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AIRSHIPS
AT BEDFORD MUSEUM
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Airship Heritage Trust (AHT) has always worked to ensure that
one of its primary objectives of "presenting lighter
than air history to the public" is fulfilled, whether
on its own or working with other organisations. To this end,
the Trust has been working in partnership with Bedford Museum
to develop a new, permanent display about Cardington and its
airships in the refurbished Museum which is due to open in
2012. There will also be a three-month special exhibition
opening in early October this year in the recently restored
Bedford Gallery, telling the story of the airships R-100 and
R101. |
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The
Bedford Museum |
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Background
In 2008, the Trust assisted in providing airship-related items
for a display forming part of the Museum's very successful 'Ouse
Town' exhibition - the centrepiece of the display being a model
of the R101. This model was built by the late Alan Morton, a long
term AHT member, who bequeathed the model to the Trust when he
died in 2008. Lit by spotlights in a darkened recess with a DVD
(produced by AHT) about the airship playing alongside the model,
this eye-catching display attracted much attention and favourable
comment from the press and public alike. (Children in particular
were captivated by the audio-visual presentation produced by the
Trust.) Mounted on adjacent walls were AHT display boards illustrating
Cardington's contribution to airship history.
Having
worked successfully with AHT on this project, Bedford Museum invited
the Trust to become involved in the planning process for the Museum's
forthcoming major refurbishment to help ensure that Cardington
and its airships are well represented in the new Museum's displays.
The airship display in the new permanent gallery will tell the
story of Bedford's airship heritage from the arrival of Short
Brothers through the period of the Royal Airship Works, right
up to present-day airship activities.
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The
Bedford Gallery entrance
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The
Bedford Gallery during the"Treasures" exhibition
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Special
Exhibition
The R-100 and R101 Exhibition previously mentioned is expected
to open to the public on Saturday, 2nd October 2010 and will run
until the end of the year. The opening in early October will mark
the 80th anniversary of the loss of the R101 on 5th October 1930
but will also commemorate the R-100's successful flight to Canada
and back in the same year.
The
Trust has been closely involved in developing both the exhibition's
themes and identifying artefacts that should be displayed. Following
the transfer of the AHT Collection to the Fleet Air Arm Museum
(FAAM) at Yeovilton, the Trust saw one of its principal roles
as that of 'facilitator' between the two museums. The Trust therefore
drew up an inventory of items at the FAAM for possible use in
the displays at Bedford. Bedford Museum has now developed a good
relationship with the FAAM and it is expected that a number of
airship artefacts will be loaned for display at Bedford. The Museum
is also very keen to include personal stories in the exhibition
and will be happy to accept small items of memorabilia for display
and a suitable appeal will appear in our members' magazine Dirigible
in due course.
It
was agreed at an early stage that - in addition to dealing with
the story of the R101 - the exhibition should cover the R-100,
Cardington and its airship heritage, the personalities involved
in both designing and flying the airships and the technical innovations
and aviation achievements that resulted from the rigid airship
programme. The exhibition will also show what has been achieved
at Cardington since the end of the rigid airship era. It is hoped
that this wide-ranging scope will give the exhibition a more balanced
view of the famous Cardington site and its airship history instead
of concentrating solely on the R101 disaster.
New
Gallery
The existing museum will close in October 2010 and will re-open
in 2012. There will be public consultation on the plans and designs
for the refurbished Museum and the Trust will be closely involved
in this process. The airship section in the new Trade and Industry
Gallery will probably consist of two or three display cases with
other items being hung from the ceiling. Bedford Museum has already
secured a substantial proportion of the necessary funding for
the refurbishment scheme and will be organising various events
to raise the balance. You can help by becoming a Patron of Bedford
Museum. See the Museum's website at www.bedfordmuseum.org
and click on 'News' for full details.
The
Future
The Bedford Museum project is proving to be very interesting and
constructive and promises to be a most exciting time in the history
of both Bedford Museum and the Airship Heritage Trust. More information
about progress at the museum will follow as our joint plans develop.
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