Thursday, 04 April 2013

Why not take a tip from the 2013 'Defence of the Realm' pocket guide and visit one of Hampshire's many military heritage sites this year.

Packed with over 80 great events and 30 sites including castles, historic ships, museums, special displays and exhibitions, the pocket guide is available free from Tourist Information Centres, by calling 01271 336136 or ordering on-line from the Defence of the Realm website. It also includes discount vouchers so visitors can make savings of up to 20% on normal admission fees.

Sites included in the guide range from Buckler's Hard in Beaulieu whose updated Maritime Museum is celebrating its 50th anniversary and the Royal Military Police Museum near Fareham, to the Royal Armouries Fort Nelson in Fareham and Basing House Ruins in Basingstoke. The guide also includes a comprehensive list of events for the whole year, including children's activities during school holidays, a Model Warship Weekend at Explosion! in Gosport, and a Fun For All Day at the Royal Green Jackets Museum in Winchester.

Tourism contributes almost £3 billion to Hampshire's economy every year and employs more than 60,000 people. Visitors to Hampshire's military heritage sites, more than one million people every year, make a substantial contribution to this total.

• Defence of the Realm

Friday, 22 March 2013

The 100,000th visitor for 2012/13 has been welcomed to Hampshire County Council's Milestones Museum thanks to the hugely popular LEGO®Mania event.

Victoria Hanks from Fleet, visited the Basingstoke based attraction this month (March) with her three children and friends, bringing the site's visitor numbers to over 100,000, to win a Hampshire County Council Culture-all pass worth £75.

The Culture-all Passport gives up to two adults and two children (aged 16 years or under) 12 months' unlimited access to some of Hampshire's best attractions, as well as free parking at several visitor sites, plus access to exclusive offers and discounts.

Mum of three Victoria certainly has a lucky streak. While applying for a Hampshire County Council Gateway Card for her youngest son Seb, aged two, who has a condition called Nemaline Myopathy, similar to Muscular Dystrophy, she found out that she was the 2,000th applicant and won a Culture-all pass.

The Gateway Card is for children and young people who have a disability and/or additional needs and may require support to participate in leisure and recreation activities, are between 0 to 19 years old, live in Hampshire and/or attend a school in Hampshire (excluding Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight as they have similar schemes) and it gives people access to range of short break activities.

Victoria has donated a Culture-all pass to a friend, whose daughter has Down's Syndrome and is due to undergo a major operation.

Victoria said of her win: "It was so lovely because it genuinely added a bit of excitement and a feel-good factor that we needed. It was a lovely distraction for all of us when we had all had a difficult couple of weeks."

Councillor Keith Chapman, Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Culture and Recreation, said: "Congratulations to Victoria and what a wonderful gesture to give her newest Culture All pass to her friend to enjoy with her family. I hope they all come back to Milestones to enjoy LEGO® Mania 2013 and use their passes to explore all the other wonderful attractions Hampshire County Council has to offer."

The highlight of the LEGO® Mania 2013 event at Milestones is the building of a four metre long Thornycroft truck between Tuesday 26 February and Sunday 31st March 2013 from around 150,000 Lego bricks by Duncan Titmarsh of Bright Bricks, the only certified LEGO® builder in the UK. This will complement the museum's collection of vintage Thornycroft vehicles. LEGO® Mania 2013 continues throughout the Easter holidays until Sunday 14th April.

Milestones has seen an increase in visitor numbers by 11 per cent compared to the same time last year and it is not the only Hampshire County Council venue to set this trend.

During January visitor numbers were up by 47% at Aldershot Military Museum and 99% at Gosport Gallery compared to January last year.

Councillor Chapman added: "These increases are due to popular exhibitions and numerous school visits to Milestones. We are recording that around 35,000 are visiting Hampshire's museums each month."

• Milestones Museum

Friday, 22 March 2013

LEGO fans are in for a treat this Easter when the new LEGOMania Trail is launched across Hampshire.

Building on the continued success of LEGO®Mania 2013 at Hampshire County Council's Milestones Museum in Basingstoke, for the first time a LEGOMania Trail will run from Thursday 28 March to Sunday 9 June.

The LEGOMania Trail is a partnership project between Hampshire County Council, Southampton City Council and Winchester City Council, supported by the Arts Council.

The LEGOMania Trail will see special LEGO scale models of items associated with each site displayed at a number of attractions across the county.

