The House of Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge

Busy day today, first Kettle’s Yard House as its normally called (I just wanted to make sure no-one confused this review with that of Kettle’s Yard itself.), then off to the folk museum around the corner.

Kettle’s Yard I will review at a later time, my first concern here is the museums of Cambridge.  To point out though Kettle’s Yard is fantastic Modern Art galley and very welcoming and part of the community.  It has grown gradually since its first opening and plans to continue with that growth.  Part of the complex (of a sort) is the church connected to in the same lane.  This is the famous Cambridge St. Peters, the key to which is available from Kettle’s Yard for curious visitors.  Famous for its mere-man font.  And I will go into that more at a later time too!

The house itself is a unique time capsule.  The founders of the Gallery complex, Jim Ede and his wife Helen, first moved to Cambridge to renovate a series of four cottages on Castle Street.  Jim Ede had acted as a curator to the Tate Gallery in London, preferring to be known as a ‘friend of artists.’  To this end he gathered all forms of art, sculpture, furniture and natural curiosities.  In the 60’s the house and its contents were given to Cambridge University, who still run Kettle’s Yard today.  In 1970 the exhibition gallery, the main wing of the present complex was added.

The first little cottage building downstairs, as you enter, as Zoe put it  resembles a gran’s cottage.  Out of time.  Seasidey.  Quaint.  Picturesque.  Yet nothing remarkable that would truly strike a chord as to being anything peculiar.  The paintings, two in my opinion, do stand out fantastically.  There are some treasures I found in the house which reside right in that small few rooms, a wireman in the first bedroom attached to the blinds and the light switch fittings which each of have small picture behind them.

Upstairs, which is the largest area hosts the library proper, which is specially stocked about the collection, as well as art in general.  There are many plants in the windows as well as lots of glass engravings and furniture to catch the eye.  Another one to watch for are the Japanese silk light hangings, the silk now decayed I believed them to be bird cages at first, one hanging just above the plants.  Well over one hundred years old.  One of the two grand pianos is here and every so often plays a piece from Orlando Gough or David Ward.

The upstairs attic is a floor full ok sketches and is such a fantastic setting for such a cosy small display.  Downstairs the new addition, I believe, is a wide open gallery, many paintings and sculptures and the other grand piano.  My pick for the gallery is David Jones.  Whose paintings grace the entrance building and just above the stairs to your left, some of his books are in the book shelf to the left from those same stairs.  His work is incredibly detailed and multi-layered.  With many of the details incredibly hard to spot as part of the wider picture until the smaller subjects are examined as individuals.

If you consider the house itself one big final work of art you would not be far wrong.  There are many curiosities in the building.  As I heard it described, “a time capsule” and so it is.  For art lovers it shows a collection of art, a permanent collection, of modern art.  Modern art of the 1920’s – 30’s with some pieces stretching to the 50’s.  This is a museum to modern art and traces some of its roots.  In particular some fantastic pieces from local St. Ives movement.

While it may be tempting no touching of any objects is requested.  Having said that there are some very unusual features to the museum.  You may sit in any of the chairs, not the beds; and you may peruse through what books you find, do not however replace them at the library rather place them on the table to be re-shelved.

The House is not very accessible for the disabled, as it is as was.  The downstairs gallery is accessible by wheelchair but it is advised to contact ahead so that you can be accommodated as much as possible.  The museum is fitted with a loop system for those hard of hearing and a special pack including Braille maps is available for the visually-impaired is available.  All large bags are to be left by the door, no phones are allowed.  Personal photography, no flash, is allowed for a two pound initial fee.  The museum itself is free in and supported by donation.  Their website is full of fantastic information about the Yard and about the House itself.

I had heard much about this house, a house of curiosities I was told, but nothing could prepare me for the sights I beheld.  Kettle’s Yard house is a treasure trove of art and visual delights.  It is a place of wonder and makes one ask the question, what would it be like to sleep in one of those two little beds and live in a work of art?  Truly Kettle’s Yard House is an experience anyone visiting Cambridge would be foolish to turn down.

 

Address	Kettle's Yard, Castle Street,  CB3 0AQ
Website	http://www.kettlesyard.co.uk/
Email	mail@kettlesyard.cam.ac.uk
Telephone	01223 748100
Fax	01223 324377
Winter Opening	Tuesday-Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays 14:00 – 16:00
Summer Opening	Tuesday-Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays 13:30 – 16.30pm

Museum of Zoology, Cambridge

Last Friday me and Zoe visited the Museum of Zoology followed by the Whipple Museum of History of Science. Both just around the corner from each other.  We will give you a review of the Whipple Museum soon.  Below is quite a large review but as there are so many interesting elements to the museum I can’t really do it any less justice.

