The Museum Collection Centre: Photos – Page 10

Image © Frank Parker

Here are more photos I took on my first visit to the Museum Collection Centre on 17/09/22. 

A lawnmower at the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Unknown at the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
An helicopter engine at the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is the Leonides engine made by Alvis Car and Engineering Company Limited of Coventry.  It was fitted to the Bristol 171 Sycamore, the first post-war British commercial helicopter.  It was also used by the military until production ended in 1959.

Read about the Alvis Leonides here.

Read about Alvis Car and Engineering Company Limited here.

Read about the Bristol 171 Sycamore here.

A roadside water box at the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Difficulties in finding enough water in the 1920’s to refill the boilers in Steam Vehicles led to many authorities providing standpipes which needed a key for access.  This one came from Birkenhead.

A Leyland PD2 double decker bus outside the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A Leyland PD2 double decker bus outside the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A Leyland PD2 double decker bus outside the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
The side of a Leyland PD2 double decker bus outside the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This PD2 is the only survivor of a batch of 50 Leyland Titan Buses with bodies by the London coachbuilder Park Royal.  They were supplied to Birmingham City Transport between 1949 and 1952 and consistently associated with the Roseberry Street garage.  The batch was unusual in having a number of features not generally associated with BCT design including a different staircase layout and window style.

The bus was one of the few that ended their working lives at the Quinton garage where it was withdrawn from service in 1969 and rescued from the scrap yard by Bob Shaw.  The restoration was prolonged but, after a change of ownership to Nigel Stribley, mechanical work started in earnest, first at the Aldridge Transport Museum (where it is now) then elsewhere when the body restoration was also carried out.  It took 47 years before it finally took to the road again.  It was placed back at the Museum in 2017 where work is continuing, particularly on the interior.

Although not part of the Museum Collection Centre, this bus was there on the day I visited and its photos and information is worth sharing.  

Read about the Leyland Titan here.

Read about Leyland Motors here.

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Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories.  Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.

Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website.  There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images  Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses.  You are entitled to unlimited downloads.  Also download free Audio Files complete with a license.  These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required.

BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel.   Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.

Birmingham Museums – Official website.

Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.

Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.

Aston Hall – Official website.

Blakesley Hall – Official website.

Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.

Sarehole Mill – Official website.

Soho House – Official website. 

Weoly Castle – Official website.

The Museum Collection Centre: Photos – Page 9

Image © Frank Parker

Here are more photos I took on my first visit to the Museum Collection Centre on 17/09/22. 

A typesetting machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Single letters made from molten metal and assembled in a Frame were a feature of printing in 1965 when this Monotype Casting Machine was produced. It was used in West Bromwich.

Read about the Monotype Casting Machine here.

Read about Typesetting here.

A typographic composing machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This machine is from 1925 and was used to compose print for newspapers, magazines and books it can produce Roman and Italic lettering as well as borders and ornamental backgrounds. It can also produce different typefaces and other alphabets.

Read about the Leyland Titan here.

Read about Typesetting here.

Unknown in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This was another favourite of mine visiting museums back in the day.  This was in the Birmingham Museum and Art gallery.

A cash register in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This cash register was made by the National Cash Register Company of Dayton, Ohio. This one was used in a corn and seed merchant’s shop in Hitchin until 1971.

Read about the National Cash Register here.

A cash register in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This cash register was made by the National Cash Register Company of Dayton, Ohio.

Read about the National Cash Register here.

Chinese Chair And Cushion

This was a gift from the Friends of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. It is beautifully carved and made of an antique Chinese wood called Huanghuali (also known by its Binomial name Dalbergia odorifera).

Read about Huanghuali here.

Read about Dalbergia odorifera here.

A chinese chair and cushion in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A memorial in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A memorial in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A memorial in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A Kodak camera and stand in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is a Kodak studio camera mounted on a Semi Centenial No. 2 Stand.  Kodak was a subsidry of the U.S. based Eastman Kodak Company and opened its first office in 1885.

Read about Kodak here.

A magic lantern in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Developed in the 1600’s, the magic lantern is an early type of image projector.  It uses a concave mirror in front of a light source to gather light and   project it through a slide.  The light rays cross an aperture and hit a lens., which in turn throws the enlarged slide image onto a screen.

Read about the magic lantern here.

A sleigh in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A rocking horse in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A rocking horse in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A doll's house in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A doll's pram in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This doll’s pram was made by James Lloyd and Company, Hurst Street, Birmingham in the early 1900’s.

A wooden toy pram in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A victorian pram in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is classed as a Victorian Double Pram.  It is made from wood and leather. 

Pram

A pram the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A push chair in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

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All the above images are copyright of Frank Parker. 