The LEGOMania Trail will be at the following venues:

• Andover Museum of the Iron Age - display a LEGO Danebury Hillfort
• Westbury Manor Museum, Fareham - display a LEGO Portchester Castle
• Basing House, in Basingstoke - display of a LEGO Basing House
• Milestones, in Basingstoke - display of a LEGO Thornycroft truck
• Southampton City Arty Gallery - display of a LEGO 3D floating bridge from the painting by Laurence Stephen Lowry displayed at the gallery.
• Southampton's Tudor House Museum and Gardens - display of a LEGO Sedan Chair
• Winchester City Council Museum - display of a LEGO Roman feast

There is also the chance for talented model makers to enter a competition to win their creation displayed at one of the participating venues. The competition will be open in two categories, for 12 years and under, and 13 years and over. Participants are invited to take a photo of their favourite LEGO model and submit it online. The deadline for entry is Friday April 12.

Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Culture and Recreation, Councillor Keith Chapman, said: "LEGO®Mania has been a huge success at Milestones Museum. By working in partnership with our neighbouring authorities in Southampton and Winchester, with the support of the Arts Council, to establish The LEGOManiaTrail for the first time, we hope to provide LEGO fans with even more models to enjoy as we head towards the Summer. This is a fun way of engaging with the County's rich heritage and museums and I hope many people will visit, take part and have fun."

• Take part in the LEGO model competition and find out more about what is happening along The LEGOMania Trail

Monday, 18 March 2013

Lively and innovative geology sessions are coming to Hampshire museums, with activities including a collector's box of geological curiosities, story-telling activities, a geochemical kit, a beginners guide to fossils and a stunning textile geological map of the area.

The activities have been made possible with funding provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which awarded £48,000 to a partnership of museums across several counties in the South East region, collectively known as Rockband.

Hampshire's interactive map, which has lots of intriguing pockets with fossils to explore and discover, was produced by textile artist Jenny Langley and shows many local geological features, including St Catherine's Hill, Selborne Hanger and the 'Sand Boils' at Bishops Waltham.

The new activities will be suitable for audiences of all ages and backgrounds, including audiences with learning disabilities and those who are partially sighted. Schools will soon be getting stuck in at special educational sessions, and members of the public will have a number of opportunities to try out the materials.

Check out the Hantsweb What's on listings to see further sessions as they are arranged, or contact the Museums and Arts Service.

• Willis Museum, Basingstoke, 10 April

Wednesday, 27 February 2013

LEGO® Mania returns to Hampshire County Council's Milestones Living History Museum in Basingstoke this February.

Visitors will be able to view a four metre long Thornycroft truck being built from around 150,000 LEGO® bricks between Tuesday 26 February and Sunday 14 April 2013. This will complement the museum's collection of vintage Thornycroft vehicles.

Hampshire County Council holds one of the most comprehensive collections of its kind relating to the world famous Thornycroft company, that also produced high-quality cars at its Basingstoke factory from 1903 to 1912. The collection includes vehicles, machine tools and equipment, production records and photographs, printed sales brochures and handbooks, family archives and general business records relating to both the vehicles and ship-building divisions.

LEGO® Mania 2013 follows the successful spring 2012 event, when around 36,000 LEGO® fans visited Milestones to see a fantastic scale model of historic Basing House constructed at the museum - a 200% increase on 2011's visitor numbers.

Bright Bricks, who helped TV's James May achieve his dream night in a LEGO® house, will build the model co-ordinated by Duncan Titmarsh, the only certified LEGO® builder in the UK. The model will be built in front of visitors on the indoor 'showground'; in Milestones Museum and displayed throughout the Easter holidays.

Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Culture and Recreation, Councillor Keith Chapman, said: "It is a great privilege to have LEGO® Mania back at Milestones Museum. Last year's event was a huge success and for the 2013 event, there are some great activities planned. I hope many people will visit, take part and have fun."

There will also be an array of themed events surrounding the build, including competitions, a LEGO® Minifigure hunt, LEGO® and DUPLO® play tables and a new graffiti wall plus a photographic gallery and exhibition of LEGO® models such as an Olympic stadium. Pre-booked, and pre-paid, workshops offer visitors a chance to build and customise their own Minifigures and to join in other activities. Events will vary from day-to-day and some carry an extra charge in addition to the museum entrance fee.

To book tickets or workshop places for LEGO® Mania 2013 at Milestones visit www.milestones-museum.com/lego . For further enquiries call 01256 477766.

For more information about Hampshire County Council's Thornycroft collection.

• LEGO Mania 2013 at Milestones

Thursday, 07 February 2013

From 26 February until 14 April, thousands and thousands of tiny bricks will be taking their place at Milestones in Basingstoke for LegoMania 2013. Lego Minifigures will be popping up all through the museum, taking you on an exciting journey to see some truly amazing Lego creations!

Come along and create your very own Lego Minifigure**, take your place on the Lego and Duplo play tables or even be part of a team to build a four-metre long truck made entirely from Lego.

You can take a walk through space and see Star Wars take on a whole new dimension as scenes are recreated through hundreds of Lego pieces. If you remember when Lego was a few simple building bricks, you will be amazed to get up close with the models on display at Milestones, including a replica of the Olympic Stadium built entirely from the famous little bricks.

