Publications | Down Survey | 2001 Issue Contents

Foreword

During 2001, Down County Museum has focused many of its activities on the Victorian era in County Down, brought to an end by Queen Victoria's death one hundred years ago. Our rich Victorian collections were used to bring our exhibition 'Hard Times, Great Expectations' to life, and generous loans of Victorian artworks helped create the exhibition 'Portrait of an Age'. The old gaol Dayroom was transformed into a Victorian playroom for our younger visitors, and special education packs on the subject of the great famine were produced for use by Key Stage 2 (10-11) and Key Stage 3 (13-14) pupils. As part of the generous grant provided by the Clore Duffield Foundation for living history presentations this year, the Museum was turned over to the South Down Militia, as it was 100 years ago, and school pupils and visitors alike experienced life in the Militia's barracks at the time of the Boer War.

It was a natural step therefore to dedicate this year's Down Survey to the Victorian Age in County Down. The articles range from a study of a set of three Victorian paintings in the Museum's collection, to a consideration of three important Victorian buildings in Downpatrick. Museum artefacts and historic photographs provide a central focus for many of the articles, demonstrating how important pieces of the historic fabric of the Victorian era have been preserved for posterity and made accessible to our visitors. Indeed, several articles are literally dedicated to rare 'historic fabrics', such as robes and a quilt, which have required expert conservation as well as interpretation.

Looking back at the exploits of a pioneering doctor in the Crimea, we can marvel at the changes in medicine which have taken place since the time of Florence Nightingale. Looking forward to using our new resources for schools, examining the famine in County Down, we can compare our responses to famine in the world today with those of the past.

One of the challenges faced by museums is to bring objects to life by linking them with people and places. Here our photographic collections make a tremendous difference' to the interpretation of bygone eras, and the Victorian photographs included in this volume are no exception. After twenty years of the Museum collecting in County Down, it is often a revelation to discover the stories that can be told, for example about the New Gaol, using museum objects, documents and photographs from many sources to illustrate different aspects of a complex history.

In the same way that our 'collecting roadshows' in local towns may help turn up some historical gems for future displays, this volume of the Down Survey is an invitation to all to get involved our work. The opportunities to fill gaps in our collections relating to County Down are there for all to see, for example, in the catalogue of our sporting collections which include artefacts dating from Victorian times up to the present day.

As an example of community involvement making great contributions to the Museum, Down District Council was delighted to receive an award at the Diversity 21 Awards ceremony this year for the Millennium Wall project. The award was in the Artefact category (large organisations) of the new crosscommunity awards sponsored by the Millennium Company. Down District Council is grateful to Diversity 21 for the award of a painting by Gail Kelly, and is especially indebted to Eleanor Wheeler for creating and inspiring the ceramic artwork and Clare Sampson for the sculptured stone seat. We appreciate the support of the Northern Ireland Millennium Company and the District Council's Community Relations and Development section in bringing the project to fruition. Thanks also go to the Friends of the Museum, who helped finance the project, as indeed they have once again supported the publication of this journal.

We hope that there is something in this year's volume for everyone, and, who knows, you might discover that you have something for the Museum!

Mike King
Museum Curator

Some members of the Diversity 21 Award winning team. From left to right: Linda McKenna, Councillor Anne MacAleenan, Clare Sampson, Mike King, Eleanor Wheeler and Councillor Albert Colmer