NEWSLETTER 5 |
(download the newsletter as a pdf here) |
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| Welcome to the first newsletter of 2011 and the launch of the Passmore Edwards Centennial. During the coming months events will take place at many of the public buildings erected by the generosity of one of the great Victorian philanthropists. However, the centennial is not just a celebration of our history but recognises the continuing good work being undertaken by those organisations and communities he considered it his duty to help, and the lasting benefits of the Passmore Edwards legacy. Please join us in celebrating the life of one of Cornwall’s most famous sons, who did “the best for the most” Of the eight public libraries that Edwards built in Cornwall, the county of his birth, only the Launceston library is not operating from the original building. The Cornwall Library Service will be celebrating the centenary through a number of events. Local storyteller, Mark Harandon, will be visiting the Passmore Edwards libraries in March and April, in the character of Passmore Edwards, to tell local primary schoolchildren how they came into being. Victorian resource boxes, put together by library staff and staff from the Cornwall Record Office, reflecting on the individual libraries and the Cornish towns, will also be available for use during school visits to the libraries. Cornwall Libraries’ Big Read will feature a novel first published in 1911, The Secret Garden, and will be launched during week beginning 11 April. Readers of all ages will be encouraged to comment on their experience through the secretgardenbigreadblog The Book Group at Acton Library will also be reading The Secret Garden in May of this year, linking the Passmore Edwards libraries in London to those in Cornwall. |
29 January sees the opening of an exhibition at the Newlyn Art Gallery celebrating the centenary of the birth of Roger Hilton (1911-1975). Running concurrent, in the Studio until 2 May, the Passmore Edwards Centennial display will highlight the many changes that have taken place at the gallery since it was opened in 1895. This display is intended to act as a catalyst for the creation of an ongoing archive of anecdotes and memories of the gallery amongst artists and visitors alike. Newlyn Archive will be in attendance on selected days to share photos and documents about the Newlyn artists and their models. Passmore Edwards was the first person to receive the honorary freedom of the Borough of Truro. As guests of Truro City Council, descendents of the Edwards family will join the Mayors of the Cornish towns, other dignities and representatives from the organisations associated with the Passmore Edwards buildings in Cornwall for the service. Members of the public are welcome to attend. There are now more than fifty confirmed events and projects linked to the Centennial programme and many other organisations have shown an interest but have not yet confirmed what they shall be doing. If you are working on any event during the centennial year that links to the centennial theme or demonstrates the continuing good work being carried out through the Passmore Edwards’ bequests, then please get in touch. |
In January 1895, Passmore Edwards presided over the Annual Dinner for Cornishmen in London. Dean Evans will be the guest of the London Cornish Association in April 2011, when he will give an account of the life of this Cornishman in London at one of two family history days organised by the Association. Contact the London Cornish association for further details. When the Truro Boys School, formally the Cornwall Technical Schools, closed in the late 1970s, the building was incorporated into the adjacent library, both buildings being designed by Silvanus Trevail and funded by Passmore Edwards. A reunion of former pupils is planned to take place in the library on 23 March. The library was reopened in 2010 after a major refurbishment that brought many of rooms back into productive use and the reunion will be an opportunity to revisit these parts of the building whilst catching up with former school friends. Hazel Harradence, founder member of the Silvanus Trevail Society, will be giving a talk on this Cornish architect and entrepreneur at the library on 25 May. The Herne Bay Historical Records Society will be contributing to the Centennial through an event to be held during the National Heritage Days, in September. This will probably be in the form of a lecture by local historian and author, Mike Bundock, on the Convalescent Homes funded by Passmore Edwards in Herne Bay; for the Friendly Societies and, next door, the first of the Convalescent Homes for those employed on the Railways. We would like to thank the Cornish Gorsedd and the Cornwall Heritage Trust for their financial support towards the development of the Centennial programme and website. |
Support the Centennial through the facebook group, passmoreedwards100.
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