Newsletter
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On behalf of the Society, the Editor hopes all our members have
a |prosperous New Year. At the moment, there are numerous lectures and
exhibitions in the offing and I hope that the ones mentioned will
interest members.
Lectures
Firstly the Society's lectures. On January 5th, 30 people braved
the cold to come and hear a talk by Mr. Philip Dixon on "Greenwich
Tudor Palace". We hope to see as many members as possible, plus
friends on February 2nd when Dr. Michael Day will be speaking on The
emergence of Man.
As one of the Winter Lectures in the Barnet Libraries, Mr.
Peter Marsden from the Guildhall Museum is giving a talk on Recent
Discoveries in Roman and Medieval London. This will be held on
Wednesday 7th February at North Finchley Library.
Brockley Hill Finds
Arrangements to move this material to new storage places in Church Farm Museum
and Hampstead Garden Suburb have been held up but it is hoped that they
will be completed soon. When this has been done, the Society can go
ahead with plans to work on the material. The days allotted for this
are:-
i) the second and fourth Tuesday in each month; 7.30-9.30 p.m. at Hampstead Garden Suburb Institute,
ii) Saturday afternoons at 2.30-5.00 p.m. at Church Farm Museum.
Those members who have already volunteered to help will be
informed as soon as work is ready to start. More volunteers will be
very welcome, so if you can help, please send the Secretary your name.
St. Mary's Churchyard, Hendon
Recording of inscriptions on the tombstones was carried out on five
weekends before Christmas. The area between the footpath and Church
Terrace has now been fully recorded and work is now being done on the
area north of the church. The recording hopes to be continued as soon
as the weather is a bit warmer. Willing recorders will meet on Sundays
at 2.30 p.m. in the churchyard. They are advised to warp up well,
because to put it mildly, the whole area is very cold and damp.
Conference of London Archaeologists
This annual event, organised by the London & Middlesex Archaeological Society,
will take place in the Livery Hall of the Guildhall on March 27th 1971.
There are four or five talks during the afternoon on recent excavations
in the London area; an excellent tea; and a chance to look round some
of the stands showing work of local Societies. This year, HADAS has
obtained exhibition space and we hope that many members may decide to
attend. For further details, please write to Mr Roy Canham at the
London Museum, Kensington Palace, W8.
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Museum Charges
Members will no doubt have read in the National Press of the
Government's plan to introduce admission charges for all major
museums and galleries, e.g. the British Museum,
the South Kensington Museums and the National Portrait Gallery. A
campaign to organise opposition to this plan has been started and is
already supported by many well-known and reputable organisations and
individuals. Our Society has been asked for its support and the
Committee has agreed to give it, feeling that the aims of the campaign
will have the sympathy of the majority of the members.
Action which can be taken both by the Society and any member
who wishes to act individually includes writing to local M.P.s and to
Lord Eccles; writing to the local press; and signing the Campaign's
petition forms, to be presented at the House of Commons at the end of the month.
Church Farm House Museum
An exhibition about the life and work of Sir William Chambers
(1726-1796) the Architect and his partner, Thomas Collins of Woodhouse
is on show at the Museum from January 9th to February 7th 1971. This
pair were responsible for the building of houses in Berners Street,
Marylebone, and the 18th century Woodhouse (now Woodhouse School) which
was reconstructed in 1860.
From February 13th to March 21st 1971, there will be an exhibition on Medieval Villagers and Modern Citizens.
London Museum
"Time off in 1870" is the title of a display of leisurely
diversions in Victorian times. The exhibition closes on April 30th
1971.
The Victoria and Albert
Closely connect to the above exhibition is the V & A 'What the children like'. A large collection of children's books,
toys and games are on display, which have been donated to the nation by
Mrs. Anne and Fernand G. Renier. This closes on February 14th 1971.
There is also a chance until January 31st to see "Postcards
1870-1920". Here you can see examples of early greetings cards, which
could be sent for one halfpenny; the exhibition is in Room 38a on the
Restaurant corridor.
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10 years old
This year, the Society is ten years old. The first entry in the
HADAS Minute Book is dated May 4th 1961. It reports, among other
things, a membership on 25, with 17 members already paid up.
What better way to celebrate achieving double figures than to
launch out on a totally new venture? HADAS now enjoying a membership of
nearly six times that of 1961, is about to produce its own publications something that most local organisations consider to be he final
accolade of success.
As past newsletters have mentioned, HADAS has from the outset
participated in (indeed, we initiated) the plans for commemorating the
500th anniversary of the Batlle of Barnet next April. At the
Quincentenary Exhibition from April 10-30, there will be a bookstall.
This provides a golden chance for launching the first HADAS booklet on
some subject connected with the battle. The 5,000 word booklet wil cost
between £30 and £40 to produce. We feel sure that every HADAS member
will want to buy one. There is a further way in which some members may
care to help the Society. This is by underwriting part of the initial
cost of publication.
If you would like to be associated with this new venture, will
you to lend the Society £3 for one year, less if you can not manage
so much, towards the printing costs? If the publication is a
success, the whole loan will of course be returned to you; if it makes
a loss, the return will only be proportionate. Anyone prepared to act
as a guarantor should contact Mrs. Isaaman.