Collection: Winterbourne House and Garden

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  Apart from a small number of items, the collections have been developed since the refurbishment of the house in 2010. Significant donations from descendants of the Nettlefold, Wheelock and Nicolson families have included furniture and other items original to the house, and archival material. Generic items relating to domestic life in the appropriate periods, and items relating to the Arts and Crafts movement, have been acquired through donation and purchase.

  The Nettlefold family donated a major collection of around 1000 paper records in 2009, including family letters, photographs and diaries. Other key donations include: silver cigarette case given to John Nettlefold by Arthur Chamberlain, donated by Dr Philip Crosskey; the Moor Pool spade and sod box, donated by Grainger plc; a dinner service owned by the Nettlefold family, donated by Mrs Annette Holmes; significant Nettlefold and Kenrick items donated by David Kenrick, including the Parliamentary court dress of Edward Strutt.

  In 2019 Winterbourne acquired a significant body of archival material from Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds.

  Winterbourne has also acquired a significant collection of historic printing presses, the nucleus of which was salvaged from Westmere House at the University of Birmingham. Items related to the history of the house since 1945, many of which have been found unaccessioned, have been gradually incorporated into the collection over time.

  In 2020 Winterbourne assumed responsibility for the University Herbarium collection.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2021

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  The long-term collection at Winterbourne is divided into five broad categories: the General House Collection, Print Collection, Botanical Collection, Archive, and Oral History Collection. The House Collection comprises materials which directly relate to the Nettlefold family, and material which relates more broadly to the house, the Arts and Crafts movement, and the Edwardian period in general. The Print Collection comprises historic printing presses and related ephemera. The Botanical Collection comprises material relating to the post-war history of Winterbourne as a botanical garden and research facility. The Archive contains photographs and other documents donated by the Nettlefold, Wheelock and Nicolson families, documents relating to the house and garden during the University of Birmingham’s ownership of the property, and archival material relating to GKN and to the University Herbarium. The Oral History Collection comprises recorded oral history testimonies from people connected to various aspects of the history of Winterbourne. Winterbourne House also holds a small number of items on loan from other University Collections, the Black Country Living Museum and private collectors.

  The University Herbarium consists of a collection of dried botanical specimens which Winterbourne assumed responsibility for in 2020. The collection was moved to Winterbourne Collections Centre in 2021. Associated archival material has been incorporated into Winterbourne’s collection.

  Usage

  The collections are used in the following ways:

  • Permanent room displays and exhibitions
  • Temporary exhibitions
  • Handling sessions and educational seminars
  • Research by academics and private researchers

  The collections are open to the public seven days a week and are used to interpret the history of Winterbourne from 1904 to the present. Room sets are dressed with collection objects which are on open display. Objects which are directly related to the Nettlefold family, and objects of high value or rarity, are displayed in locked display cabinets. The collections are also used as an educational resource to convey the quality of life and daily experiences of social spheres pertinent to the house. The collections are available to members of the public for research purposes with prior consent, and can be searched online via the University’s online collections resource.

  Ownership

  Winterbourne’s collections are owned by the museum itself, with clear ownership rights being handed over to the museum at acquisition. Whilst the collections are owned by the University of Birmingham, of which the supreme body is Council, authority is delegated to the management team at Winterbourne House and Garden.

  Collection categories

  General House Collection

  The House Collection (sub-category) is a core collection made up of objects that relate to the Arts and Crafts movement, the Edwardian period, and domestic life at the turn of the twentieth century. The House Collection consists of furniture and items collected to recreate the typical domestic environment of a wealthy family in the early Edwardian era. There is a particular emphasis on objects with links to the Arts and Crafts movement and the period c.1890-1910, but there are also items which date from as early as c.1830 and as late as c.1940, which reflect the history of the Nettlefold family and Winterbourne’s continuing use throughout the twentieth century. There are also objects (in the kitchen, for example) which are designed to demonstrate life ‘below stairs’ in a large suburban villa.

  The Nettlefold Collection – objects which relate to the Nettlefold family itself and their extended family. It contains several key pieces donated by the Nettlefold family, the Kenrick family and Grainger plc (the residential management company that now helps run the Moor Pool Estate). The most notable pieces are the Moor Pool spade and sod box, the silver cigarette case given to John Nettlefold from Arthur Chamberlain, a dinner service which belonged to John and Margaret Nettlefold, and the Parliamentary court dress of Edward Strutt.

  The War Collection – a collection of items relating to the First World War, notably trench art, and books and periodicals relating to both world wars.

  The GKN Collection – objects relating to Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds.

  The H&G Collection – objects relating to Winterbourne House and Garden as a heritage site.

  The University Collection – objects relating to Winterbourne as a University hall of residence.

  Print Collection

  A large collection of printing presses and related equipment has been donated to Winterbourne and is on display in the printing press. Several of the presses are used for demonstrations and workshops. This collection is in the process of being accessioned and catalogued.

  Botanical Collection

  The Botanical Collection consists of material relating to the history of Winterbourne as a research facility and University botanical garden. It includes tools and equipment, scientific apparatus, periodicals and some botanical specimens. This material is gradually being catalogued as most of it has been found unaccessioned on the site.

  Archive

  The archive comprises material relating to every aspect of the history of Winterbourne. The Nettlefold archive is made up of over 1000 paper records donated by the Nettlefold family in 2009, including family letters, photographs and diaries. The collection is significant in terms of what it reveals about domestic, civic, and industrial life in Britain – and Birmingham in particular – at the turn of the twentieth century. There are also materials which relate to the Wheelock and Nicolson family’s ownership of Winterbourne and the University of Birmingham’s ownership of the house and garden from 1944 to the present day. Winterbourne also has a significant archive of material relating to GKN, which has a direct historical link to Winterbourne through the Nettlefold and Chamberlain families.

  Oral History Collection

  A collection of oral history testimonies collected in 2009, mainly relating to Moor Pool Estate, GKN and the post-war history of Winterbourne garden.

  Loan Collections

  The museum currently has items on loan from Research and Cultural Collections (University of Birmingham) and the Black Country Living Museum. These are subject to long-term loans lasting five years each, in agreement with the relevant institution. The museum also occasionally carries loans from private collectors.

  Herbarium

  A collection of dried botanical specimens collected by the University of Birmingham between the late 19^th century and the 1950s. This collection was in regular use as a resource by the Botanical Department until the 1980s, and subsequently became an ‘orphaned’ collection. It became Winterbourne’s responsibility in 2020. The specimen collection was catalogued online in the past and is available to be searched on the Herbaria United website. The associated archival material has been catalogued as part of Winterourne’s collection.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2021

  Licence: CC BY-NC