Museum News
What's been going on at Halstead Museum? - Spring - by John Walmsley
Even though we have been temporarily closed for the winter, our work carries on at a pace. Items of great interest find their way in through our door. Here are but a few:
eBay is where we found a letter mentioning John Morley. Which of the 3 we have not identified yet. Dated 1731, it appears to be an unsigned copy of an agreement to sell a property to Mathias Sayward. Morley being a prominent family in Halstead, we had to have it.
We have been gifted 23 silver coins dating back to the 12th century by Mr S Moxey who metal detects locally. This gentleman previously donated a Bronze Age axe head that we have on display
Surprised we were on finding 3 pen and ink drawings dating back to 1945. They are the work of Garabella Paolo an Italian POW presumably camped on Sudbury Road. One is of St. Andrew’s Church another is of St Paul’s Cathedral. I suspect St Paul’s was copied from another image as travel for him would have been prohibited. Or was it?
Gordon Brown of Earls Colne Museum has donated a book titled The Militant Don. It’s an autobiography of Donald Portway who lived on our high street. He did not enter the family stove making business instead a military career awaited him after leaving Felstead school. He saw action in the trenches of WW1 and Dunkirk in WW2. Please feel free to borrow this publication.
A painting by Charles Chapman came up for sale and we were able to purchase it from our donations box. Charles worked as a linesman and later at the Post Office here in Halstead.
We have acquired another artists work of local scenes including Great Maplestead Church. Little is known about this London artist who was a prolific book illustrator. These images are dated c1900.
We wish to welcome John Ingerson to our happy band of museum volunteers. He’s currently scanning several boxes of photographs that have been donated to us. John will be well occupied for months to come.