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High Hazels Museum


Lizziejampot

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Does anyone here know what became of the collection at High Hazels when the museum closed down?  Sheffield Archives  must surely know, but so far they have been singularly unhelpful ....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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It's a disease that runs through the council afraid, they can't help or won't help, they are being a bit reticent on disclosing where the remnants of the Crimean Monument actually are. Keep plugging away don't let up on the Archives.

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Wouldn't it just be absorbed into the Sheffield Museum Service? They must have warehouses of stuff stored away somewhere. Weston Park can't have it all. All the digs there have been in South Yorkshire recently will have a pile of paperwork from them. I know that Pauline Beswick once told me that tons of stuff from the Manor Lodge 1970's excavations was stored in warehouses.

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To be honest that's what I'm hoping - the idea that stuff just got dumped is too awful to consider.  So fingers crossed it's in there somewhere - and then it's back to harassing the Archive people.

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To be honest that's what I'm hoping - the idea that stuff just got dumped is too awful to consider.  So fingers crossed it's in there somewhere - and then it's back to harassing the Archive people.

If they continue to be unhelpful, and let us hope not, then, perhaps this might be a question that you could ask under the "freedom of information act"?

I must admit that I am not an expert in this particular matter, and having never made such a request myself, I would have no idea as to how you would go about making such an enquiry, but, I am sure that there are contributors to this site that would know how.

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Thanks for the very helpful suggestions.  I can be a bit of a dog with a bone, so hopefully I'll find out about the collection and will post here as and when I do.

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I always thought freedom of information probably works well for journalists or if they have data on you, which you don't know about. It might be worth a try, but I think it's better to go above the pen pushes heads that are blocking you. Letters to Councillors, or going to see one. Also they might not have records in the archives, because some other department has them.

 Here are some of the people you could chase about it in Sheffield Museums - or you contact the trust members!

Kim Streets

Chief Executive
  • Louise Pullen
Acting Curatorial Services Manager  & Ruskin Curator
  • Sian Brown

Head of Collections (maternity leave)

 

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Delighted to say that s simple email has brought a very helpful response.

" .... This was a branch museum for the city’s collections, and after it closed I presume everything came to us, Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust, and possibly a few items may have gone to Sheffield Archives.  Any works of art are most likely to be with us, either in the Social History collection or the Visual Art collection. Unfortunately we don’t have lists to hand describing what exactly was on display at High Hazels.  If you would like to check on whether we have specific oil paintings, you can look at the BBC Your Paintings website  http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/.  If  you want to know about any specific works on paper (watercolours, drawings, prints etc) or sculptures you would need to send us a list and we can check our database.    I hope that helps a bit- I would be interested to know which works were on display there so we can add this information to our records.'

All, as I say helpful, but  - note the use of the terms "I presume .. may have ...probably " plus the sad statement " we don’t have lists to hand describing what exactly was on display at High Hazels", so basically they don't actually know what became of the Collection. 

Nevertheless, I am encouraged and will do further research to find references to items that were in the collection.  

In the meantime, if anyone here knows of anything that was held at High Hazels, I'd be very pleased to hear about it.

 

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Until the Government change their mind all Councils must respond to a request under the FoIA within 28 working days. Just write in to the Freedom of Information Officer with your request...keeping a note of when they should respond. I have always found SCC most helpful...even when I was "persecuting" them.

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I think what they have written is a reasonable explanation. Most local Councils back when High Hazels closed didn't keep all the paperwork associated with their operations of services. If they had we would be paying through the nose for large warehouses in and around Sheffield. It was probably thought that nobody would be interested in what was in the museum since the collection would be still available.   

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