal Albert Memorial was built, it was home to our museum, library, school of art and school of science. Today we are removing a foundation stone that symbolises the joint birth of several treasured institutions and in doing so we are also laying a new foundation for a museum service for the 21st century."Julie Cooper, Head of HLF South West, said:"The Royal Albert Memorial Museum is of huge regional significance. The museum's collections provide a wonderful insight into the rich, natural and cultural heritage of the South West region. Through redesigning the galleries and improving access to the museum, this project will dramatically improve opportunities for visitors to learn about and enjoy the collections. This grant will create lasting benefit to the local community - both now and for generations to come."Image (Left to Right): Nigel Harris, HGB Site Manager; Cllr Kevin Mitchell, ECC Lead Councillor for Environment & Leisure; Nena Beric, RAMM Redevelopment Project Coordinator; Camilla Hampshire, Museum Manager; Alan Caig, ECC, Head of Leisure and Museums; Richard White, Allies and Morrison (Architects); Tony Richardson, HLF South West Committee Member.http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/  Monday 21 July 2008 - in a single day the museum conservation laboratory was demolished to make way for a new temporary exhibitions gallery.Built in 1891, the lab started life as part of the Exeter School of Science. When the expanding School of Science moved to Bradninch Place in 1911, the building was taken over by the School of Art. It was then converted into a conservation lab in 1978. The new temporary exhibitions gallery will be connected with the two current temporary exhibition galleries (the Tempex and Rowley Galleries) allowing RAMM to bring major national touring exhibitions to the South West.Objects for the new displays are currently being conserved at temporary labs in the Exeter Ark, the Museum's new purpose built store. Offices and stores at the rear of the Museum building will be converted into conservation labs as part of the redevelopment. http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/In July Exeter returned human remains to the Ngarrindjeri people from South Australia. Representatives from the Australian Government accompanied the Ngarrindjeri to Exeter to collect the remains of their ancestors.This is the third repatriation since Exeter City Council adopted its proactive stance towards the return of human remains in 1994 - remains were returned to New Zealand and North America in 1996 and to Tasmania in 2005. These remains were taken from Australia in the 19th century and later donated to RAMM. The Museum contacted the Ngarrindjeri people when provenance investigations determined that these human remains had come from their home. The official handover was followed by a traditional cleansing ceremony. Both were open to press and public and held at RAMM in the Library, the Museum's temporary city centre home. Mr Tom Trevorrow, Chair of the Ngarrindjeri Nation Heritage Committee, said"The Ngarrindjeri People of the Lower Murray, Lakes and Coorong Region in South Australia are truly thankful of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum for returning our Old Peoples Remains back to us so that they can be laid to rest once again in their own birth land: the Ngarrindjeri Yarluwar-Ruwe (Sea Country) of their Creation, Culture and Beliefs. "We have been waiting a long time for this process to take place and also wish to thank the UK Government and Australian Government for making repatriation possible. We encourage other Institutions throughout the world to adopt and follow this respectful cultural process of returning Old People's human remains back to their Traditional Owners/Relations/Families."It is a positive step culturally and spiritually for Ngarrindjeri People and a contribution to the healing of wrongful and hurtful colonizing practices making the returns of our Old People and a step towards reconciliation."Cllr Kevin Mitchell, Lead Councillor for Environment and Leisure, commented"The Council is delighted to be able to help the Ngarrindjeri people with their quest to have their ancestors returned. RAMM is a dynamic museum. Grounded in the city, it is outward looking and always keen to redefine its strong international links. We are pleased that this chapter can be closed amicably and hope this will be the start of a new friendship."http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/  Image: Living here partnership: Sarah Baker, Head of Centre, Alan Cameron-Duff and Annabel Fawcus of Earthed, David Simpkins, Chair of Governors, Cllr Rob Hannaford, Lead Cllr Adrian Fullam, Cllr Jeff Coates, Cllr Venessa Newcombe, Katharine Pringle, Acting Snr. Teacher Philippa Wood, RAMM Family Learning Officer.  Westexe Children's Centre is now the proud owner of a traditional cob story telling house, thanks to collaboration with RAMM's Living Here projectParents and children were intimately involved in the design and construction, drawing inspiration from nearby buildings, local history and the Museum's collections. The story telling centre will help the young children develop language and communication skills. Cllr Rob Hannaford, Exeter City Council's Lead Councillor for Housing and Social Inclusion who officially opened the house said:"It is so appropriate that the Children's Centre Storytelling House should start with a wonderful tale of cooperation. The enthusiasm of the children and parents, their hard work helping with construction, the dedication of the centre's staff and thoughtful guidance from our Museum have combined to give the centre this wonderful resource."The event was attended by children, parents, neighbours, councillors and other community leaders.Image: Living here partnership: Sarah Baker, Head of Centre, Alan Cameron-Duff and Annabel Fawcus of Earthed, David Simpkins, Chair of Governors, Cllr Rob Hannaford, Lead Cllr Adrian Fullam, Cllr Jeff Coates, Cllr Venessa Newcombe, Katharine Pringle, Acting Snr. Teacher Philippa Wood, RAMM Family Learning Officer. http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/  The removal of false ceilings