The Zoology museum is yet again another of Cambridge’s free museums and is part of the universities.  In this case it is also used as a teaching resource for the university and some of the classes are held here.  Downstairs one of the exhibit rooms doubles as a class room.  It is good to see this because if it can be used to teach in its material and displays must be current and of a high enough standard.  On top of this it means that there is a greater likelihood that it will be rotated and serviced regularly.  Of which it is. Photography is encouraged, even video recording so long as a tripod is not used.

The museum is in the New museums courtyard, which is just off Pembroke Street but easily missed, when you enter the courtyard however the whale makes it very obvious where to go, just ahead and to your right.  As regards accessibility there is an excellent ramp system and even easy open doors at the front entrance.  The bird display however, within the museum, only has stair access so this gorgeous display will be inaccessible to some.

The museum is listed as an architecture attraction in Cambridge from the tourist office due to its stereotypical blocky 80’s image.  That and they have a whale visible on the first level.  Behind the glass of the upstairs They have a collection of whales hanging – so even when closed these large displays can be viewed by walking along the outside of the glass upstairs. The front entrance is large and glassed so easily seen and seen into even when the building is shut.

There is a fantastic attempt, applied to the upstairs exhibits in particular, at tying the exhibits in to real world and human affairs and this.  That is to say explaining how certain animals live in the world and our relationship with them as opposed to some zoology museums that prefer a wholly scientific attitude.

Near the entrance is an information hub.  It acts as an information hotspot, a showcase for exhibitions and news, and a centre for the great youth activities that the museums promotes and runs.  There is a suggestions and ideas board there as well, if you are going please take the time to add your ideas as this is how places can improve.

 As a zoology museum it comprises of a mixture of display types – fossils, specimens in jars, skeletons, dried animals as well as stuffed animals.  On top of this there are a few recreation of dinosaurs and the like upstairs as well as two very beautiful bird dioramas downstairs.  The mix of differing displays is best used upstairs where themed displays – such as frogs mix a variety of models giving a person a nice varied view, rather than an endless sea of jars.  In this way the person takes in more more easily.  Downstairs however has less of this variety and is comprised of larger cases with skeletons primarily with some stuffed animals.

Definitely the most beautiful display is the bird collection on the stairs down to the basement floor – important to note for those like my mother with a terror for birds.  It has a very nice painting of bird above it and a small collection of nests as well as some skeletons but the majority of the display is taken up with stuffed birds with their varied and colourful plumage.

 The upstairs has a wonderfully spaced set of displays where a lot of information is displayed but in between enough space to comfortably take everything in.  The buildings lighting compliments this and with the overhead large windows letting in a lot of room at roof height but blocking vertical sunlight there is no glare on the glass cabinets but always well lit and airy building.  One of the corridors downstairs was very dark as some light bulbs were blown, it has to be said.

One of the things I particularly liked about this museum was the way in which it charted its own history.  There are plenty of signs and boards illustrating what the museum was about, how it came to be and also some of the particular exhibits – such as the Whale and how it got to be there.  It is to be noted unfortunately that this trend is not continued throughout the rest of the museum.  But it is head and shoulders above most museums in recognising its own place in history and chronicling it.

On top of this one of my favourite displays is a case showing the inner working of the bigger reserve collection.  This case showed how the old collections in old wooden framed boxes have been replaced into newer metal casings.  This ties in with one of the great figures of the Museum, Darwin.  His personal collections, for example of beetles, have been saved from destruction in this way.

Another massive positive for me was the British Bird Display, while it was tucked away it did have a good thorough display of the birdlife that is common to these shores and all too common museums lose sight of displaying what is native.  The museum, on this point, has a beautiful front entrance display of weird and wonderful displays.  *It is a feast for the eyes and definitely shows that the museum is aware that its purpose is not only to educate but to entertain.  And by entertaining more people will come by and learn more.

As I said earlier about charting its own history, at time of posting a special exhibit, which the museum regularly changes and shows new special exhibits, there was a special display on Darwin and a nice collection of his specimens from his trip aboard the HMS Beagle.  Darwin being so influential to modern science and culture but also to the growth of the museum as well.

