Collection: Lancaster City Council

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  The earliest museum collections in Lancaster were founded by the Lancaster’s Mechanics Institute, based in the Athenaeum, now the Grand Theatre. In 1887, to mark Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, Sir Thomas Storey commissioned a new building and re-named the organisation ‘The Storey Institute’. All the existing collections were transferred to the new building when it opened in 1891.

  The New Town Hall opened in Dalton Square in December 1909 and in 1923 the Lancaster City Museum was established in part of the vacated Georgian Town Hall in Market Square. The Storey collections were transferred over to the new museum with the exception of Fine Art. The Lancaster City Museum continued to run the Art Gallery in the Storey Institute until late 1960’s when the remaining Fine Art collections were transferred to the Museum.

  In 1976-8 a group of derelict houses on Castle Hill were restored as a result Architectural Heritage Year. 15 Castle Hill had retained a number of the original features and the decision was taken to open the building as a museum. The Cottage Museum was furnished with items from the collection to recreate an early 19th century dwelling and became the second Lancaster Museums site.

  In 1985 the Lancaster Maritime Museum opened in the town’s former Custom House on St Georges Quay. In 1987 the museum was extended, expanding into the fourth floor of the adjacent warehouse. The Lancaster City Collections now span all three sites, and over the years the collection has continued to develop through donations, bequests and occasional purchases. The collections now consist of approximately 80,000 objects across a range of subject areas, discounting the bulk archaeology.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2019

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  The museum collections are typical of a civic museum collection with a wide variety of subjects represented, the majority of which are locally relevant, however the collection also contains individual collections donated by local people.

  Archaeology

  The core collection comprises of approximately 60 material archives from excavations and field surveys as well as casual finds from Lancaster and the surrounding district. Associated documentary material is also held for some archives. The collection consists of ceramic, bone, glass and metal material from the Palaeolithic up to the 19th century. A small amount of material purchased under the treasure act has also been acquired in recent years.

  Strengths of the archaeological collections are the Roman material from various excavations, including the Insus memorial and the Burrow Heights heads, and the Anglo-Saxon and Viking Age stonework and burial from Quernmore. A nationally important Bronze Age hoard from Scotforth was also recently acquired.

  Significant excavation finds are held for Cockersand Abbey (1923-4), Vicarage Field Lancaster (1929 and 1965-74), Westfield Memorial Village (1934), the Wery Wall Lancaster (1950), Quernmore (1969-71), Mitre Yard Lancaster (1973), The Old Vicarage Lancaster (1975), sites in Church Street Lancaster (1978, 1982 and 1985), China Street Lancaster (1979), Dalton Square Lancaster (1981), Capernwray (1984), Docker Moor (1984-7), Ellel Medieval Pottery Kiln Site (1992), Carnforth Treales Pipeline (1992). Mitchell’s Brewery (1999), 5 Dalton Square (2005), Quay Meadow (2015), Castle Hill (2016)

  The museum also holds a number of personal collections from local antiquarians. A small amount of material from other counties and countries is represented in these collections. Notable acquisitions include the Alice Johnson Collection of local samian ware (1923), material collected by J W Jackson’s from Dog Holes, Warton (1945) and a collection of items from Henry Swainson Cowper (1937).

  Fine Art

  The Fine Art collection comprises approximately 1,800 works dating from the 17th century to the present day. The core collection consists of oil and acrylic paintings, watercolours and drawings and prints. There is also a small group of sculptures, posters and artist’s photographs.

  The scope of the collection can be defined as:

  • Material depicting local topography, personalities and genre scenes including works by unknown artists.
  • Notable holdings include a collection of 17th to early 20th century portraits of the Dalton family, and work by landscape artist Samuel John ‘Lamorna’ Birch (1896 – 1955). ork by local artists and printers.
  • There are significant holdings of work by George Romney (1734-1802), James Lonsdale (17771839), Gideon Yates (fl 1803-38), William Woodhouse (1857-1939), Reginald Aspinwall (18581921), Robert Rampling (1835-1909) and The Rembrandt Intaglio Printing Co. Ltd (1895 – 1932). There are individual items from artists such as Ivon Hitchens, Julius Caesar Ibbetson, Joseph Farington, David Roberts and Albert Goodwin.