and partition walls in RAMM's galleries has uncovered hidden features that haven't been seen for decades.The galleries were stripped by local building company Arque in preparation for the arrival of the main contractor HBG at the end of June and the features revealed included vaulted ceilings, ornate window frames, fireplaces and wrought iron ventilation grills. Many of these original Victorian features will be visible in the newly refurbished galleries.Another important part of this phase of the development was the underpinning of the back of the building by Uretek. RAMM's location next to the city wall meant that part of it was built over a Norman defensive trench. Although filled in during the intervening centuries the trench area was less compact than surrounding land and RAMM's Victorian foundations were unable to prevent the galleries above sinking over 50mm in its 140-year history. The injection of high-pressure epoxy resins into the soil below has stabilised the area and raised the galleries by a few millimetres. RAMM's new temporary exhibition gallery and public entrance can now be built on firm ground.Councillor Kevin Mitchell, Lead Councillor for Environment and Leisure, said: "It's wonderful to be able to see how the redevelopment is progressing. It's quite a shock to see the empty rooms but with the Victorian architecture revealed, you can already feel how atmospheric the new galleries will be."RAMM's £15million redevelopment scheme is funded by the HLF (£9million), ECC and other sources. It will allow RAMM to expand its public areas, redisplay the majority of galleries and improve the care of its collections.Image left: Cllr Kevin Mitchell, Lead Councillor for Environment & Leisure, admires the Victorian vaulted ceiling exposed in the Rowley Gallery with Marketing Manager, Ruth Randall.http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/The Olympia Fine Art & Antiques Fair, together with The Art Fund, have launched a public appeal to help RAMM purchase an 18th century portrait of Devon dignitary John Rolle Walter by Pompeo Batoni. The painting is being sold by Great Torrington Almshouse, Town Lands and Poors Charities and was recently removed from auction to give RAMM a chance to raise funds to buy it, thereby keeping the painting in the South West. Pompeo Batoni is regarded as one of the greatest portrait painters of the 18th century, making this a major potential acquisition and RAMM is the natural home for the painting. John Rolle Walter was MP for Exeter between 1754 and 1776 and MP for Devon from 1776 to 1779. By the 18th century his family were the dominant landowners in Devon and their extensive holdings included Bicton House, near Exeter.The appeal was launched on 4 June by celebrated actress and national treasure Joanna Lumley. A giant replica jigsaw puzzle has been made of the portrait and visitors to the fair, open from 5th-15th June, are being urged to buy a piece to help raise £15,000 towards the £300,000 sale price of the painting. Jigsaw pieces range from £5 to £1,000 and members of the public can visit the fair or donate to the campaign on 0870 848 2003.Cllr Kevin Mitchell, Lead Councillor for Environment and Leisure, said"It would be a shame if this painting were to leave the South West where it so obviously belongs. Such an important painting requires the best of homes and John Rolle Walter's strong connection to Exeter make our Museum the ideal place. We're delighted that the Olympia Fair and The Art Fund have set the ball rolling by starting up an appeal fund and would be very grateful if anyone wants to contribute to it."The Olympia Fine Art & Antiques Fair is at Olympia Exhibition Halls, Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UX from 5 to 15 June 2008. For more information visit www.olympiaartsinternational.comThe Art Fund is an independent charity that exists to save art for everyone to enjoy. For more information visit www.artfund.orghttp://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/  RAMM has contributed items from its ethnography collection to an exhibition being held in Paris this summer. Pacific Encounters: Art and Divinity in Polynesia 1760-1860 presents 270 rare and stunning sculptures, ornaments, textiles and valuables and explores Polynesia during a dynamic period in its history, the era of contact with European voyagers, missionaries and traders. Britain holds the world's most comprehensive collections of 18th and 19th century Polynesian material but much of it is little known and seldom exhibited. Pacific Encounters brings together important material from British and other collections in a major exhibition. RAMM's contribution to the exhibition includes late 18th century material from Easter Island, Tonga and Hawaii.Pacific Encounters is on show at Musee du quai Branly in Paris from 16 June to 14 September 2008.http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/  The mammoth task of emptying RAMM was completed on Saturday 3 May, just in time to hand the Museum building over to contractors on 6 May. The move involved not only the 1.5 million objects in the city's collections but also mountains of furniture, files and fittings. Unlike most major museum moves, the operation was carried out by museum staff. Museum Manager, Camilla Hampshire summed up the achievement."A magnificent job... All in all, the fact that we got there by the deadline was down to good planning, a lot of hard work and, most of all, the wonderful team spirit."http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/  Conservation Development Officer, Helena Jaeschke, has been catering for the conservation needs of a splendid ichthyosaur fossil which is touring venues along the Jurassic coast. The fossil, which was found locally at Charmouth, is on loan from the Natural History Museum in London. 152,212 people have visited the venues where the ichthyosaur was displayed between 5 May 2007 and 31 March 2008 (11 months). Many of these will have been going to the libraries and information centres anyway, but librarians have reported people coming in just to see the fossil. Nearly 24,000 saw it in Exeter Central Library.http://www.rammuseum.org.uk//News-Article/