Welcome to the July
Castle Transformation Newsletter
This month, we feature:
- Project update - Fit out contract, Inspire, fire drill, conference tour
- Jade's Column - Object scanning
- Object of the Month - Fish slice
- Top Trumps - No. 3: William Peverel the Younger
- G F Tomlinson - School visits
Watch the latest time lapse images for July on our website
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July 2019 – Project Update
Welcome to our project news for July 2019
Fit out contract awarded - We are delighted to announce that the Exhibition Fit Out contract for the project has been awarded to Beck Interiors Limited. Preparations for off-site build have already started and work on site is due to start in April next year. This is a really exciting time for the project as the designs of Casson Mann are about to become a reality! We look forward to working with Beck in the run up to opening.
Inspire visit - Earlier this month, we were very glad to welcome members of the Inspire News Group to site. The group regularly visited the Castle prior to closure and had met with us previously to discuss the project and their hopes for the site. This time their visit was a little different. Donning hard hats and high-vis vests, they enjoyed a tour of the construction site and filmed interviews with project staff for a news piece they hoped to produce. We hope to share some of this in the near future, so keep a look out.
Fire drill - The Castle played host to Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service this month as they utilised the site for ‘Exercise Little John’. Crews from across the county along with colleagues from the East Midlands Ambulance Service took part in this large-scale exercise in order to hone skills and improve inter-agency collaboration. The exercise concluded with the rescue of a breathing apparatus team following a simulated scaffolding collapse. Once again, we are incredibly pleased that the Castle could play a part in such a valuable exercise.
Conference tour - During July, our Programme Manager was delighted to welcome delegates from the Annual Conference of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation. Two site tours were given to delegates, who were keen to learn of the conservation work taking place as part of the project. Representatives from our architect Purcell were also on hand to explain some of the design considerations when working with our amazing grade I listed building (which also happens to be on top of a scheduled monument!)
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Jade's Column - Object scanning
This month, Jade explores the exciting world of digital scanning...
Earlier this month, Claire and Joe from V21 Art Space came to Brewhouse Yard to scan and photograph a couple of our objects.
Firstly, they looked at the 3D model of the Ducal Palace which was created just after the fire in 1831 for insurance purposes; and secondly, the Luddite sword (pictured), which belonged to the ringleader of a gang of Nottingham men which attacked John Heathcote’s factory in Loughborough on the night of 28 June 1816.
(Find out more about the attack)
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These objects will be on display in the new Rebellion Gallery when the Castle re-opens, but so will a digital version of them, enabling visitors to explore them up close and learn more about them, which is why the digital scanning and photogrammetry is needed.
The process was incredibly interesting to watch; as a photo needed to be taken of every side, edge and detail of the objects for the digital replica to work. Claire and Joe did an amazing job and were incredibly patient.
Watch Jade's short Facebook film on object scanning
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 Object of the month
What is it? Our selected object is a hand-formed silver fish slice created by British sculptor, designer and silversmith Brian Asquith (1930 – 2008) which came into our collection in 1998.
Why is it significant?- The scope of Brian Asquith’s work included designing the first mass-produced fitted kitchen for the Magnet Company, undertaking royal commissions, creating silver trophies for the International Tennis Federation and working in partnership with Italian design company Alessi to produce a range of tableware inspired by the work of the Victorian designer Christopher Dresser. His final major public work was a fountain and street furniture for the refurbishment of the Peace Gardens in Sheffield in 1997.
Tell Me More - Asquith took inspiration from artists and designers who exhibited works at the Festival of Britain in 1951 and from European Modernism. Another important influence was the landscape of his home in the Derbyshire Peak District where he swam in the River Lathkill every day. This influence is reflected in our fish slice which takes the form of a whole salmon with a pierced and engraved design representing the running water it is swimming through.
The silver fish slice will feature in the new Art as Inspiration Gallery currently being designed by exhibition designers Casson Mann.
Telegraph obituary for Asquith
National Portrait Gallery - Christopher Dresser
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Top Trumps#3
Welcome to the third in the series of Castle stories, turned into a game of Top Trumps. Please email us to let us know whether you agree or disagree with our scores. Top Trumps #3 is William Peverel the Younger
Find out more at the English Monarchs website
Sherwood Forest Archaeology website
History of the Parish
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Contractor update
Career-driven pupils got a glimpse into the world of construction this month with a tour of the Nottingham Castle restoration site.
Motivated pupils from Nottingham Free School learned about the many roles in the world of construction as part of an exciting careers week with Castle project contractor G F Tomlinson, which included a tour of the site.
Nottingham Free School, in Sherwood, held a jam-packed week of career days this July. G F Tomlinson has been partnered with the school since 2018 as part of their involvement in the Careers Enterprise Advisor Network. They provide a dedicated careers enterprise advisor who works closely with staff and the senior leadership team to support the school's careers curriculum and have created a bespoke programme of events to bolster this year’s careers week.
On Thursday 18 July, the Just Imagine Working Here event kickstarted the programme, with 22 students from Year 10 donning hard hats to visit Nottingham Castle for a site tour with the G F Tomlinson project team.
Other careers events with G F Tomlinson across the week included a quantity surveying workshop with Year 7 pupils, while Year 9 students got hands-on with a lesson in hanging doors by G F Tomlinson’s team of joiners. The careers week finished with a day of mock interviews, giving students an experience of the application process to gain a role within the construction industry.
Read more of the piece on the project in Local Authority Building and Maintenance magazine
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