  Decorative Art

  The Decorative Arts collection comprises approximately 1,000 items of ceramics, furniture, clocks, metalwork, glass and ivory.

  Holdings include:

  • Royal commemorative ceramics and ceramics produced for local tourism.
  • The Miss Whalley Bequest (1944), primarily English and Continental ceramic figures with carved ivories, jade etc; The Chilton Bequest (1968), primarily oriental ceramics; The Fell Bequest (1986), particularly late 18th and early 19th century teawares and tableware.
  • Locally produced ceramics made in Burton-in-Lonsdale and Scotforth in the 19th century and by a number of contemporary potters working across the district in last years of the 20th century – eg John Calver, Michael & Vicky Eden, Andy Hornby, Alvin Irving, Carol Newmarch and Karen Woof. Also tiles by e.g. Shrigley & Hunt.
  • Furniture of local manufacture including carved oak furniture and examples of cabinetmaking by Gillows of Lancaster and their contemporaries (eg Bell & Coupland, Simpsons) alongside related cabinetmakers’ tools. There is an important collection of 129 interior design drawings from Gillows, covering the first quarter for the 19th century. NB this is a companion collection to a further 175 such drawings in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
  • Material reflecting the local clock and watchmaking tradition with notable examples by Thomas Fayrer, Thomas Worswick and Jonas Barber. Also material reflecting local stained glass workshops of the 19th century, particularly Shrigley & Hunt and Abbott & Co
  • A small number of ceramic and glass items related to those towns twinned with Lancaster.

  Trade and Industry

  This collection includes artefacts that represent the rise and fall of local trades and industries as well as transport developments that aided their growth. The collection is at its strongest in the 20th century but other periods are represented.

  Holdings include:-

  • Material relating to local trades including clogging, saddle making, blacksmiths and retailing.
  • There is a notable collection of embossed/etched/labelled glass bottles and stoneware jars, bottles and flagons from local mineral water manufacturers, breweries, public houses and dairies.
  • Small amounts of material relating to the agricultural history of the region are represented.
  • The Industrial History collections include material from the oilcloth, table baize and linoleum manufacture (principally at Williamsons and Storey Brothers), silk, rayon and cotton production and metalworking and heavy engineering. As constraints of space have precluded the collection of large-scale machinery these collections include examples of products, photographs of premises and their workforces and company magazines and advertising.
  • Smaller scale industries (eg Hornsea Pottery made in their Lancaster factory, local breweries etc) are represented, as are local service industries such as healthcare, architects (Austin & Paley) etc.
  • Material relating to the history and development of local transport networks, including the Morecambe Bay cross-sands routes (notably between Hest Bank via Kents Bank to Ulverston); railways, trams and other forms of road transport; and the Lancaster Canal along its fullest geographical extent.
  • These collections are cross-disciplinary from, for example, photographs and paintings to equipment, uniforms and commemorative memorabilia.

  Maritime History

  Collections relate to the maritime history of Morecambe Bay and Lancaster, local rivers and the coastal areas. They include artefacts, images, paintings and documents exploring:-

  • The social history of the fishing, boat and shipbuilding, commercial, merchant shipping, seafaring and seaside communities, including maritime crafts, trade, commerce and industry.
  • Gas, oil and mineral exploitations, extraction and processing in Morecambe Bay and adjacent sea areas.
  • Coastal defence, coast guard, fishery protection and marine rescue organisations.
  • Material relating to naval ships ‘adopted’ by Lancaster or local towns and any naval or merchant vessels bearing their name
  • Local boat types, notably the Morecambe Bay prawner (nobby boat) and other variants and derivatives (including drawings, photographs and models) that have been built and/or operated elsewhere.
  • The Lancaster Port Commission and its facilities around Morecambe Bay including the lighthouse at Walney and landmark at Fleetwood.
  • Artistic works with a maritime link, such as the Dennis Parr collection of maritime watercolours and the portrait of Dodgson Foster attributed to William Tate.