Museum Collection Centre on Facebook.

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Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories.  Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.

Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website.  There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images  Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses.  You are entitled to unlimited downloads.  Also, download free Audio Files complete with a license.  These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required.

BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel.   Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.

Birmingham Museums – Official website.

Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.

Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.

Aston Hall – Official website.

Blakesley Hall – Official website.

Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.

Sarehole Mill – Official website.

Soho House – Official website. 

Weoly Castle – Official website.

Aldridge Transport Museum – Official website.  The museum is home of Aston Manor Road Transport Museum (A.M.R.T.M.).

Aldridge Transport Museum on Facebook.

Wikipedia – Official website.  This is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

Grace’s Guide – Official website.  This is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain.  This web publication contains 149,969 pages of information and 235,611 images of early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Luxury Prams – Official Website.

The Museum Collection Centre: Photos – Page 8

Image © Frank Parker

Here are more photos I took on my first visit to the Museum Collection Centre on 17/09/22.  

An Hoover vacuum cleaner in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Vacuum cleaners in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Vacuum cleaners in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Vacuum cleaners in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Vacuum cleaners in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

A selection of early vacuum cleaners made by Cimex International, Hoover and G.E.C.

Read about the Vacuum Cleaner here.

Read about Hoover here.

Read about the General Electric Company here.

A cast iron bath in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A bath in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A sewing machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Wheeler & Wilson Sewing machine was first patented in 1867.  It was a domestic machine and it was used in Hall Green, Birmingham. 

Read about Wheeler & Wilson here.

A terracotta relief in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A terracotta relief in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

The two reliefs above were displayed outside Dunkley’s shop in the Bull Ring, Birmingham until it was demolished in the 1950s.  Dunkley’s made prams and wheelchairs for the elderly and people with disabilities, and the Goat and Pram was its trademark.  

Read about Dunkley prams here.

Read about Dunkley’s here.

Read about William Henry Dunkley here.

A semi-diesel engine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Hornsby-Ackroyd oil engine built by Ruston & Hornsby in Lincoln (1893) required help from a blowlamp to start it as Compression Ignition of diesel oil was not possible for some time.

Read about the Hornsby-Ackroyd oil engine here.

Read about Ruston & Hornsby here.

A power press in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Made by Taylor and Challen, Birmingham in 1888, this press is from the factory of Gordon & Munro Limited.

Read about Taylor and Challen here.

A planing machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This hand-operated machine from circa 1830 was made in Manchester but it was used in the Birmingham Works of Branadauer & Co. to make the Dies needed for producing Pen Nibs.

Read about Planing Machines here.

A shaping machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

More versatile than a Planing Machine, Shapers were used to produce flat surfaces on shaped metal objects. Angled cuts were possible and some grooves could be cut without using a Milling M/c.

Read about Shaping Machines here.

A wheeling machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Machines like this were used in the early days of the Motor Trade to make curved metal shapes by distorting flat sheets. One use of this was would be to hand-produce separate Mudguards.

Read about Wheeling Machines here.

A drilling machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Sir Joseph Whitworth was famed for the accuracy of his machine tools in the mid-late 1800’s.  He is regarded as the founding father of Mass Production in England as interchangeability needs accuracy.

Read about Drilling Machines here.

A jeweller's draw bench in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Draw bench is from the workshop of Joseph Fray Limited, Albion Street, Birmingham.

Read about Joseph Fray Limited here.

A draw bench in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Silver and Gold are very Ductile metals.  Smiths still use benches like this one to reduce the diameter of the wire and to produce different shapes by pulling the wire through a Draw Plate.  The Rope is not original.

Read about Draw Benches here.

A work bench in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Bench was used in the Grand Hotel in Birmingham circa 1920 as part of the Bottling and Manufacture of bottled water. Bottling your own water is still a common practice today in Hotels.

Read about Work Benches here.

A printing press in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Albion Press, from 1841 but built to a much earlier patent (1773), was used by Herbert and Young in their Printing Works. The strong construction methods helped put even pressure on the plate.

Read about the Albion Press here.

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All the above images are copyright of Frank Parker. 

Museum Collection Centre on Facebook.

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Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories.  Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.

Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website.  There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images  Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses.  You are entitled to unlimited downloads.  Also, download free Audio Files complete with a license.  These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required.

BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel.   Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.

Birmingham Museums – Official website.

Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.

Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.

Aston Hall – Official website.

Blakesley Hall – Official website.

Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.

Sarehole Mill – Official website.

Soho House – Official website. 

Weoly Castle – Official website.

Wikipedia – Official website.  This is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

Grace’s Guide – Official website.  This is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain.  This web publication contains 149,969 pages of information and 235,611 images of early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them. 

