Church Farmhouse Museum News |
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NEWSLETTER Winter 2009 No. 47
2010 is the 350th anniversary of Church Farm, which came into being at the time of the restoration of Charles II, and which is set in the heart of the old village of Hendon, The Museum will be marking the anniversary with an exhibition tracing the long and fascinating history of the house, from its origins as the centre of an extensive hay and dairy farm to its present day role as the museum for London Borough of Barnet. There will be events during the course of the exhibition, most importantly a ‘Living History’ re-enactment of daily life in the 17th Century, in the Museum’s charming garden. In June and July Hendon & District Archaeological Society and University College London Institute of Archaeology will (with pupils from local schools) be digging in the Museum garden, and HADAS & UCL will also be using Church Farm as a base whilst excavating the two WWII public air-raid shelters in Sunny Hill Park, which adjoins our garden. Come along and join us in celebrating
this handsome Grade II* listed building- the oldest surviving dwelling
house in Hendon. Graham Hutchings We regret to announce the death of local historian Graham Hutchings in December 2009. Graham was Chairman of the Friends of Church Farmhouse Museum from 1995 to 2003. A memorial service for Graham will be held at St Margaret’s Church, Edgware, on Monday 1 February at 3pm, and all who knew him are most welcome to attend. Mayor’s Charity Appeal Christmas Party Every December, the Mayor of Barnet’s Charity Appeal
Committee holds a party at Church Farm. This year a very enjoyable Victorian
High Tea took place on 6 December, and featured the Museum’s recreated
Victorian Christmas dining room specially lit with candles. The event
raised over £400.00 for The Larches Trust and Resources for Autism,
the chosen charities of this year’s Mayor, Cllr Brian Coleman. ‘The Eye of Childhood’ competition
During ‘The Eye of Childhood’, the Museum’s very successful Summer exhibition on children’s writers and artists in Barnet borough, visiting children were invited to draw illustrations to their favourite books, or to write a poem or story on the subject: ’ the magic book’. There were lots and lots of lovely entries, which were all displayed around the walls in the exhibition. It was very hard to choose, but finally we selected three pictures and one poem which were particularly good, and those children- all aged between seven and twelve- received small prizes. The winning entries are on show at the Museum until the end of November 2009. Family History Hugh Petrie, Barnet’s Heritage Officer, recently appeared on GMTV’s family history slot, helping actor Scott Maslem (‘The Bill’) trace his family back to 19th Century Hendon. The feaure was filmed both at the Museum and at LBBarnet’s Archives at Mill Hill. Hendonwood? ‘Lines and Bears’, a short film based on the children’s poem of Lines and Squares by A A Milne, has just appeared. Shot almost entirely on location at the Museum last year, the film was made by London company Frantic Films. Virtual Reality The Museum has just been awarded a ‘Renaissance’
grant of £2500 by the MLA (Museums, Libraries & Archives) to
promote the virtual tours of its displays featured on this website. The
grant is to be used to publicize the tours to those groups, such as people
with mobility problems, for whom physical access to the building is difficult
or impossible. Drawing Competition As part of its Winterlude exhibition earlier this year, the Museum held a competition for children in which they were asked to draw their favourite toy from those on display. Over 150 children entered lovely pictures, which were displayed around the gallery walls during the show, and it was a hard task for Brenda Faris, one of our exhibitors, to narrow the entries down to six winners. However, she did so, and last week those children were sent small prizes contributed by the Museum and by Mrs Faris herself. Congratulations to all. Maze THE MAZE AT CHURCH FARMHOUSE MUSEUM The main work has now been completed on a maze in the
Museum Garden. The maze, which is situated in the north east corner of
the Garden, just beyond the pond, was made possible by a generous bequest
made in 2004 by the late Colette Anna Fontaine, of Edgware, additional
funding was kindly given by the Friends of Church
NEW BOOK The considerable slice of North London now covered by
London Borough of Barnet has a long and varied past. The fascinating history
of a major part of the Borough is revealed in a lively new book by Barnet’s
Heritage Officer, Hugh Petrie, who works both at Church Farmhouse Museum
and at the Borough’s Local Studies and Archives in Mill Hill. Hendon
& Golders Green is the product of extensive new research and contains
a wealth of illustrations, including many photographs of the area never
before reproduced: it will be the standard study of its subject for many
years to come. Hendon & Golders Green is published , in hardback,
by Phillimore , and is available in the Museum Shop, at Barnet branch
libraries, and at all good bookshops, price +15.95. (NB There is a 10%
reduction on this, and on all other purchases from the Museum Shop, for
members of the Friends of the Museum.) Blue Plaque The blue plaque in commemoration of Mark Lemon (which has been paid for by the Friends) was officially unveiled on 11th September by the well-known humorist, writer and broadcaster Alan Coren. It is very fitting that this memorial to the first editor of Punch should be unveiled by one of the last. Mr Coren edited the magazine from 1978 to 1987. (Alan Coren has a previous connexion with Church Farm: he was Patron of the Friends of the Museum in the late 1990s.) We hope that this blue plaque will be a permanent reminder of Mark Lemon- a man who played a significant role in the cultural life of Britain in the 19th Century. |