Children big and small (and especially the grown ups) will enjoy seeing the magical models created from Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. A trip to Lego Mania will have something for everyone.

Whilst you're here, why not visit all the other fascinating things at Milestones, including the Penny Arcade** and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?

Lego Mania is a popular event! Booking in advance is recommended.

Milestones Annual pass and Culture-all passes can be used. Workshops must be booked and paid for in advance.

** Selected activities have an additional fee. All subject to availability and change.

LEGO, the LEGO logo and the Minifigure are trademarks of the LEGO Group. Copyright© 2013 The LEGO Group.

• LEGO ® Mania 2013 at Milestones Museum

Friday, 11 January 2013

Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Culture and Recreation, Councillor Keith Chapman will be asked to consider the budget for delivering arts, museums, libraries and countryside services across Hampshire in the year ahead, at his Decision Day on 21 January 2013.

The budget report for 2013/14 sets aside £22.356million to continue to provide these services, as well as provide the various grants awarded to cultural, community and recreational organisations in Hampshire. The efficiencies that need to be made for 2013/14 are aimed at avoiding impact on services to the public at the Council's libraries, museums, arts centres, and country parks.

Early and decisive action taken by Hampshire County Council to respond to the national deficit reduction programme, achieved savings of £100million over the last two years, putting the Council in a strong position to tackle future funding challenges, which are expected to be even tougher from 2015/16.

The report sets out how Culture and Recreation services will tackle further efficiencies to reduce their budgets by two per cent to help meet the major pressures and demands.

Like other services, the next two years will be used to further develop new ways of working for Culture and Recreation services, transforming the way some of these services are delivered to make them more sustainable so that Hampshire residents can continue to receive the quality services they need, at lowest cost.

Ongoing support from the volunteers who operate in Hampshire's community museums, libraries and the countryside, and help deliver various cultural and recreational services, will continue to be extremely valuable in future. Meanwhile, providing residents with ongoing and improved access to Hampshire's beautiful countryside and its 2,900 miles of footpaths, will remain a key priority for the County Council in the year ahead.

The majority of savings will come from the Library Service as a result of staff vacancies that will not be filled. More modern and innovative services to the public will also be provided, with the introduction of self-service machines in Hampshire's libraries, for example, to free up staff time to help customers. In addition, greater use of web-based services including online book renewals and reservations will be on offer. An increase in library charges, including library fines is not being proposed.

Among the challenges facing Culture and Recreation services in future, is securing ways to continue to increase visitor numbers and income to Hampshire attractions when nationally, visitor numbers are declining in the current economic climate. Work will also take place to develop more all-weather facilities such as the Play Barn at Staunton Country Park, to allow more people to enjoy Hampshire's countryside venues, even in poor weather. In addition, in the early part of 2013, the Council will continue to explore the potential for setting up a Charitable Trust to support its work, and that of partner local authorities, in delivering and safeguarding arts, museum and heritage services across Hampshire in the future.

• Read the agenda and papers for the meeting of the Executive Member for Culture and Recreation on 21 January 2013

Friday, 26 October 2012

Proposals to secure the preservation of Hampshire's historic Basing House, for future generations have been given the go ahead from Hampshire County Council.

At his Decision Day (25 October 2012), Leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Ken Thornber approved a programme of conservation and community access improvement work planned by the Council's Culture Communities and Business Services, for Basing House. It follows a grant of £624,000 for project funding awarded from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) earlier this year.

The site was once the largest private house in Tudor England until its destruction following a siege by Oliver Cromwell's forces during the Civil War.

During the last three years HLF and other grants, totalling more than £1million, have helped to bring about a transformation, providing many exciting ways for visitors to enjoy the stories of Basing House, including a museum telling the dramatic story of the final siege and fall of this great house. Together with the new visitor centre and facilities, as well as improved access and signage throughout the historic site, this is a great place for all the family to visit.

The final phase of work will begin in February 2013 and will feature three key projects -

1) Completing the transformation of Grange Farm, with the refurbishment of the cow byre building into an education workshop. This will become a key part of the visitor and learning experience, providing a hub for community engagement.

2) Installing a viewing platform with new interpretation, which will offer an overview of the remains of the Tudor House, the Civil War earthworks and Basing Common (the site of the main Parliamentary siege camp).

3) Repairing and conserving the historic brickwork and surviving archaeological remains.

Councillor Thornber, said: "Basing House is one of the most prominent historic sites in not only Hampshire, but the South East region as a whole. By taking steps to preserve the remains and enhance the site for future generations to enjoy, we can help to safeguard this once-great Tudor mansion."

Work will begin next February and complete in the summer of 2013.

