This month’s speaker was Louise Bowen, Museums Collection Assistant from the N.E Lincs Museum Services based at the Fishing Heritage Centre.
Following the closure of the Welholme Galleries the museum collection was put into storage with only some items being on display at the Fishing Heritage Centre during the past few years with the aid of grant money. Whilst the Doughty Gallery (in the Fishing Heritage Centre) has some examples of very fine ship models especially those from the Napoleonic wars and a number of paintings are mounted on the walls of Grimsby Town Hall, Louise told us that the collection includes drawings, paintings (including a number of very fine maritime paintings) costumes, books and a store for larger items.
This latter is arranged into community life, domestic and family life, personal life and working life. Louise said that she would not be able to do her job without volunteers who work in the store as they work in each of the different areas and help in assembling and mounting exhibitions.
To complete the talk Louise had selected, and shared with us, some of her “favourite” items from the collection.
The talk was well attended and the general opinion was that whilst we had the basis for a museum and art gallery, (with many items from the Doughty Bequest) sadly the town is lacking one and that this should be addressed.
