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The Museum acquires objects for the collection to document and celebrate Reading,
its people, its environment and its surroundings, and to provide inspiration for life-long
learning and creativity.
2010 Elections collecting project
Members of Reading University’s photographic society were supplied with official press passes and given a brief to capture the atmosphere of the hotly contested 2010 parliamentary elections for Reading East and West.
Six photographic prints have been acquired by the museum as a result of this project. These will sit alongside the campaign rosettes, signed by candidates, and the ephemera donated by agents of all the political parties.
Object Number: 2010.61.2
Further Information
The above image shows 'Labour Dreams Shattered' by Russell Edes. Party agents can observe the votes being counted. As the evening progresses it becomes clear; Labour is losing Reading West. The seat was taken by the Conservative's Alok Sharma. Reading East was held by Rob Wilson, also Conservative.
Russell Ede, Reading University Photographic Society, said:
“I was trying to capture the mood of the people and the supporters, people don’t see the frantic re-counts and the tiredness; they only hear the announcements on the radio with their breakfast the next day”
Berkshire Brewery Beer 1980 - 2010
This commemorative bottle of fine beer has been produced to mark the end of production at Berkshire Brewery in Whitley that closed in April 2010. The label has a picture of the brewery that opened in 1980. It was the last of Reading’s major traditional manufacturers, known as the 3Bs, to close.
Object Number: 2010.49.1
Further Information
The label says ‘Friends and colleagues, raise a glass one final time, to celebrate over 30 years of quality brewing and packaging and the skill, spirit and camaraderie of the people who have made it happen - Here's to the future and cheers to the past’.
The Simonds beer hop leaf symbol and the Courage logo on the back label points to the long tradition of industrial scale brewing in Reading, dating back to 1785 when William Blackall Simonds established a brewery in Broad Street, near the St Mary’s Butts junction.
Birds' eggs
A collection of birds' eggs acquired by William Butler in the 1880s and 1890s, from the Reading area.
Object Number: 2010.85
Further Information
William Butler was the founder of gentlemen's outfitters Butler's of Reading, which was sited in Broad Street. Like many people of his time, he was clearly interested in natural history and two wooden boxes containing his egg collection have been given to the Museum. The eggs are labelled with the place and date of collection, which hints at the changes to local bird life as the town grew. One record is of Cirl Bunting, collected just off the Oxford Road. This species is a farmland bird which is more common in continental Europe but in the UK now lives mainly in Devon.
Egg collecting became illegal in the UK in 1954 and people who have inherited old collections often wonder what to do with them. Click here for advice from the RSPB website.
Salome, 1999 by Eric Stanford
Salome dances, with veils swirling above her head and the head of John the Baptist on a platter tucked behind her ankles.
Object Number: 2010.79.1
Further Information
Eric Stanford is well represented by public sculptures in Reading, such as Requiem, the monument to Reading people who fought in the Spanish Civil War which stands outside the Civic Centre. He was less well represented in the museum collection and the acquisition of Salome rectifies this. Stanford studied at the University of Reading before becoming assistant to the sculptor Eric Kennington. Taking a keen interest in local matters, he was Curator of Art at the Museum and a Berkshire County Councillor. He is president of the Reading Guild of Artists.
Salome will be on display in the Art Gallery until 26 September 2010 as part of our current exhibition.
World War I Commemorative Plaque
The acquisition of Private Henry Golding’s First World War commemorative plaque adds to the Museum’s collection of material culture illustrating the human suffering of the Great War.
Object Number: 2010.102.1
Further Information
Approximately 1,150,000 of these plaques, cast in bronze gunmetal, were issued to the next of kin of British and Commonwealth soldiers who had been killed. Each carries the soldier's name and an inscription round the edge reads "He died for freedom and honour". The renowned gallows humour of the British Tommy is portrayed by the ironic nickname given to these plaques - 'The Dead Man’s Penny'.
The recipient of this plaque, Private Henry Golding, was killed in action in Flanders on 3rd June 1915 having served in the 1st battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment. He was 24 years old and left behind his 3-month-old daughter, Kathleen, who herself passed away in a local care home in 2009.
The dolphins which appear in low relief in several places in the design may be symbolic - in Roman mythology, dolphins were believed to convey the soul of the dead to the afterlife.
Object numbers are unique to each item and are used for purposes of identification. Should you have a query concerning an object on the site please quote this number when contacting us.
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