Brighton Short Breaks understands that museums themselves hold a lot of history not just the objects they display. Museums started to develop from the 18th century country house displays to buildings purposely built and used for storage and research of historical and artisitc objects. This started to develop more during the 19th century but still with mainly rich and upper class families visiting these instiutions. One museum that began to break this tradition and opt for a more public admitance to its objects was the V & A in London which is only 53 miles away from Brighton. The museum was actually established in 1852 and the idea behind it was to try and make profound pieces of art accessible to all members of the public and to try and educate the working class of that time. In 1857 it moved to the site it is on now and was named the South Kensington museum. Its main collections were of metalwork, furniture, textiles as well as its fine art collection. This was to tap into the industries that people worked and were involved in, and to educate them about the differences in these industries and introduce them to new forms of design. In 1899 it was Prince Albert’s support for the museum and Queen Victoria’s help in laying the first brick in its new building foundations that the museum received its new name and of the Victoria and Albert museum. The museum, to this day still supports free admission and accessibility to all visitors and displays some of the finest Victorian architecture in London. It was the beginning of a new age in British museums soon began to follow suit with them opening their doors to more and more of the general public and giving us the brilliant instiutions that we can visit today.

If you’d like to arrange accommodation during the month  then check our our self catering Brighton properties and see what suits you best!

BrightonShortBreaks.com™ – 0845 500 9486
contact@brightonshortbreaks.com

Brighton Short Breaks is interested in museum debate topics, one of which is ‘what is an author?’ In our museums we see many different types of narratives created by a Curator to tell s story, an exhibition is laid out in a specific way so a particular story is told to the visitor, here the Curator is the author, but an author using other people’s work. Why are the famous artists and writers so famous compared to other artists and writers? Who determines which of these ‘authors’ become famous and who does not?

This is a widely debated topic and one with many different varying opinions, which is why we think it is interesting to look at Grayson Perry’s new exhibition at the British Museum which is only about 53 miles away from us in Brighton. Grayson Perry was born in 1960 and is an english artist  mainly known for his ceramics and his cross-dressing. His vases have quite classical formations and are decorated in bright colours that tend to depict subjects at odds with their attractive appearance. He has been known to create images that represent his experience in terms of ‘explicit scenes of sexual perversion.’ He won the Turner Prize in 2003.

From the 6th October to 19th February 2012 his exhibition entitled ‘The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman’ is on display at The British Museum. In the exhibition he has some of his new works alongside objects made by unknown men and women throughout history that he has found in the British Museum’s collection. It is meant to be a memorial to all the anonymous craftsmen that have created so many different objects from motorbikes, to vases and axes. Perry himself said ” The craftsman’s anonymity I find especially resonant in an age of the celebrity artist.” We like this statement and think it shows how the ‘author’ of something does not really matter.

If you’d like to arrange accommodation during the month  then check our our self catering Brighton properties and see what suits you best!

BrightonShortBreaks.com™ – 0845 500 9486
contact@brightonshortbreaks.com

Brighton Short Breaks is trying to determine what October half term activities will be worth while during the next week. The range of activities on offer to families across the UK in museums and heritage institutions is staggering from reliving the Battle of Bosworth in Leicestershire of the Diwali celebrations and Bollywood dancing at Brighton and Hove museum. The National Railway museum in York which is usually free admission anyway is hosting a nine day celebration of toys and model trains. These activities are available from October 22nd to the 30th and visitors of all ages will be entertained by the huge range of trains from small pedal ones that you can sit in to an outdoor miniature railways that everybody can have a go on. There are huge names in the train world appearing during this week from Chuggington, Meccano, Big Jigs and Tomica through to the event sponsor of Hornby. There will be a special visit from Chris Vine who is the author of the new children’s books ‘Peter’s Railway.’ Chris, who has always been a fan of trains since he was a child will be chatting to visitors about his books and his love of train modelling. There are activities on hand for children to take part in as they can make their own models to take home and special craft activities mean kids can create pictures of trains travelling through different spooky backgrounds which is perfect for Halloween. There will be a huge steam locomotive available for visitors to have a ride on in the courtyard for a small fee. Other activities which are normally available anyway are still open including a simulator where you can experience the thrill of breathtaking rides indoors and there is also an adventure playground. The museum is easily accessible especially if you go by train as it is right next to York Railway Station.

If you’d like to arrange accommodation during the month  then check our our self catering Brighton properties and see what suits you best!

