The Collection (Lincolnshire)
Encyclopedia
The Collection is the county museum and gallery for Lincolnshire
in England
. It is an amalgamation of the Usher Gallery and the City and County Museum in such a way that they can work more effectively together than hitherto. The museum part of the enterprise is housed in a new, purpose-built building close by the Usher gallery in the city of Lincoln
.
and that in the Witham valley
. The site of the collection is on the steep slope between the two and within the Roman colonia which linked the first century legionary fortress with the shipping and commerce in the river. The new building presents its qualities modestly so as to enhance its surroundings which, towards the end of the twentieth century had slightly developed the feeling of a no man's land.
. It is a basically simple building faced in stone with brick panels separated by simplified Tuscan pilasters above which is a frieze decorated with triglyphs and a roof line finished with a balustrade. The portico, central in the south façade, is topped by a broken pediment and urn finials. It stands in a small park on the hillside looking southwards across the lower town.
The new building, designed by the architectural firm of Panter Hudspith (project architect, Hugh Strange), was opened in October 2005 after much hard work including an archaeological excavation. Despite the building's having been designed to rest above the Roman
horizon, at the foot of the pit for the lift shaft, it just found the corner of a mosaic
-paved passage which had been laid around a courtyard.
Much of the building is faced and paved with Ancaster stone
and borrows the concept of the glass-covered courtyard from the British Museum
in a feature reminiscent of a medieval alley. This exemplifies the design. The various requirements of the building, permanent display, temporary exhibitions, teaching, café and so on, are represented by corresponding elements of the building which give it, internally and externally, the feeling of an urban community, though the whole forms a distinctive unit in the townscape.
The main entrance is at the northern, uphill end and leads past, to the left, the café which faces south across a sculpturally interesting courtyard and to the right, the shop. Passing the reception desk leads to the orientation hall which is the glass-covered 'alley' passing east to west. From it, the visitor reaches auditorium where video or personal introductions to the museum or to education courses may be given; the education suite; the archaeological collection or the New Curtois Gallery, where touring exhibitions are housed. Below these last two, at the downhill end of the building, are the stores and workshops which service the whole.
excavation is now on view inside as part of a display extending through all periods from the pre-glacial
. It includes a satellite photograph
of the county of Lincolnshire on a scale which permits fields and village
s to be sought out while the picture's extent allows a general pattern of geology
and the influence of the Roman road
s to show through.
The long-established displays include furniture, clocks and other forms of the decorative arts, from Usher's collection. There is a range of fine art works by Turner
, Piper
and Lowry
. The gallery's specialism is in the works of Peter De Wint
, a former Lincoln resident. Four galleries of various sizes are set aside for temporary exhibitions.
. The results were announced on 25 May 2006 and the prize was awarded to SS Great Britain
.
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is an amalgamation of the Usher Gallery and the City and County Museum in such a way that they can work more effectively together than hitherto. The museum part of the enterprise is housed in a new, purpose-built building close by the Usher gallery in the city of Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
.
The site
Lincoln consists of two parts, that at the top of the cliffLincoln Cliff
The Lincoln Cliff is the portion of a major escarpment that runs north-south through Lindsey and Kesteven, in central Lincolnshire and is a prominent landscape feature in a generally flat portion of the county...
and that in the Witham valley
River Witham
The River Witham is a river, almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire, in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham, at SK8818, passes Lincoln at SK9771 and at Boston, TF3244, flows into The Haven, a tidal arm of The Wash, near RSPB Frampton Marsh...
. The site of the collection is on the steep slope between the two and within the Roman colonia which linked the first century legionary fortress with the shipping and commerce in the river. The new building presents its qualities modestly so as to enhance its surroundings which, towards the end of the twentieth century had slightly developed the feeling of a no man's land.
- Aerial view of the site. The Usher Gallery is visible in its gardens while the museum, on the western side of Danesgate, was not yet built when the photograph was taken.
The buildings
The Usher Gallery was designed by the architect, Sir Reginald Blomfield and was officially opened on 25 May 1927 by the Prince of WalesEdward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
. It is a basically simple building faced in stone with brick panels separated by simplified Tuscan pilasters above which is a frieze decorated with triglyphs and a roof line finished with a balustrade. The portico, central in the south façade, is topped by a broken pediment and urn finials. It stands in a small park on the hillside looking southwards across the lower town.
