One hundred year old Christmas tree
The object of the month this month is a tree-mendously old Christmas tree bought in 1924. The one-hundred-year-old tree was owned by George Faulkner (who passed away in 2016) and his wife Margery who was originally given the tree by her mother who had purchased it from Woolworths in Rugby for just 6d.
The Woolworths shop in Rugby first opened on High Street in October 1922. The Rugby Advertiser reported on the first day of opening that from 7:15am people had started to arrive with several hundred outside before the store opened at 9am. The new shop “thronged all day with an eager crowd anxious to secure the bargains offered for sale.”
The American grocers and household chain had arrived in the UK in 1909 and for many years every product sold had the price limit of sixpence, using the slogan in its adverts ‘Nix over six’.
This little tree measures less than a metre high and includes the decorations that had been owned by Margery and her mother. On the ends of some of the branches there are candle holders so real candles could be added.
Christmas tree traditions started in this country thanks to Prince Albert bringing the custom of a decorated tree over from Germany and the idea caught on with the Victorians.
Woolworths were the first to sell mass produced artificial trees in the 1920s making this tree one of the oldest of its kind.
Protesting the Ban: A Public Outcry!
The object of the month for November is a photograph of a protest march along Evreux Way which took place in Rugby 40 years ago this month.
Rugby Borough Council had recently introduced an equal opportunities policy, stating there should be no discrimination on the grounds of race, nationality, sex, religious beliefs, marital status or sexual orientation. When it was voted on at a council meeting in September 1984 an amendment was carried to delete sexual orientation from the policy.
There was a public outcry and a campaign, ‘Stop the lesbian and gay ban’ was formed, led by Councillor Jeff Coupe (wearing an armband in the photo). The rally and march were organised for 10th November 1984 and saw a thousand people attend from across the country, including gay rights groups and NALGO, the local government union.
During the rally at the Benn Hall, MP Chris Smith gave a speech. Introducing himself, he said “My name is Chris Smith. I’m the Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, and I’m gay” making history as the first openly gay MP in the country.
In February 1985 the dispute finally came to an end with a new policy statement drawn up by the council which included the paragraph: ‘The council has no procedures or recruitment practices to discriminate against existing employees or job applicants on the grounds of sexual orientation and will appoint and promote the best qualified, the most capable and the most suitable candidates.’
The Roman Make up Bag!
This delightful chatelaine brooch is made of copper alloy and decorated with blue and yellow petal shaped enamel pieces. It was found at the Roman settlement of Tripontium (4 miles north-east of present day Rugby). The site was excavated by the Rugby Archaeological Society over a 40-year period.
The brooch dates from the late 1st – early 2nd Century and would have served a practical use, for holding small tools for the lady of the house to use for personal grooming. Examples included: nail files, tweezers, nail cleaners/toothpick, ear scoop and cosmetic spoon. Roman make up was mixed and applied using spoons. Cleanliness was an important part of Roman culture. Unfortunately, this brooch wasn’t found with any tools attached and it is missing the horizontal bar along the bottom to suspend tools from.
It is possible that chatelaine brooches were also seen as status symbols for the female that owned them having a high position in a household. Brooches such as this were exclusively female items.
The type of jewellery at Tripontium is very similar to that found over the rest of Roman Britain. It also includes rings, bracelets and necklaces, many of which were made of glass or bronze.
The brooch and some examples of cosmetic tools are on display in the Archaeology Gallery at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum.
'Rugby Market Place' by Joseph Pike
The object of the month for September is this delightful pencil drawing ‘Rugby Market Place’ by Joseph Pike (1883-1956).
This drawing is included in the book 'Rugby: A Series of Pencil Sketches' by Joseph Pike, published by A & C Black of London in 1930.
Similar books had already been illustrated on Chester, Stratford, and Bruges.
Pike visited Rugby and met with local bookseller George Over to get an understanding of the scenes in the town he should capture for the book. Over half the illustrations feature Rugby School. The introduction covers the town’s history, with a particular focus on the school, which was written by H.C Bradby, an assistant master there from 1892-1929.