BrightonShortBreaks.com™ – 0845 500 9486
contact@brightonshortbreaks.com

Brighton Short Breaks is a known fan of the stately home, and this interest in how people lived in the 18th and 19th Century and even into the beginning of the 20th Century is becoming more apparent with television shows like Downton Abbey becoming household favourites. It is human nature to be interested in how other people live or lived whether it be upstairs or downstairs. A common theme which you can spot in a lot of different houses throughout Britain is either Chinese decorations of Chinese pottery and ceramics. Everyone has heard of a ‘ming’ vase and these types of decoration were common throughout the 18th and 19th Centuries. There are examples of it at Brighton Royal Pavillion as King George loved chinoiserie, the decorative style inspired by China. The Long Gallery especially is filled with lanterns, exotic furnishings and Chinese objects d’art and specialised bamboo furniture. One of our most favourite examples of the British love of Chinese decoration is at Harewood House. What would have just been an ordinary guest bedroom is now known as the Chinese Bedroom due to the fantastic display of wallpaper in it. The wallpaper was discovered by accident by the house and collections team a few years ago. It was folded and stored in a box in one of the warehouses on the Harewood land. Due to the fact it had been so carefully packed away means it is now one of the most perfect examples of Chinese wallpaper in Europe. The conservation team rehung it on the walls of the bedroom and each wall represents a significant part of China. The pictures depict the production of tea, silk, pottery and rice in minute detail – one section for each wall, and not once is the detail replicated. You can clearly see why there was a fascination for this type of decor and it is great that we can still see fantastic examples like this.

If you’d like to arrange accommodation during the month  then check our our self catering Brighton properties and see what suits you best!

BrightonShortBreaks.com™ – 0845 500 9486
contact@brightonshortbreaks.com

Brighton Short Breaks has become hooked, like many people, to the television series of Downton Abbey and the fact that it is filmed in such a beautiful historical institution is even better. The series is set in Edwardian times and follows the ups and downs of the Crawley family and their servants during the First World War. Hig
hclere Castle in Hampshire is used for all the exterior and some of the interior shots of both series and the castle is one of England’s most finest examples of Victorian Castles set in the middle of 1,000 acres of beautiful landscape. The Carnarvon family have lived at Highclere since 1679 and current Earl and his wife still live there making it the biggest occupied mansion in Hampshire. The house itself was designed by Charles Barry who was the architect who designed the Houses of Parliament and the state rooms that visitors can look round are exquisite  compromising of Saloon, Library, music room, drawing room and smoking room. Not only is the house fantastic to shoot the scenes for Downton but there is also an abundance of Egyptian history associated with the house and family. It was the 5th Earl who famously discovered the tomb of the Egyptian boy Pharaoh Tutankhhamun in 1922 with his archaeological partner Howard Carter. Now the current Earl has opened a special exhibition in the cellar of the house to celebrate the 5th Earl achievements. The antiquities on display are both ones that the Earl discovered and bought and after he died a lot of them went to the Metropolitan Museum in New York but a lot of artefacts were given back from the British Museum for the family to put on display. It is good for an historical house to be used for a programme like this as it helps the audience become more connected to the history.

If you’d like to arrange accommodation during the month  then check our our self catering Brighton properties and see what suits you best!

BrightonShortBreaks.com™ – 0845 500 9486
contact@brightonshortbreaks.com

Brighton Short Breaks has been looking at the importance of classification in museums throughout the years and the arguments that can surround how objects are ordered. From looking at history through the classification of objects we can see what the relationship is between objects and knowledge and how this differs depending what age you are from. Wikipedia tells us that Taxonomy is the practise and science of classification or the result of it, a taxonomy is a particular classification arranged in an hierarchical structure which can then be
organised by supertype-subtype relationships. The way objects are presented to us is also a form of classification so as you can see this is an important practise in the museum industry. A great way to examine how people’s opinions of objects from certain times in history can determine what objects were put on display is to look at the Enlightenment Gallery at the British Museum. The British Museum is only half an hour train ride away from Brighton and the  Enlightenment Gallery introduces the museum and its collections to the visitor and tries to demonstrate our understanding of the how the world of nature and human achievement has changed over time and is shown in museums because of this. The Enlightenment Gallery is divided into seven sections that explore different topics that were important in certain sections of history. There was Religion and ritual followed by Trade and discovery, then the birth of archaeology, Art history, Classification, the decipherment of ancient scripts and Natural history. The word ‘enlightenment’ is used because Enlightenment was the age of reason and learning that became popular across Europe and America from about 1680 to 1820. This fantastic exhibition uses thousands of objects to demonstrate to visitors how people in Britain understood their world during this period showing how the thought process in choosing objects and classifications is essential in the museum sector and is always continually developing and changing.

If you’d like to arrange accommodation during the month  then check our our self catering Brighton properties and see what suits you best!

BrightonShortBreaks.com™ – 0845 500 9486
contact@brightonshortbreaks.com

Brighton Short Breaks has been wondering about the importance of actually being in a place of heritage and what it might mean to the visitor. We definitely believe that the technology we have now is a fantastic way for people to visit museums and look at collections that they may not have been able to otherwise. Having said that if the visitor can, there is something to be said for standing in the presence of greatness.

Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds is one of the most complete examples we have of a Cistercian abbey in the UK. It is situated in wonderful parkland on the banks of the River Aire and the mix of greenery, wildlife and historic architecture is fantastic. To be stood in the nave of the abbey looking down at what would have once been a grand window above the alter you can almost step back in time and see how the monks used to live. But would a visitor feel the same sort of presence of the abbey if fragments of it were taken away and placed in a glass cabinet in a museum? A visitor can get a sense of history and importance from an object in a museum, they can read the label and get an idea of the facts behind it and why it has been selected to be on display in a museum. However, the feeling a person can create within themselves from walking the footsteps of another person, of many other people can be hugely satisfying.