The Museum Collection Centre: Photos – Page 7

Image © Frank Parker

Here are more photos I took on my first visit to the Museum Collection Centre on 17/09/22. 

A railway lantern in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This gas lantern is from Bilston station.

Read about Bilston station here.

A railway lantern in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This gas lantern is from the station used by the royal family when they visited Sandringham.

A railway crest in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This cast iron plaque carries the crest of the East Lancashire Railway, which operated as an independent company in the Accrington, Blackburn and Burnley areas between 1844 – 1859.

Read about the East Lancashire Railway here

A small locamotive in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is thought to be the oldest surviving 10 1/4 Garden Railway locomotive in the world.  Built in Birmingham, 1900, by Grimshaw for Captain Holder’s Pitmaston Moor Green Railway.

Read about Holder here.

Read about Pitmaston House here.

A locomotive model in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is a model of the 0-4-0 locomotive Mary.  The original was built by W.G. Bagnall Limited, Engineers, Stafford.

Read about W.G. Bagnall here.

A train model in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Train models in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Bundy time clocks in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

These two clocking-in machines were made by the International Time Recording Company around 1920. They were quite laborious to operate.

Read about the International Time Recording Company here.

A gas fire in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Flavel Windsor, Model No. 536, Gas Fire is shown here without the ceramic elements which radiated the heat out into the room. This Fire is part of the West Midlands Gas Collection.

Read about Flavel here

A kitchen in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Part of a designer 1950’s fitted kitchen.

A gas stove in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A gas stove in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

The two Gas Ranges above were some of the many made by Birmingham foundries about 100 years ago.  They were part of the West Midlands Gas Board (later to become British Gas) collection given to the city in 1962.

Read about the West Midlands Gas Board here.

A gas cooker in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Cannon of Bilston in the West Midlands introduced their first gas cookers in 1895 and became a leading brand in this domestic kitchen appliance. This particular gas cooker style was in popular use by the 1950’s in homes across the country.

Read about Cannon here.

Washing Dolly

This is an early attempt at trying to make washing easier at a time before washing machines.  The dolly was used to agitate laundry and placed in a tub with hot water and soap.  This one was made in Tyseley, Birmingham.

Read about the washing dolly here.

A washing dolly the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A mangle in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Before the 1950’s most houses had a mangle to domestically squeeze excess water from washed clothes.  This one was made by F.J. Cocks, 6 Worcester Street, Birmingham.

Read about the Mangle here.

This mangle was made by J. Bentley of Birmingham and dates back to around 1875 – 1925. 

Read about the Mangle here.

Mangles

A mangle in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A washing machine with mangle in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Timesaver Washing Machine, circa 1910, comes fitted with a Wringer (also known as a mangle).  It was principally made of wood.  This machine came from the Stourbridge area.  

A washing machine with mangle in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Made by W. Summerscales & Son (later to be changed to W. Summerscales & Sons) of Coney Lane Mills, Keighley, Yorkshire in 1865 this design won awards at agricultural shows around Northern England in the 1860’s and it was exhibited at the International Exhibition in 1862.

Read about W. Summerscales & Sons here.

A washing machine with mangle in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A washing machine with mangle in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This machine was made in Birmingham by the General Electric Company (G.E.C.) in 1935.  It was powered by electricity.  The growing use of electricity both at home and at work ensured a great demand for G.E.C.’s products and the company expanded both at home and overseas.

Read about the General Electric Company here.

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Notes And Links

All the above images are copyright of Frank Parker. 

Museum Collection Centre on Facebook.

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Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories.  Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.

Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website.  There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images  Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses.  You are entitled to unlimited downloads.  Also download free Audio Files complete with a license.  These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required.

BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel.   Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.

Birmingham Museums – Official website.

Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.

Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.

Aston Hall – Official website.

Blakesley Hall – Official website.

Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.

Sarehole Mill – Official website.

Soho House – Official website. 

Weoly Castle – Official website.

Wikipedia – Official website.  This is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

Grace’s Guide – Official website.  This is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain.  This web publication contains 149,969 pages of information and 235,611 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

The Museum Collection Centre: Photos – Page 5

Image © Frank Parker

Here are more photos I took on my first visit to the Museum Collection Centre on 17/09/22.

A Rover P5B automatic in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This 3.5 Litre model was built in 1971 in Solihull and restored to concours condition by its former owner.  The mileage shown is only  45,462.  The P5B had a 3528cc V8 engine and was in production from 1967 to 1973 replacing the P5 model (2955cc from 1958 to 1967).

Read about the Rover P5 here.