The pencil drawing captures stalls on a market day in Market Place, as the book tells us:
“Rugby's principal market is for cattle, and is held on Mondays in huge yards near the L.M.S. Station: but on a Saturday we shall find stalls of fruit and vegetables and fish and clothing standing in the Market Place, and the country people coming to buy, on the same ground and in the same fashion as their forefathers bought and sold ever since Henry Ill granted a market by Charter.”
The idyllic scenes also hint at contemporary life with the inclusion of the motor car and marketgoers in fashions of the era.
Pike was an established commercial artist, known for his pencil drawings of street scenes, churches and landmarks across the country, which were widely reproduced in books and postcards. He exhibited at the Royal Academy in Summer 1924 with a drawing of the Old Curiosity Shop in London, as immortalised by Charles Dickens. His address in the Royal Academy brochure is given as ‘Brook Green Studios’ which refers to the art school that had recently been opened in Hammersmith by the artist Leon Underwood.
This drawing, along with several others by Pike appear in ‘Picturing Rugby’, on now at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum until 5th October.
Pig in a ditch?
Roman lead pig found in ditch alongside Watling Street
This impressive lead pig (or ingot) was excavated at the site of Tripontium from a ditch alongside the Roman road of Watling Street (now the A5). Tripontium was a small Roman settlement first established between 43-50AD. It straddled Watling Street - the busy imperial highway which ran from London to Wroxeter and Chester. The route was in constant use by the Imperial Postal Service, who would stop at settlements like Tripontium to get fresh horses. Other travellers and army personnel also stopped there for shelter, food and to have a bath in the bath house.
The ingot is inscribed SOCIOR LVT BR EX ARG, which translates fully as ‘product of Lutudarensian partners; British lead from the lead-silver works’. This tells us that it was produced in the mine of Lutudarum, which was located close to Crich in Derbyshire. The shape and imperial stamp on the top of the ingot establishes it to be of Roman origin. This type of imperial stamp went out of use after 163-169AD, so we know that it predates this period. It is likely that it was a part of a batch, en route to London. Nearly 60cm in length and at a weighty 79kg (143lb) one theory is that it fell from a cart and was too heavy to retrieve.
Lead was mined in Derbyshire from the Bronze Age until the mid-19th century. The wealth of minerals, including lead and silver, was a major factor in the Romans expansion into Britain. Lead was used to make piping, gutters and was alloyed with tin to make pewter. Silver was extracted from the lead and was used in the production of Roman coins.
The ingot is one of 50 objects on display as part of ‘A History of Rugby in 50 Objects’ on now at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum.
Meet Mr Benn
"As if by magic ... the shopkeeper appeared"
This panel came from a section of a door at Bennfield House. The house was built in North Street, Rugby in 1669 and was the home of the Benn Family.
The Benns were a wealthy local family. Thomas and Maria Benn were married in 1813 and had five sons. The sons gave a lot to local concerns, funding building work on St Andrews Church, local schools and the building of the clocktower. Because the brothers never married, whatever fortunes they had passed down the line to the youngest, George, being the last to die in 1895. In his will were many bequests to local charities and organisations. He also left the deeds to the Shoulder of Mutton Inn to the town and a bequest to the local board for the provision of ‘town buildings’. This was built on the site of the Inn on High Street and was known as the Benn Building. The council offices were relocated to their new site on Evreux Way in the 1960s with the adjoining venue the Benn Hall. The glass panes feature two paintings: the larger one shows the George Inn, Market Place, Rugby c. 1810. The inn was built in the 1650s and demolished or destroyed by a fire in the 1840s and a new hotel was built on the site. In 1954 the hotel was replaced with shops. The smaller pane shows a lady carrying a basket. The high waistline of her dress and apron date it to the Regency fashions of the early 1800s. The panel is on display in our current temporary exhibition ‘Picturing Rugby’ on until 5th October in the Local History Gallery.