To take a fragment of Kirkstall Abbey and put it in a museum would be like to take the pier away from Brighton beach, although it is still an object in its own right, the historic importance of it have disappeared. To be able to walk around Kirkstall Abbey, where the monks used to walk, where the army had walked to tear down the abbey during the dissolution of the monasteries, to where we now walk of lovers of history and heritage seems to be far more exciting to experience than glimpsing a small section of it locked away in a cabinet.

If you’d like to arrange accommodation during the month  then check our our self catering Brighton properties and see what suits you best!

Brighton Short Breaks regularly visits the Brighton Centre which often plays host to a whole range of activities. There are comedy shows like Bill Bailey who is on in November right through to musical concerts from artists like Will Young, Jessie J and Kasabian. On occasion the centre also plays host to special exhibitions and in February next year the Brighton model world will be there.

Anyone who loves models of all sorts can expect to have great fun with anything miniature at this annual event. Next year the exhibition will be celebrating its 34th year and on display you can see the skills and creativity of the huge variety of model makes. Another great exhibition currently showcasing in Brighton is the ‘Radical Bloomsbury: The art of Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell 1905-1925″ which is on at the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery.

This exhibition looks at the contribution of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant to the development of 20th Century British painting. Their Charleston style home is often depicted in their paintings creating a style which has now been known as the ‘Bloomsbury Style.’ The exhibition looks at how these painters researched the developments in European Art and reflected it in their own works modernising British art at the time. This exhibition does charge £6 per adult but children under the age of 15 are free. It does end on the 9th October so if the Bloomsbury artists are favourites of yours then you better go soon.

If you’d like to arrange accommodation during the month  then check our our self catering Brighton properties and see what suits you best!

Brighton short breaks likes to take an interest in artists and Damien Hirst is always a hot topic of conversation. Damien Hirst was born 7 June 1965, grew up in Leeds and studied at Goldsmith’s College in London. His works of art have been widely criticised over the years and shown all over the UK.

His most controversial pieces have included a pickled shark, a rotting cow and a human skull with 8601 diamonds inbeded in it. Hirst’s work seems to concentrate a lot on the processes of life and death and he has three main areas of work; paintings, cabinet sculptures and glass tank pieces. The artist has had his work on display at the Wallace Collection which looked solely upon his paintings and more recently displayed his “Let’s eat outdoors today” at London’s Royal Academy of Arts which featured a plastic table and chairs set up in a perspex box with maggots laying on trays which then developed into flies. Even though Hirst’s pieces can be questionable to many art lovers his pieces have made him one of the richest artists alive as he is estimated at approximately £215 million.

A new exhibition is currently open at Leeds Art Gallery until the 30^th October and it focuses on Hirst’s path from student to professional looking at birth, death, illness and religion – all key ideas behind his work. It includes one of his famous glass tank pieces of a sheep in formaldehyde called ‘Away from the flock’ and so far has been well received by the residents of Leeds. This exhibition gives the visitor chance to see both classic and more unheard of pieces from the artist and demonstrates how his ideas of life and death are portrayed in his work.

If you’d like to arrange accommodation during the month  then check our our self catering Brighton properties and see what suits you best!

Brighton Short Breaks couldn’t help but think that with one of the worst summer holidays for weather nearly over, how can an inside entertainment venue such as a museum compete with other indoor leisure activities in entertaining the kids and are they good value for money?

Great lengths have been attempted by many museums in recent years in order to cater to every generation and scholarly level. Introducing children to the world of museums is important not only to integrate the importance of archiving our heritage for future generations but also as families for a whole to interact together. 

With more parents working more hours a day,  somewhere like a museum is essential for families to have a day of both learning and fun together, interacting with each other and learning more about what kind of people their children are developing into. Harewood House in North Yorkshire Leeds has put on many activities for families  including creating arts and crafts, fun days starring characters from TV’s ceebeebies and the creation of the new Geopods which holds an indoor kids playground. The Kite festival and days such as ‘Mad Hatter’s Tea party’ have also attracted families in their hundreds. However, at £35 for a family freedom ticket this could be classed at an expensive day out and although there are fun activities presented, what do families actually learn about the museum itself? Compare this to the Brighton Toy and Model museum which automatically caters for kids with the display of toys and gives a hint of nostalgia for adults as they can experience their childhood favourites. There are hands on activities such as operating an old fashioned penny arcade which can keep kids entertained whilst feeding them information about the museum itself. And at £12 for a family ticket it seems to be much more worth while day out.

If you’d like to arrange accommodation during the month  then check our our self catering Brighton properties and see what suits you best!

BrightonShortBreaks.com™ – 0845 500 9486
contact@brightonshortbreaks.com