The Friends of the Doncaster Museums
Articles
The Latest News and Updates
The following articles provide an insight in to the projects, The Friends undertake, to support Doncaster’s museums, art gallery and archives. To succeed in out goals we work with, and are grateful for the support of many organisations and individuals.
Nicola Fox
Divorce in Victorian Doncaster
On Saturday 28th March we welcomed our members to a fascinating talk by Nicola Fox, Social History Curator.
Prior to The Matrimonial Causes Act 1857 divorce was restricted to the very wealthy as it demanded either a complex annulment process or a private bill leading to an act of Parliament, with great costs for either.
Nicola's talk provided the details of eleven early divorces in Doncaster, after the law changed, providing an insight it to the lives of the Victorians including some of their indiscretions.
I'd like to thank Nicola for giving the talk, which was well received by everyone in attendance.
Nathan Turnbull
Chair
Award
The 'Civic Mayor Appreciation Award'
I would like to share with you the following:
On Saturday, 7th March, Jill Chiddey, Liam Hayes and myself as trustees had the honour of representing The Friends of the Doncaster Museums at an event hosted by Cllr Tim Needham, Civic Mayor of Doncaster, held at Doncaster's Mansion House.
Our charity, in addition to other organisations, was presented with the 'Civic Mayor Appreciation Award' in recognition of the work undertaken by our collective organisations and volunteers, supporting, promoting, and enriching the cultural life and heritage of our community.
Congratulations to our members and trustees on receiving this award, and thank you Cllr Tim Needham, Civic Mayor of Doncaster, for his appreciation of the efforts of all the organisations involved in promoting and protecting Doncaster's heritage.
This award recognises not only the work of our trustees but also the support we receive from you our members and donors, and I thank you all for enabling our charity to continue with its support of Doncaster's Museums, Art Gallery and the City of Doncaster Archives.
I would also thank Richard from The Friends of the Doncaster Mansion House for the very informative guided tour. The Mansion House is open to the public on March 27th, April 24th, May 29th, June 26th and July 24th, from 10:30-14:00. For more details click on the button below.
Nathan Turnbull
Chair
The Friends of the Doncaster Museums
Victorian Manuscript
The Friends were pleased to support the City of Doncaster Archives in their acquisition of a rare Victorian manuscript.
A volume of inquest witness statements it provides accounts, sometimes in gruesome detail, of deaths in the Doncaster area during the 19th century.
This manuscript was found to be for sale in America and thankfully bought and returned to Doncaster. It has to be wondered how such a document ended up so far away.
I was pleased to visit the archives and learn more about this document, and I would like to thank the staff for their time. You can make an appointment to view the manuscript or other items. To find out more about visiting the City of Doncaster Archives please see their website:
www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/libraries/archives-local-studies-and-family-history
Nathan Turnbull
Chair
There is no doubt the manuscript is showing its age.
The statements are beautifully written and make for interesting reading.
It's possible that family history researchers might find their relitives deaths recorded somewhere on these pages.
Fundraiser
Portrait of William Sheardown
The Friends have been asked to help with funds to conserve a painting, from the 1830s, of William Sheardown Senior by William Beetham. The painting is currently in a poor condition and cannot be displayed. We have set up a GoFundMe page, link at the end of this article, please consider donating and help to protect our heritage.
The sitter in the portrait, William Sheardown (1768 - 1849), was a local business man and publisher of the Doncaster Gazette.
Sheardown served two terms of office as Mayor of Doncaster, first in 1824 and again in 1834.
The painter of the portrait William Beetham was born on St George Gate in the Doncaster's town centre in 1809.
He established his reputation as a society portraitist exhibiting frequently at the Royal Academy of Arts in London and travelled overseas to paint in Hamburg, Copenhagen and at the Court of the Tsar in St. Petersburg.
In 1855 he emigrated to New Zealand, motivated by financial opportunities and a desire to settle his large family of seven sons and three daughters on pastoral land.
In New Zealand he became a significant portrait painter, receiving commissions to paint portraits of aristocrats and national leaders, including important Maori chiefs.
There are no other works by him in Doncaster’s collection, and there are no other oil paintings by the artist in public collections in this country.
Information on the painting provided by Neil McGregor
Collections and Exhibitions Officer, DGLAM
John Hope
Lasting Memories of Doncaster County Borough Police -
The Start of a Police Career
On Saturday 28th February we welcomed our members to the second talk of 2026.
John Hope spoke about the enquiries he headed up and his real-life experiences, whilst on the beat in the 1960’s, including details from his police pocketbooks, recorded at the time.
