Miscellany

The Post Office scandal on stage

IT has been impossible to ignore the story of the Post Office and the sub-postmasters, with the powerful ITV drama series and constant media reports of the hearings and the latest uncovering of lives ruined in one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in English legal history. But to hear the story first hand is…

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Tate Gallery’s Pompeii painting comes to Somerset

AS part of the Museum of Somerset’s Spotlight Loan programme, from 23rd March to 2nd June 2024, the Tate Gallery is lending The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum (1822) by John Martin. It is a vast and vividly colourful work which caused a public sensation when it was first shown. It also has an important…

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The scaffolding is down

FOR the first time in nearly 40 years, Salisbury Cathedral is without scaffolding, and to mark the occasion the New Art Centre at Roche Court, Winterslow, near Salisbury, has shared an image of an installation in the Cathedral Close. The scaffolding has been part of the cathedral’s exterior structure for 38 years, and in celebration…

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Cathedral’s Burne-Jones window removed for restoration

SALISURY Cathedral’s skilled team of glaziers and glass conservators have removed a 145-year-old Pre-Raphaelite stained glass window by Sir Edward Burne-Jones and designer and craftsman William Morris for a restoration programme expected to take about two years. The window features two huge figurative designs – Angeli Ministrantes (Angels Ministering) and Angeli Laudantes (Angels Praising) by…

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Story of a former slave

AN important new display at Dorset Museum & Art Gallery reveals the little-known story of John Brown, who escaped slavery in the USA and lived in Dorchester during the 1860s. On show until 30th May, the exhibition has been curated by Jordan Cole, a student at Bath Spa University, and uses research from a number…

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First new altar in 500 years

FOR the first time in 500 years, a new altar has been consecrated in Salisbury Cathedral nave – around 20 years since the decision was a taken to re-order the Cathedral. It is located at the spire crossing, and a second new altar, also by sculptor William Pye, has been consecrated in the Trinity chapel. Both were…

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New heat pump for Kingston Lacy

THE National Trust’s Kingston Lacy house near Wimborne will save 30,000 litres of oil a year following a switch to a ground source heat pump. The project is part of the Trust’s renewable energy work to reach net zero by 2030. It is one of the Trust’s biggest heat pump projects to date, and the…

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Volunteering for the National Trust

LEARN about opportunities to volunteer with the National Trust properties in West Dorset and at the charity’s famous Stourhead House and Gardens in Wiltshire at some upcoming recruitment days. In West Dorset, would-be volunteers can find out more at  a volunteer day on Saturday 24th February, from 10am – 4pm, in Stourton Memorial Hall. Roles…

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