The
Lord Lieutenant of Devon, David Fursdon with ‘The Boyhood of Raleigh’
The
return of Sir John Everett Millais’ painting ‘The Boyhood of Raleigh’ to Tate
Britain marks the end of a highly successful season for Fairlynch, which closed
its doors for the winter on 31 October.
The
Museum welcomed over 7,000 visitors, a 40% increase on recent years. £7,500 was
raised from entry fees, and £1,050 was received in donations.
Raleigh
400 was the main event, running for five months from 28 May, when the
exhibition was opened by Lord Lieutenant of Devon David Fursdon.
Wedding
dresses from the Fairlynch collection
Other
displays were much praised by visitors, including the Costume Department’s ‘100
Years of Devon Weddings’ and the Quilts and Textiles exhibition.
Among
the experts who had visited Fairlynch during the year were historian Anna Beer,
author of a recent biography of Sir Walter Raleigh, and costumes writer Jill
Salen, who is preparing material for a book about the Museum’s collections.
There
was a marked increase in the number of group visits to Fairlynch, including
those organised by local schools.
Children at The Beacon School, Exmouth with ‘Sir Walter Raleigh’ show off their
Raleigh 400 ‘Snakes and Ladders’ game
Thanks
to a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, enabling the services of Education Outreach
officer Lizzie Mee, the Museum was able to engage with a good number of
schools. A total of 2,685 children benefitted from the Raleigh 400 teaching
programme, including receiving leaflets and other promotional materials.
Powderham
Castle’s State Dining Room
The
Museum’s successful season culminates in a special Raleigh 400 dinner on
Thursday 29 November in the State Dining Room of Powderham Castle for Friends
of Fairlynch and their friends and guests. The Guest of Honour will be the Earl
of Devon.
No comments:
Post a Comment