It was a very interesting talk and really highlighted how policing has changed. As a beat officer John was expected to check that commercial properties were locked at night and his only form of communication were the police phones on pillars around town.
He was equipped with a wooden truncheon, a pair of handcuffs and a whistle, now contrast that with the equipment modern police officer's carry. Can you imagine in those days, you could let the police know you were going on holiday, and they would check on your house.
I'd recommend you take the opportunity if you ever get invited to hear John talk.
Nathan Turnbull
Chair
Angela Wren
My Life in Books &
My Journey to Publication
We welcomed our members to the first talk of 2026.
A talk by actor, director, and author Angela Wren, held at Danum Gallery, Library and Museum (DGLAM), Flying Scotsman room, at 11am on Saturday 31st January.
Angela provided an interesting insight into her inspirations and methods, when writing a book, including some of the issues around approaching publishers the difficulties getting published.
We were also treated to a reading from one of her books.
Having met many authors over the years it is with respect that I acknowledge what it takes to write a book. The dedication and hard work creating characters and a coherent story, and trying to maintain the readers interest is clearly challenging.
For more information on Angela visit her website: www.angelawren.co.uk.
Nathan Turnbull
Chair
Christmas Social 2025
On Saturday 6th December The Friends of the Doncaster Museums enjoyed hosting our annual Christmas Social at the Danum Gallery, Library, and Museum.
We were pleased to see so many of our members attend and enjoy themselves.
There were the usual games and quiz, along with the raffle draw, and Christmas gift stall. The buffet went down very well, and the trustees would like to thank Café 1910 for such tasty food.
A great deal of work goes in to creating this event and I would like to thank the Trustees for their efforts, which I think were appreciated by all who attended. I would also like to thank our members' for their continued support.
Nathan Turnbull
Chair
Always fun, games, quiz, and of course bingo.
The social is a great opportunity to meet fellow members of the charity and the trustess.
No Christmas event would be complete without presents, not all of them as they first appear.
Dunhuang to Doncaster
An odyssey of exquisite ancient art from Dunhuang China to Doncaster.
Saturday 8th November at Doncaster’s Danum Art Gallery.
It was a pleasure to attend the opening of the exhibition ‘Dunhuang to Doncaster’.
This exhibition has been years in the making and has now come together to showcase the work of artist Olivia Pang FRSA, graduate of the Chinese National Academy of Art but also to detail the migration of the Chinese Hakka people across china and eventually to Doncaster.
Olivia’s work includes stunning faithful reproductions of ancient Buddhist themed mural art from the Mogao Caves, Dunghuang, a world heritage site in north-west China. Mural paintings dating back to the Han Dynasty, some 1700 years ago, have been recorded and reproduced by an expeditionary team of artists that included Olivia. This exhibition provides a rare opportunity to view artwork which in the UK has only previously been displayed in London.
Alongside the murals is a wide range of Olivia’s own original artwork, a testament to her skill. The work of several other artists serves to complement the themes of the exhibition.
It has been sometime since I have seen such a visually distinctive and intellectually stimulating exhibition. I can only imagine the work, skill and time taken in reproducing the Mogao Cave murals.
It is thanks to the following people, companies, and organisations that this exhibition was made possible.
Neil McGregor, Collections and Exhibition Officer, and many others at DGLAM.
The exhibition working group:
Dave Adgar FRSA Regional Co-ordinator British Friends of Museums; Kin Him Fong, Director King Asia Foods; Wing Zse Liu; Olivia Pang, FRSA; Andy Chung; Christine Djezzar, The Friends of the Doncaster Museums.
Exhibition Sponsors:
King Asia Foods; Doncaster Central Learning Centre; Herbs and Acupuncture (Cantley)
Article by Nathan Turnbull, Chair
See below for photographs of the event.
Dunhuang to Doncaster
Photo Gallery
An odyssey of exquisite ancient art from
Dunhuang China to Doncaster.
The Friends of the Doncaster Museums would like to thank the trustees and members that attended the opening of the exhibition for their support of this event.
Here a few photographs of the event.
The opening was very well attended, there was food provided by king Asia Foods and drinks provided by DGLAM's Cafe 1910, there were also gift stalls.
Christine Djezzar, Trustee TFOTDM
Bill McHugh, Deputy Lieutenant for South Yorkshire
Neil McGregor, Collections & Exhibition Officer
The Friends held a blind auction for three paintings, donated by Olivia, on display during the exhibition. They all sold helping us raise funds for our charity.
