Lincoln Museum, Lincolnshire facts for kids
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The Lincoln Museum is a cool place in Lincoln, England, where you can explore history, art, and nature! It's the main museum and art gallery for the area of Lincolnshire. This museum was created by joining two older places: the Usher Gallery and the City and County Museum.
The museum part is in a modern building right next to the Usher Gallery. For a while, it was called "The Collection" starting in 2005. But in 2023, it got a new name: "Lincoln Museum and Usher Gallery."
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A Look Back: How the Museum Started
The Lincoln Museum as we know it today opened in 2005. It brought together two older, important places. The Usher Gallery first opened its doors in 1927. The City and County Museum was even older, starting way back in 1906.
The First Curator
The very first person in charge of the Lincoln City and County Museum was Arthur Smith. He was born in Leicester in 1869 and grew up in Grimsby. Arthur loved natural history, which is the study of plants, animals, and nature.
After he became the curator, he moved to Lincoln. He helped the museum get many amazing collections. These included insects like bugs, flies, and butterflies. The museum also got important collections of bird specimens. Arthur Smith retired in 1935 and passed away in 1947.
Where is the Museum Located?
Lincoln is a city built on two levels. One part is high up on a hill, called the cliff. The other part is down in the valley, near the River Witham. The museum sits on the steep slope between these two parts.
It's also located inside what used to be a Roman city. This Roman area connected a military fort from the 1st century with the river, which was important for trade and shipping.
The Buildings: Old and New
The Lincoln Museum is made up of two main buildings. One is the historic Usher Gallery, and the other is the newer museum building.
The Usher Gallery
The Usher Gallery was built to hold the art collection of a man named James Ward Usher. He left money in his will to make this gallery possible. A famous architect, Sir Reginald Blomfield, designed the building. It officially opened on May 25, 1927. The Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VIII, was there for the opening.
The gallery is a simple, beautiful building made of stone and brick. It has classic columns and decorations. It stands in a small park on the hillside, looking out over the lower part of the city. The Usher Gallery is the only building in Lincolnshire built specifically to be a public art gallery. It is also a Grade II* listed building, meaning it's a very important historic building.
The Modern Museum Building
A design competition was held to choose the architects for the new museum building. Panter Hudspith Architects won, and Simon Hudspith led the design. The new building opened in October 2005. Before construction, archaeologists dug up the site. They found amazing things, including part of a mosaic floor from a Roman passage!
The new building uses a lot of Ancaster stone for its walls and floors. It has a cool glass-covered courtyard, similar to the British Museum. This area reminds some people of a medieval alleyway.
The main entrance is at the top of the hill. When you enter, you'll see a café on your left and a shop on your right. After the reception desk, you enter the main hall, which is the glass-covered "alley." From here, you can go to the auditorium for videos or talks. There's also an education area, the archaeological collection, and the New Curtois Gallery, which hosts special traveling exhibitions.
What You Can See: Amazing Exhibits
The museum has many fascinating things to explore, from ancient times to modern art.
Ancient Discoveries
The mosaic floor found during the building's construction is now on display inside the museum. It's part of a larger exhibit that covers all periods from the Ice Age up to more recent times. This mosaic is the biggest one found in Lincoln in over a hundred years!
The archaeological exhibit takes you on a journey through time. You'll see artifacts from the Stone Age, Roman times, and the Anglo-Saxon and Viking periods. It also covers the Medieval period. Many items from the Iron Age come from a dig at Fiskerton, including the famous Fiskerton log boat.
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Art in the Usher Gallery
The Usher Gallery has long-standing displays of furniture, clocks, and other decorative arts from James Ward Usher's collection. You can see a large portrait of Joseph Banks by Benjamin West from 1773. There are also works by famous artists like J. M. W. Turner, John Piper, and L. S. Lowry.
The gallery is especially known for its collection of works by Peter De Wint, an artist who used to live in Lincoln. Other artists with works here include Ivon Hitchens, Charles Haslewood Shannon, and Grayson Perry. The Usher Gallery also has four different spaces for temporary art exhibitions.
Modern Art Shows
The Usher Gallery often invites modern artists and curators to display their work. These contemporary pieces are shown alongside the gallery's permanent collection. For example, in 2014, prints by Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and Henri Matisse were shown as part of a traveling exhibition called Modern Masters.
In 2013, artist Raimi Gbadamosi helped create a special display called What's Going On. It featured art from the Arts Council Collection and the British Art Medal Society. It also included works by contemporary artists like Edward Allington, Kimathi Donkor, and Susan Stockwell.
Awards and Recognition
In May 2006, The Collection was one of four museums chosen as finalists for the Gulbenkian Prize. This award recognizes innovative museums. The prize that year was given to the SS Great Britain.
Keeping the Usher Gallery Open
In 2019, there were plans to close the Usher Gallery and turn the building into a wedding venue. Some of the artwork might have been moved to the museum next door. Many art lovers were upset about these plans. The local council was trying to save money from its heritage budget.
People held public meetings and even an art march to protest the closure. After many discussions, it was decided that the Usher Gallery would stay open! The agreement allows the building to be rented out for events and ceremonies, but Lincoln's important museum and art collections will remain in Lincolnshire.
See also
In Spanish: The Collection (museo) para niños