A Rover 12 Sports in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Built in Coventry in 1936 the 12HP Sports Saloon was typical of later designs in that it was available with three different capacity engines (10, 12 and 14HP).

Read about the Rover 12 here.

Read about the Rover Company here.

A B.S.A. Open Tourer in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

With one of the earliest uses of steel panels in cars,  this 4-seater was built at the Sparkbrook Works of B.S.A. in  Birmingham.  It has the legendary Knight Double Sleeve Valve engine.  

Read about B.S.A. cars here.

A Bean 14HP Coupe in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This 4-cylinder 2385cc built Coupe was built in Tipton in 1927.   Bean industries stopped making cars in 1933 but supplied engine components to manufacturers including Austin Rover until the 1900’s.

Read about Bean cars here.

An Ariel Convertible car in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

The Ariel works in Selly Oak, Birmingham, built 1,000 of these cars between 1923 and 1925.  They then switched to making motorcycles as they were priced out of the market by the Austin Seven.

Read about the Ariel Motor Company here.

An Armstrong Siddeley Foursome in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

The chassis for this car was built in Coventry in 1935, but the car was finished in Birmingham for the purchaser.  It has a 6-cylinder engine developing 17HP.

Read about Armstrong Siddeley here

A Castle Runabout in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This car was a prototype and was made by the Castle Motor Company of Kidderminster.  They made about 350 3-wheeled Runabout light cars.  The 4-wheeled version from 1919 never reached full production.

Read about the Castle Motor Company here.

A Daimler 20 Saloon in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Read about the Daimler Company here.

A Clement Panhard in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This light car was marketed in England as a Stirling Dog Cart.  0-65 were built in 1901 or 2 which was before Registration became compulsary.  It was first registered on January the 1st 1904. 

Read about Clement Panhard here.

A Jackson /DeDion Cylinder Wagonette in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This car was built by the Jackson Automobile Company in 1909 and was a single cylinder wagonette. 

Read about the Jackson Automobile Company here

A Benz Voiturette in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Built in 1900 to Karl Benz’s system, this Dogcart took part in the inagural Brighton Run, and also again in 2003 when it was defeated by the appaling weather.

Read about Karl Benz here.

Read about Mercedes-Benz here. 

An Austin A90 Atlantic Coupe in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This 1949 Austin Achieved 63 records at the Indianpolis Production Car Endurance event in the USA that year. 

Read about the Austin A90 Atlantic Coupe here.

Read about the Austin Motor Company here.

A DV4 Electric Dust Cart (No. 184) in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This 4-ton electric dust cart was used in Birmingham between 1938 and 1971 and was developed as the result of a collaboration between the Birmingham salvage department and Electricars based on the salvage department’s experience with its previous electric vehicles.  They were replaced by diesel-powered designs.

Read about the DV4 Electric Dust Cart here.

A Tip-Cart in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Made in 1945 by J. and A. Inston, Wheelwrights, of  Bartley Green, Birmingham, at a cost of £50.   It was one of the last carts to be made locally using traditional methods.  Its present livery dates from the early 1960’s.

A Horse-Drawn Dog Cart in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is a horse drawn vehichle, with a compartment for carrying your dog.

Unknown in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Unknown in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A towbar in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

The Land Speed Record Car, the Railton Special, was built in 1937/8 had no Starter.  Instead it was Push Started by a truck linked to it by this Rod which disconnected once the engines had started.

Read about the Railton Special here.  

Read about Railton here.

A Bluebird Tyre in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is a Dunlop tyre from Donald Campbell’s legendery vehicle Bluebird.  In July 1964 he claimed the land speed record of 403.10 mph at Lake Eyre, Australia, beating the record set by John Cobb in 1947.  In January 1967 Donald Campbell died in an accident, in his boat named Bluebird, at Lake Coniston, Cumbria. 

Read about the Bluebird here.

Read about Donald Campbell here.

Read about Dunlop here.

A generator in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This generator provided electricity for the Lizard Lighthouse.  It was made by Auguste de Meritens, Paris in 1880.  Turning at 900 rpm it produced 3KW at 32 volts AC and 120 cps. 

Blog Posts

Notes And Links

All the above images are copyright of Frank Parker. 

Museum Collection Centre on Facebook.

Museum Collection Centre on Twitter

Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories.  Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.

Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website.  There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images  Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses.  You are entitled to unlimited downloads.  Also download free Audio Files complete with a license.  These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required.

BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel.   Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.

Birmingham Museums – Official website.

Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.

Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.

Aston Hall – Official website.

Blakesley Hall – Official website.

Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.

Sarehole Mill – Official website.

Soho House – Official website. 

Weoly Castle – Official website.