  Natural Sciences

  The Natural Science holdings consist of a very small number of entomology and geological specimens and a small number of mounted specimens.

  Several boxes and drawers containing moth specimens of various varieties and at various stages of development.

  A collection of geology consisting of a small collection of specimens from Warton Crag, a collection of specimens from Lundsfield Quarry, Carnforth and an unaccessioned box of various specimens.

  Numismatics

  The collections hold a significant range of items that fall within this discipline, namely:-

  • pre-18th century locally-found coinage
  • tokens struck for local tradesmen
  • tickets, passes and tokens for local industries and institutions
  • local commemorative medals for significant civic and royal events
  • local bank notes and cheques
  • locally-found coin hoards

  Local and Social History

  The collections in this category include objects, documents and visual material that reflect the changing nature of family and domestic life, working life, social life and leisure. By their nature there is some cross- over with other collection disciplines. The collection is particularly strong in representing the first half of the twentieth century.

  Significant holdings of visual material in the form of original photographic prints, negatives, lantern slides, film and video (or copies thereof) from the 1840s onwards. These tend to fall into three main areas – local topography, portraiture and events. The photograph collection is primarily topographical but with good coverage of local industrial and social history subjects. Notable holdings by talented local amateur photographers John Walker and Sam Thompson provide strong visual sources for the late 19th century and first half of the 20th century.

  Material that demonstrates local reactions to national and international events. For example, material relating to the Second World War home front concentrates on local services in civil defence, provision for evacuees (both children and civil servants), local life under rationing and blackout restrictions, local commemorative celebrations etc.

  There is a small collection of costume and costume accessories that were made, worn in or associated with the area. It provides a reasonable sample or cross section of styles from the second half of the 19th century onwards whilst maintaining a local focus and identity. Supporting material also exists in the form of associated ephemera such as fashion magazines, fashion plates, shop catalogues, knitting or dress patterns and costume-related packaging.

  Social institutions and services are represented. Objects and supporting evidence of the local Police Force and Fire Brigade are held covering Lancaster Police Force to 1947 and Lancaster and Morecambe Fire Brigades to 1974.

  Material relating to urban and rural local Government, Health, Welfare and Education Services is represented. Items are held relating to Lancaster, Morecambe and the district’s civic life, corporate identity and the Mayoralty.

  There is a small group of artefacts related to those towns and villages which Lancaster and local villages are twinned.

  Ephemera collection comprising of approximately 2,500 maps, tickets, labels, advertising ephemera, billheads, commemorative pamphlets and certificates exist as part of this collection.

  Whilst local business archives and old manuscripts are redirected to appropriate Record Office repositories there are existing collections of documents pertaining to archaeological material.

  Small holdings of items relating to local Artillery Volunteers – the 5th Lancashire Garrison Artillery Volunteers, constituents and successors.
  There is a small collection of de-commissioned firearms.

  Morecambe

  The collection contains many items relating to the history of Morecambe and the fishing heritage of Poulton before it, but is not currently in a position where the history of Morecambe could be told.

  Areas of the collection where there are strengths are postcards and photographs relating to Morecambe, including the Super Swimming Stadium and the Beauty Pageants. There is also a range of ephemera relating to the theatres and other entertainments.

  There are also a number of embossed glass bottles from Morecambe pubs and aerated water companies.

  Transatlantic Slave Trade

  The museum service currently possesses very little material relating to the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Material tends to be concentrated on the ship owners and their ships, particularly paintings and customs books.

  Notable people and events

  The museum has some material relating to notable people and events, particularly portraits.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2019

  Licence: CC BY-NC