• Basing House

Tuesday, 17 July 2012

Joint press release issued on behalf of the Heritage Lottery Fund and Hampshire County Council

The final phase of work, to give visitors a fascinating picture of life at one of Hampshire's most historic sites, will now get underway thanks to a grant of £624,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Basing House, site of the greatest private mansion in Tudor England, will remain open for everyone to enjoy, as Hampshire County Council begins work on three key projects:

1) Completing the transformation of Basing Grange, through the refurbishment of the cow byre building into an education workshop. This will become a key part of the visitor and learning experience, providing a hub for community engagement.

2) Installing a viewing platform which will provide a birds-eye view of the remains of the Tudor House, the Civil War earthworks and Basing Common (the site of the main Parliamentary siege camp).

3) Repairing and conserving the historic brickwork and surviving archaeological remains of the once-great Tudor mansion, to enable future generations of visitors to continue to enjoy this nationally important historic site.

The education workshop will provide the space to support community activity and temporary exhibitions, focusing on conservation and archaeological research on the Basing House site. Working with Hampshire County Council, students from Basingstoke College of Technology Construction will also be offered unique, hands-on work experience sessions at the site. An annual archaeological programme will provide further training for budding young archaeologists under the supervision of experts. A wide range of volunteer training opportunities will be designed focusing on conservation and heritage skills, working with Hampshire Building Conservation Trust.

During the last three years HLF grants, totalling more than £1million, have helped to transform the site which was once the largest private house in Tudor England until its destruction following a siege by Oliver Cromwell's forces during the Civil War. The grants have already helped create a visitor centre in the restored Grade 1 listed Great Barn, improved access and signage throughout the historic site, and established a museum displaying artefacts recovered from the site.

Together with partnership funding from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and other grants, Basing House is now one of the top historic sites in the South East of England. It is also now home to an impressive LEGO model of the full Tudor Mansion and its grounds, built at Milestones Museum.

Stuart McLeod, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund South East England. said:

"This was a once great mansion whose destruction testifies to the violence of the Civil War. This project will help conserve valuable remains while creating many opportunities for students and volunteers to acquire skills and knowledge, all of which will help protect heritage for future generations."

Hampshire County Council' Executive Member for Culture and Recreation, Councillor Keith Chapman, said:

"Basing House is one of the most prominent historic sites in Hampshire telling the story of one of the most important periods in our country's history. Visitors can get a real flavour of that remarkable story and this project promises to protect the historic remains as well as educate future generations about that period."

• Basing House was built by William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester, who served Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. The Paulet family remained loyal to the monarchy during the Civil War and, as a Royalist stronghold, Basing House was besieged on three occasions. The third and final siege, in 1645, was directed by Oliver Cromwell himself who brought with him the largest artillery at his disposal. The house was successfully stormed and, following its capture, Parliament ordered the destruction of the buildings.
• The cow byre, built in the 18th century, is a Grade II listed structure and its transformation to an education workshop will be carried out in consultation with English Heritage.
• Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported more than 30,000 projects, allocating over £4.9billion across the UK, with over £500 million granted in the South East alone.

• Basing House

Friday, 29 June 2012

Visitors to Milestones Museum can take a trip back through time on the historical vehicles and meet some friendly new faces, as part of a host of exciting new activities.

Children will now have the opportunity to climb aboard the fire engine, lorry and crane, as well as meet the colourful characters who worked with them.

The historical museum in Basingstoke, run by Hampshire County Council, will become the new home of cartoon characters from the past, who have come to life to engage with visiting youngsters.

From Saturday 30 June 2012 until Sunday 2 September 2012, families are invited to take a step back in time and experience history first hand at Milestones with a whole host of new, exciting and engaging activities.

Milestones offers the opportunity to experience what life was like living in the past; from vintage shopping, homes packed with hundreds of household objects and now the chance to make the most of their collection of historical vehicles.

Visitors will also be able to enjoy the seaside fun of yesteryear with a play trail around the museum, traditional games, a selection of vintage penny arcade machines, and fancy dress costumes from various periods through history.

The whole family can even enjoy a 1940s sweet shop, eat in a 1950s-themed café and dance along to the juke box.

Milestones Museum received a 'Certificate of Excellence' from Tripadvisor this month, in recognition of its rating of 4.5 out of 5, recognising that it has earned exceptional traveller ratings over the past year.

Please note that Milestones is closed on Mondays except Bank Holidays.

Entry fees: Adult £8.50, Concession (aged 60+/ Student with ID/ Disabled) £7.50, Child (aged 5-15 yrs) £5.00, Family (2 adults + 2 children) £25.00. Under 5s FREE. Carer with a paying disabled visitor - FREE. Culture All pass holders - FREE. FREE car parking.

Find Milestones on the Leisure Park in Basingstoke, RG22 6PG. Tel: 0845 6035635

The museum is managed in partnership with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

• Milestones Museum