The new building, designed by the architectural firm of Panter Hudspith (project architect, Hugh Strange), was opened in October 2005 after much hard work including an archaeological excavation. Despite the building's having been designed to rest above the Roman
Culture of ancient Rome
Ancient Roman culture existed throughout the almost 1200-year history of the civilization of Ancient Rome. The term refers to the culture of the Roman Republic, later the Roman Empire, which, at its peak, covered an area from Lowland Scotland and Morocco to the Euphrates.Life in ancient Rome...
horizon, at the foot of the pit for the lift shaft, it just found the corner of a mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
-paved passage which had been laid around a courtyard.
Much of the building is faced and paved with Ancaster stone
Ancaster stone
Ancaster stone is Middle Jurassic oolitic limestone, quarried around Ancaster, Lincolnshire, England. There are three forms of this limestone, Weather Bed, Hard White and Freestone...
and borrows the concept of the glass-covered courtyard from the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
in a feature reminiscent of a medieval alley. This exemplifies the design. The various requirements of the building, permanent display, temporary exhibitions, teaching, café and so on, are represented by corresponding elements of the building which give it, internally and externally, the feeling of an urban community, though the whole forms a distinctive unit in the townscape.
The main entrance is at the northern, uphill end and leads past, to the left, the café which faces south across a sculpturally interesting courtyard and to the right, the shop. Passing the reception desk leads to the orientation hall which is the glass-covered 'alley' passing east to west. From it, the visitor reaches auditorium where video or personal introductions to the museum or to education courses may be given; the education suite; the archaeological collection or the New Curtois Gallery, where touring exhibitions are housed. Below these last two, at the downhill end of the building, are the stores and workshops which service the whole.
The exhibits
The sample of mosaic, exposed by the pre-construction archaeologicalArchaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
excavation is now on view inside as part of a display extending through all periods from the pre-glacial
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
. It includes a satellite photograph
Satellite imagery
Satellite imagery consists of photographs of Earth or other planets made by means of artificial satellites.- History :The first images from space were taken on sub-orbital flights. The U.S-launched V-2 flight on October 24, 1946 took one image every 1.5 seconds...
of the county of Lincolnshire on a scale which permits fields and village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
s to be sought out while the picture's extent allows a general pattern of geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and the influence of the Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
s to show through.
The long-established displays include furniture, clocks and other forms of the decorative arts, from Usher's collection. There is a range of fine art works by Turner
J. M. W. Turner
Joseph Mallord William Turner RA was an English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker. Turner was considered a controversial figure in his day, but is now regarded as the artist who elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivalling history painting...
, Piper
John Piper (artist)
John Egerton Christmas Piper, CH was a 20th-century English painter and printmaker. For much of his life he lived at Fawley Bottom in Buckinghamshire, near Henley-on-Thames.-Life:...
and Lowry
L. S. Lowry
Laurence Stephen Lowry was an English artist born in Barrett Street, Stretford, Lancashire. Many of his drawings and paintings depict nearby Salford and surrounding areas, including Pendlebury, where he lived and worked for over 40 years at 117 Station Road , opposite St...
. The gallery's specialism is in the works of Peter De Wint
Peter De Wint
Peter De Wint was an English landscape painter.De Wint was the son of an English physician of Dutch extraction who had come to England from New York., he was born in Stone, Staffordshire. He moved to London in 1802, and was apprenticed to John Raphael Smith, the mezzotint engraver and portrait...
, a former Lincoln resident. Four galleries of various sizes are set aside for temporary exhibitions.
Gulbenkian Prize
In May 2006, The Collection was on a short list of four innovative museums being considered for the 2006 Gulbenkian PrizeGulbenkian Prize
The Art Fund Prize, formerly known as the Gulbenkian Prize, is an annual prize awarded to a museum or gallery in the United Kingdom for a "track record of imagination, innovation and excellence"...
. The results were announced on 25 May 2006 and the prize was awarded to SS Great Britain
SS Great Britain
SS Great Britain was an advanced passenger steamship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Steamship Company's transatlantic service between Bristol and New York. While other ships had previously been built of iron or equipped with a screw propeller, Great Britain was the first...
.