Wikipedia – Official website.  This is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

Scratchpad – Official website.  You can instantly create a free Fandom wiki for an idea of any size, and be up and running in a few minutes.

The Museum Collection Centre: Photos – Page 9

Image © Frank Parker

Here are the photos I took on my first visit to the Museum Collection Centre on 17/09/22. 

Image © Frank Parker

Doll’s House

Image © Frank Parker

Doll’s Pram

Image © Frank Parker

Toy Pram

Image © Frank Parker

Pram 

Image © Frank Parker

Victorian Pram

Image © Frank Parker

Push Chair

Image © Frank Parker
Image © Frank Parker

Rocking Horse

Image © Frank Parker

Typesetting Machine

Image © Frank Parker

Typographic Composing Machine

Image © Frank Parker

Printing Press

Image © Frank Parker

Leg Vice

Image © Frank Parker

Work Bench

Image © Frank Parker
Image © Frank Parker

Draw Benches 

Image © Frank Parker

Rose Engine Lathe

Image © Frank Parker

Spinning Lathe

Image © Frank Parker

Planing Machine

Image © Frank Parker

Wheeling Machine

Image © Frank Parker

Drilling Machine

Blog Posts

Links

All the above images are copyright of Frank Parker. 

Museum Collection Centre on Facebook.

Museum Collection Centre on Twitter.

Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories.  Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.

Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website.  There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images  Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses.  You are entitled to unlimited downloads.  Also download free Audio Files complete with a license.  These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required.

BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel.   Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.

Birmingham Museums – Official website.

Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.

Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.

Aston Hall – Official website.

Blakesley Hall – Official website.

Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.

Sarehole Mill – Official website.

Soho House – Official website. 

Weoly Castle – Official website.

 

The Museum Collection Centre: Photos – Page 6

Image © Frank Parker

Here are more photos I took on my first visit to the Museum Collection Centre on 17/09/22. 

A motor in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This 7.5 Horse Power electric motor was made by Midlands Railway in about 1890.

A Thesus turbine-propeller engine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A Wurlitzer Lyric Jukebox in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This music player was made in Germany circa 1961 by Wurlitzer, a well-known company whose name has become directly associated with the jukebox.

A gramophone with gramophone record in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A gramophone with gramophone record in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A gramophone in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

The turntable on this gramophone was driven by a weight mechanism.  It was made by Sporrothon around 1920.

An E.M.G. handmade gramophone in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This model was produced by Handmade Gramophones of London.  It had a massive papier mache horn that was the height of sound perfection before the introduction of Hi-Fi systems.

Read about E.M.G. Handmade Gramophones here.

Read about the Phonograph here.

A music box and stand in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Made by probably the most well-known Music Box Movement Makers, Nicole Freres, in Geneva, circa 1880, this Cylinder Music Box was part of the Liddell Collection.

Read about the Music Box here.

An automatic music box in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A music machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Violano Virtuoso Music Machine was made by Mills Novelty Company, Chicago, USA. in the early 1950’s.  It was electrically driven and had a combined mechanical piano and violin player.

Read about Mills Novelty Company here.

A player piano in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

A player piano, also known as a pianola, is a self-playing piano and is both a musical instrument and a machine.  The pedals operate a mechanism which plays the piano by means of a perforated roll.  This example was made by George Steck & Company, USA in 1925.

Read about the Player Piano here.

Read about Steck here.

A pump organ in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

The pump organ, also known as a Harmonium, is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame.

Read more about the pump organ here.

A barrel organ in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Chamber Barrel Organ was made by T.C. Bates of Ludgate Hill, London in about 1830.  It was once owned by a Clergyman but the tunes it played are not listed in the museum’s files.   

Read about the Barrel Organ here

This television and radio set is from the early 1950’s.  Television sets were still quite rare in houses at this time, and this one may have been bought to watch Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953.

Read about the Television Set here.

A television/radio set in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A Decca Decola projector television in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

An early example of a projection television set which retailed at £325-0-0 in 1949. A Morris Minor car in the same year cost £349-0-0.

Read about Decca here.

A projection television in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Peto-Scott Television was introduced in 1950. it cost £71, 3 shillings and 4 pence when new, plus £16 Purchase Tax. Peto-Scott Electrical Instruments were based in Addlestone Road, Weybridge in Surrey.

Read about Peto-Scott Electrical Instruments here.

A fish and chip fryer in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This fryer dates back to the mid 1920’s and was made by the Birmingham firm Walker & Husler.  It was used in a shop in Handsworth, Birmingham.

Read about Fish and Chips here

A potato sorter in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Harvested potatoes were put onto this machine.  The chats (small potatoes for animal feed), and medium sized ones for the next years seed are sorted into chutes.  The larger potatoes climb up the slope and fall into a sack at the end.

