New Developments
Observatory
A Victorian-style observatory is currently being constructed within the Black Country Living Museum by members of the Pendrell Hall Observatories Group parallel to the construction of a similar observatory on their own site at Pendrell Hall in South Staffordshire.
The observatory will be of an authentic Victorian design it will be an example of the “Romsey” type observatory as designed by Reverend E L Berthon, a Victorian clergyman who was a scientist, astronomer and inventor and who was featured some time ago in the “Local Heroes” programme by Adam Hart-Davies. Our structure will be a de-luxe version of Berthon's original design. It will have an attached “transit room”, as did the original design.
The main instrument in the observatory will be a long-focus (f11) Calver reflector, made by George Calver in late Victorian times when he was one of the premier telescope makers in Britain. The parallel observatory at Pendrell Hall will also have a Calver reflector as its main instrument, but in that case of shorter focal ratio operating at f6.58. The telescope at the Black Country Living Museum is expected to give a particularly good performance in lunar and planetary observation.
A transit instrument will be in position in the transit house when demonstrations take place, and it is expected that another transit instrument, on loan from the Science Museum in London will be on regular display within the observatory. Both transit instruments will be of authentic Victorian vintage.
Construction is proceeding at present on the observatory site by the Pendrell Hall Group assisted by the Friends of the Black Country Museum. It is anticipated that the construction will be completed by the end of September 2007, and that a formal opening event will take place at that time.
The Printer's Shop
The Museum has recently opened a small jobbing printers, using presses, type and tools recovered from a garden shed located behind a semi detached house at 1 Laburnam Road, Bilston.
For over fifty years Robert James, a skilled compositor, (pictured right on the front of his employer's house magazine in the 1950's) printed such items as business cards, letterheads, leaflets , raffle tickets and posters. Starting in 1936, this little concern was run half way between a hobby and a business, boosting the wage Mr James earned from his day job at Wilkes Ltd, a large printers in Bilston.
Demonstrations of 'letterpress' printing are held in Mr James' shed using the wealth of original type faces and blocks recovered from his workshop. When in operation visitors will be able to take away 'keepsakes' including greetings cards, all based on material taken from our archives.
Illustrations on the left from top to bottom:
- An Advert for the Peerless Press
- Death and Dividend Card printed by Mr James. These were for a contributory savings scheme covering funeral expenses - bit like a Christmas Club. Many local pubs ran them before the war
- Typical handbill printed by 'letterpress'
- Advert for Manders Inks, Wolverhampton