I do have a few small criticisms.  The dioramas are beautiful and very well constructed but some form of key to them would have been helpful.  Without these one can only guess as to which birds are where. While its nice the museum is used as a teaching resource, it means that the primates display is shut off from the public, with no idea when it can be available.  A sign to let the public know when the room is open would be handy.  Opposite the bird display is a strange display on feet it seems, without an overall labelling its not clear what the exact purpose of this strange little collection of exhibits are.  I can understand that opposite such a beautiful collection as that of the birds you would rather not put something that should not be overlooked but is it really worthwhile putting in such a weak collection.  Maybe a display board or two about the overall theme would help strengthen this display.  On top of this while individual displays were very well themed and ran well together there seemed to be a lack of an overall plan; if there were signs indicating where things were, or a plan doing this it would have helped greatly.

As a final hoorah for an inside look see the BBCi 360 degree panoramic photographs.

Details for the Museum are as follows:

University Museum of Zoology Cambridge

Address	Downing Street Cambridge, CB2 3EJ
Website	http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/museum/index.htm
Email	umzc@zoo.cam.ac.uk
Telephone	01223 336650
Fax	01223 336679
Monday – Friday	10:00 – 16:45
Saturday, Sunday	Closed
Summer Saturdays	June - September, 10:00 – 1:00

Museum of classical Archaeology, Cambridge

Today we visited the Museum of  Classical Archaeology in Cambridge.  It resides in Sedgwick Avenue part of the Classics department of Cambridge university.  It is a little off the beaten track just beside Darwin College.  It is fifteen minutes walk or so away from the rest of the university museums.  But only five ten minutes away from the market at city centre.

The building itself is classic 1970's-80's architecture and has an old  polytechnic feel of college about it.  It is a very nice establishment and the cosy feel of it adds to the nature of this small museum site.  The unprepossessing state of the building adds to the warmth and welcoming culture that the museum fosters.  They hold regular opens for children and there are plenty of chairs laid out for anyone wishing to sketch or other forms of art, which is encouraged, to be used.  Another welcome change to a museum is the permission to take photos.  To be fair it is understandable in a lot of museums but due to the fact that the material can't be damaged by flashes it is possible.  The staff, one of which was present was very warm and helpful.  And to be honest it is a great environment to come in sit down and enjoy the paper early in the morning surrounded by fantastic cultural backdrop.

On to the contents, which some would argue is the whole point. It is a museum of sculpture, all of which  are replicas, if not all.  All of which being of the classical periods.  There are works from Greece and Rome.  Most of the works are plaster-cast replicas but some are also Bronze casts as well as a single wooden scale model or a trireme.  In total there are four hundred and fifty casts in the purpose built gallery.  Some of the highlights include the Farnese Heracles, the Sounion Kouros and Olympia Pediment.

 

This is one of the last museums we have yet seen in Cambridge and it is well worth a view as it has a nice cosy and warm, personal atmosphere.  The unpretentious nature allows relaxed easy viewing for all.  It is predominantly for most people an museum for art, those classical scholars - such as Zoe - will enjoy the history as well as buffs on mythology, such as myself, will particularly enjoy seeing visual representatives of those myths.  The single room is decorated in nice warm bright colours, has very good lighting, is a warm building and a very clean museum. The museum is jam-packed with exhibits without anything else, other than chairs, so this spartan nature helps, in our opinion, to further enjoy without any hindrance the works themselves.

It is particularly nice to see large works of a culture, such as can be seen within the downstairs of the BM, here in a way that visiting and local people can enjoy the works of the Classical world without having to travel.  Yes all of the pieces are replicas but a lot of people will be unable to travel and see all of these pieces together, here they can!

On speaking of the BM it is important to note that while Cambridge's Museum of Archaeology is smaller and contains replicas, it does clearly label and denoted every object within for its name, period, subject matter and sometimes additional notes. This is a fantastic and basic requirement for a good museum this is sadly lacking too often, in particular amongst a lot of the larger museums, that we tolerate!

On a small aside, it is a small establishment and there are no refreshment facilities, disabled / pram access is more difficult than other places and the toilets are part of the college building.

 

 

The entire catalogue of casts can be found here.

Details for the Museum are as follows:

Address	Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 9DA
Website	http://www.classics.cam.ac.uk/ark.html
Email	jd125@cam.ac.uk
Telephone	01223 335153
Fax	01223 335409
Monday – Friday Saturday Sunday	10am – 5pm 10am – 1pm Closed