This is Berkel’s Model 2 slicing machine made by the Slicing Machine Manufacturing Company, Ponders End, Middlesex around 1950.

A bacon slicer in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A kidney dialysis machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

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Notes And Links

All the above images are copyright of Frank Parker. 

Museum Collection Centre on Facebook.

Museum Collection Centre on Twitter.

Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories.  Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.

Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website.  There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images  Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses.  You are entitled to unlimited downloads.  Also download free Audio Files complete with a license.  These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required.

BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel.   Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.

Birmingham Museums – Official website.

Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.

Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.

Aston Hall – Official website.

Blakesley Hall – Official website.

Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.

Sarehole Mill – Official website.

Soho House – Official website. 

Weoly Castle – Official website.

Wikipedia – Official website.  This is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

Grace’s Guide – Official website.  This is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain.  This web publication contains 149,969 pages of information and 235,611 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

The Museum Collection Centre: Photos – Page 4

Here are more photos I took on my first visit to the Museum Collection Centre on 17/09/22.

Image © Frank Parker
A Chopper bike in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A Chopper bike in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A Chopper bike in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A Chopper bike in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Chopper bikes are one of the icons of the 1970’s.  This one (minus its red gear knob) was made by Raleigh, Nottingham and has three-speed Sturmey-Archer gears.  It was bought second-hand in 1975 by a Stirchley man.

I used to have a friend who used to give me a backy on his red one of these but I always wanted the blue one shown here, of course.  I had another friend whose Brother had a Raleigh Grifter I used to have a go on but it was no way near as COOL as the Chopper was.

Read about the Raleigh Chopper here.

Read about Raleigh here.

An Ordinary bike in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This bike was made by Carter of Stratford-On-Avon and was often called the Penny Farthing because of the size of its wheels.

I remember having a dream in the 1980’s about seeing a man on one of these.  He was Victorian and had a top hat on.  As he passed me he tipped his hat and waved at me!

Read about the ordinary bike here.

A iron bike in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Velocipede iron bike with wooden wheels is also known as the bone-shaker and was made by the French company Micheaux around 1870.

Read about the Velocipede here.

Bikes in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Bikes in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Bikes in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A bike sidecar in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is a sidecar for fitting to a bike or tandem to accommodate a child.  It was used by a family in Walsall.

A Gresham Flyer tricycle in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

After the Second World War, the Gresham Flyer, made by the Aberdale Cycle Company, became very popular.  Advertisements described them as the safest tricycles in the world.

Read about the Aberdale Cycle Company here.

A Two-Seater tricycle in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This two-seater Tricycle is circa 1860.  The passenger faced backwards.  Note the iron rims to the wheels, the direct drive and the Twist Grip brakes. 

A B.S.A. bike in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This bike is circa 1920 and was made by the B.S.A. Company.  They purchased the rights to the B.S.A. name from Birmingham Small Arms Company.

Read about the B.S.A. Company here.

A Pluvier moped in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is a Pulvier Moped made by the Berini Company in Italy in 1958.

Read about the Berini Company here.

An Ariel Pixie scooter in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This scooter was made in 1965 by Ariel Motorcycles in Bournbrooke, Birmingham.

Read about Ariel Motorcycles here.

A school desk in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This common school desk was acquired in 1954 with an integrated seat, lift-up top and inkwells. 

A bench in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A street in Aston model in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A dentist's chair in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Dentist’s chair may have been associated with a dental X-ray machine also held in the Museum Collection Centre but they have no details on record.

A clay coffin in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This bath-tub coffin was excavated by Leonard Woolley at the site of the Ur in southern Iraq.  The body was laid in a foetal position.  This example dates from about 500 BC.

Read about Woolley here

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Notes And Links

All the above images are copyright of Frank Parker. 

Museum Collection Centre on Facebook.

Museum Collection Centre on Twitter.

Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories.  Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.

Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website.  There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images  Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses.  You are entitled to unlimited downloads.  Also download free Audio Files complete with a license.  These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required. 

BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel.   Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.

Birmingham Museums – Official website.

Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.

Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.

Aston Hall – Official website.

Blakesley Hall – Official website.

Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.

Sarehole Mill – Official website.

Soho House – Official website. 

Weoly Castle – Official website.

Wikipedia – Official website.  This is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

Sheldon’s EMU – Official website.  This website began as a collection of articles, letters and emails about European motorcycles, the result of research and correspondence dating back to 1994.  It now covers several thousand different marques, many of which have extensive archives including images and specifications.  The site relates to vintage, veteran and classic motorcycles, scooters and mopeds, with numerous pages on road-racing and off-road competition machines.   There is a wealth of information for motorcycle enthusiasts, restorers and historians, and the site continues to amass data at a steady pace.

The Museum Collection Centre: Photos – Page 3

Image © Frank Parker

Here are more photos I took on my first visit to the Museum Collection Centre on 17/09/22.

A giant shell in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A computer punch card machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Early Computers used cards with holes punched in them to enter both the Program and Data.  Various Machines like this one were needed to prepare the cards.

Read about punch cards here.

Read about punched card readers here.

A computer console in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

The ICL Orion computer console used by the Metal Box Company, Worcester.

Read about the Orion here.

A Dennis fire engine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A fire engine model in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is a model of a Leyland Cub fire engine built in 1936.  The real engine could pump 700 gallons of water per minute and had a 50-foot extending ladder.

Read about Leyland Motors here.

A fire pump in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A fire pump in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Read about fire pumps here.

A logboat in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This logboat (also known as a dugout canoe) was found in the River Tern at Oakley Park in Staffordshire.  It was carved from a single piece of oak.  Such boats were in use between 1600 BC and 1000 AD.  People at first thought it was a water trough and this can not be ruled out but the deliberately made holes in the sides suggest a boat is more likely.

Read about logboats here.

A ship's figurehead in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A ship's figurehead in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
From the 19th Century, this ship’s figurehead, carved from wood, is typical of female figureheads of the time. Figureheads have been used for thousands of years and have been found on even Viking and Egyptian ships. It is unclear why they came into use, but it seems their purpose might be more spiritual or supernatural.
 
This was another favourite of mine visiting museums back in the day.  This was in the Birmingham Museum and Art gallery.

Read more about Figureheads here. 
A canal boat lamp in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This domed head mast-head lamp is from a canal boat and was painted by Thomas William King.

A canal boat water can in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A canal boat water can in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

A pair of large metal jugs from a canal boat painted by Thomas William King, circa 1955.

Read about Thomas William King here.

Canal boat models in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Read about Narrowboats here.

Click here to read about The Allcotts (my family on my Mom’s side) who have had a history with canal boats for over 200 years. 

Paddle steamer lamps in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

These three copper lamps (port, mast-head and starboard) are from the paddle steamer Lucy Ashton and a steaming light, made in Birmingham.

Read about paddle steamer Lucy Ashton here.

An engine order telegraph in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is used to send instructions to the engine room.

Read about the engine order telegraph here.

A ship's lighting unit in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A ship's lighting unit in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A bottle filling machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Barnett and Foster machine was used in 1910 to prepare bottles of Mineral Water for use in the Grand Hotel in Birmingham.  Bottling your own water is still a common practice today.  

Read about Barnett and Foster here.

Screw jacks in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Blog Posts

Notes And Links

All the above images are copyright of Frank Parker. 

Museum Collection Centre on Facebook.

Museum Collection Centre on Twitter.

Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories.  Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.

Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website.  There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images  Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses.  You are entitled to unlimited downloads.  Also download free Audio Files complete with a license.  These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required.

BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel.   Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.

Birmingham Museums – Official website.

Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.

Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.

Aston Hall – Official website.

Blakesley Hall – Official website.

Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.

Sarehole Mill – Official website.

Soho House – Official website. 

Weoly Castle – Official website.

Wikipedia – Official website.  This is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

Made In Oldbury Official Website.  This website explores unique archive materials in Sandwell in relation to local industrial heritage.

Grace’s Guide – Official website.  This is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain.  This web publication contains 149,969 pages of information and 235,611 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

The Museum Collection Centre: Photos – Page 2

Image © Frank Parker

Here are more photos I took on my first visit to the Museum Collection Centre on 17/09/22.

The HP Sauce sign in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This sign hung on the HP Sauce factory in Aston, Birmingham until the building closed down in 2007 and was demolished.

Read about HP Sauce here.

A bust of William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This sculpture of Shakespeare was made by John Michael Rysbrack (1694 – 1770).

Read about Shakespeare here

Read about Rysbrack here.

A bust of Commodus (161 AD - 192 AD) in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Commodus was the Roman emperor from 177 AD – 192 AD.

Read about Commodus here.

Read about Roman Emperors here.

Read about the Roman Army here.

Read about the Roman Empire here.

Vitellius was the Roman emperor from the 19th of April AD to the 20th of December AD 69 following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil war known as the year of the Four Emperors.

Read about Vitellius here.

Read about Roman Emperors here.

Read about the Roman Army here.

Read about the Roman Empire here.

A bust of Vitellius (15 AD - 69 AD) in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A bust of an unknown Roman in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Bronze sculpture from the 15th/16th Century, Florentine, Italy, is of an unknown man in Roman armour.  The Roman Empire wore standardised dress and armour, but this was not part of their culture and there were many differences in detail.  Surviving fragments of clothing suggest the basic tunic of the Roman soldier was red or undyed wool. Senior Roman soldiers wore white cloaks and feathered plumes.

Read about the Roman Army here.

Read about the Roman Empire here.

A bust Charles Lockey (1820 - 1901) in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Lockey was the tenor soloist in Mendelssohn’s Elijah which received its premiere at Birmingham Town Hall in 1846.

Read about Lockey here.

A sculpture of Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955) in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This sculpture of Albert Einstein is by Sir Jacob Epstein (1880 – 1959).

Read about Einstein here

Read about Epstein here

A bull sculpture in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
The Good Samaritan statue in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This statue was placed in the front entrance hall of Cheltenham General Hospital in 1853, as the result of the exertions of Charles Fowler Esq., the senior surgeon of the Hospital at the time and public subscription.  The commission was awarded to the sculptor, Holm Cardwell, who was born in Manchester in 1820 and studied in Paris and in London, before making his permanent home in Italy.

The two figures were sculpted from a single piece of Italian white marble and depict the Good Samaritan tending to the man who had fallen amongst thieves.  The statue remained in the front hall of the hospital on a large plinth until the late 1960’s; the redevelopment of that part of the hospital to provide more space for patients facilities resulted in its removal from the hospital and it was presented to the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

The statue subsequently remained in store in Birmingham until 1992, when (thanks largely to the efforts of Mr. Charles Massey, a grateful patient of the hospital) it was returned on a permanent loan to Cheltenham General, so that it would be available to be put on permanent display again, as soon as a  suitable location could be found.  It proved possible to find a site at the entrance to the new Day and Endoscopy Units, which were formally opened in December 1994.

The statue was formally welcomed back to the Hospital by Mr. Clive Thompson JP, Chairman of the East Gloucestershire NHS Trust, on Tuesday 24th of January, 1995.

It is now, in the meantime,  back in storage in the Museum Collection Centre, Birmingham.

  

A sculpture of Louis Florent Cheron in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This plaster sculpture of Cheron as a child by Jean-Baptise Pigalle (1714 – 1785) is dated 1775.

Read about Pigalle here.

A unknown sculpture in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Compassion sculpture in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This sculpture was made by Uli Nimptsch (1897 – 1977).  Marquette for a sculpture commissioned in 1963 and sited outside Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham.  The sculpture comprises two male nudes, one lying down and the other kneeling over him, holding a bowl, a pose suggesting the compassion of the title.  Nimptsch was born in Berlin in 1897, the younger son of a Berlin Stock Broker.  He studied sculpture at the Berlin Academy and spent time working in Rome, Paris and Germany, but left during the 2nd World War for Switzerland in order to protect his wife who was Jewish.

Read about Nimptsch here.

Nan the Dreamer sculpture in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This sculpture was made by Sir Jacob Epstein (1880 – 1959).  Epstein was born in New York and studied drawing while working in a bronze factory.  In 1902 he went to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Academie Julian in Paris, before settling in London in 1905.  The sitter for this early bust in 1911 was Nan Condron, a gypsy and professional artist’s model, whom Epstein met at the Cafe Royal.

Read about Epstein here.

The lure of the Pipes of Pan sculpture in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This sculpture made in 1932 by Gilbert William Bayes (1872 – 1953) is carved from reconstituted stone.  Construction companies like Tarmac had been experimenting with this material since the 1920’s.

Read about Bayes here.

A Tragedy in The North, Winter, Rain and Tears sculpture in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This sculpture by Raymond Mason depicts a scene after a mining disaster in the north of France.  It is made from epoxy resin and painted with acrylic.  He also designed the iconic Forward statue in Birmingham’s Centenary Square which was destroyed by a fire in 2003.

Read about Mason here.

Read about the mining disaster here.

Fairground organ figurines in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A fairground horse in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A weighing machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A weighing machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Weighing Machines

Sign on a weighing machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Blog Posts

Notes And Links

All the above images are copyright of Frank Parker. 

Museum Collection Centre on Facebook.

Museum Collection Centre on Twitter

Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories.  Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.

Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website.  There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images  Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses.  You are entitled to unlimited downloads.  Also download free Audio Files complete with a license.  These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required.

BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel.   Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.

Birmingham Museums – Official website.

Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.

Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.

Aston Hall – Official website.

Blakesley Hall – Official website.

Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.

Sarehole Mill – Official website.

Soho House – Official website. 

Weoly Castle – Official website.

Wikipedia – Official website.  This is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.