Bill McHugh, Deputy Lieutenant for South Yorkshire
Christine Djezzar, Trustee TFOTDM
Bill McHugh, Deputy Lieutenant for South Yorkshire
Kin Him Fong, Director King Asia Foods
Artist Olivia Pang FRSA
Annual General Meeting
The Friends AGM was held on Saturday 13th September, and it was a pleasure to welcome so many of our members.
Our existing trustees have been elected to continue in their roles and I would like to thank them for their continued commitment to The Friends. We welcome a new trustee, Liam Hayes, and I look forward to working with him.
I would like to thank all of our members for their continued support, without them we would not be able to assist the museums, gallery, libraries, and archives of Doncaster.
The AGM was followed by a very interesting talk on the Grand Theatre presented by Bill McHugh MBE DL (right), thank you very much Bill. I hope this historic cultural landmark can be saved and reopened for the people of Doncaster, and beyond, to enjoy visiting. Additional information on the Grand Theatre and The Friends of the Grand can be found here: doncastergrand.uk
As the elected chair of The Friends of the Doncaster Museums I look forward to continue working with my fellow trustees, the staff of DGLAM and our members to further our objectives.
Nathan Turnbull
Chair
A.S. Hartrick Lithographs
The Friends were pleased to assist in the acquisition of six lithographic prints by Archibald Standish Hartrick. (1864 - 1950).
Commissioned in 1917 as part of a group of 66 lithographs, with the title 'Great War: Britain's Efforts and Ideals', these six prints show women taking on jobs traditionally undertaken by men.
Archibald was a Scottish painter known for the quality of his lithographs. His works covered urban scenes, landscapes, figure painting, and in 1920 became a member of the Royal Watercolour Society. He was friends with Vincent van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec, and during his time in France drew and painted Gauguin, van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec .
The Friends think these lithographs are a valuable addition to Doncaster's collection and recommend going to view them at Danum Gallery, Library and Museum.
The Ben Parkinson
Portrait
On Saturday 2nd November, in front of honoured guests and members of The Friends, a portrait of local hero Ben Parkinson MBE was unveiled at Doncaster's Danum Gallery, Library and Museum.
Commission by The Friends of the Doncaster Museums, and created by artist David Curtis, the portrait is to be displayed in the art gallery as a testament to Ben’s courage and achievements.
Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson lost both his legs in 2006 when his Land Rover hit a mine while he served in the Army. Ben is now a fundraiser and campaigner and has become a well known figure in Doncaster.
The Friends of the Doncaster Museums would like to thank everyone involved in making this event possible.
Chair of The Friends of the Doncaster Museums Dr Matthew Jones with Ben Parkinson MBE.
The trustees of The Friends of the Doncaster Museums.
Artist David Curtis (Royal Society of Marine Arts and a member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters).
The Friends would like to thank all our guests for attending the unveiling.
From left to right: Dame. Rosie Winterton; Doncaster Council Chief Executive Damian Allen; Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones.
No event would be complete without food and drink, thanks go out to all those involved in providing the catering.
The Copley Estate Map
The Friends are pleased announce that the Copley Estate Map has finally been acquired for the archives and has arrived safely in Doncaster. Discussions about the map began over 5 years ago and the Friends were asked to donate £1000 towards the cost of over £7000 which enable Heritage Doncaster to approach other funders who were more likely to make a grant if we supported the project.
Why is it so important? The map belongs to a transitional period in the early 18th century when the old medieval open field agricultural system was being replaced by enclosed fields whose ownership was vested in a local landowner- this map shows the process partway completed and is this very rare. The Friends would like to thank those who has made this acquisition possible, especially our members- without whose support we could not continue to support the different parts of the museum's service. This is the 3rd major donation to the archives over the last two years or so- the Baxter testimonial , marking the coming of the railway to Doncaster, the Copley Map, and a large collection of early twentieth century auction catalogues (donated by a member through the Friends to the archives) marking the breakup of many of the large estates in the area.
The Albert Houthuesen Trust Gift; One Year On.
It is just over a year since the exhibition at Danum Gallery, Library & Museum (DGLAM) focussing on the work of Albert Houthuesen closed. The Friends had worked for almost 4 years to raise the funds to fully fund the exhibition, covering transport, postcards and the guide to the artist's life. Houthuesen spent most of the Second World War in the Doncaster Area and his experiences continued to shape his output for the rest of his life.
In recognition of the immense effort the Friends had put into the project, The Albert Houthuesen Trust presented five artworks to the Trustees of the Friends of Doncaster Museum.
We were delighted to sign over ownership to Heritage Doncaster, and these works will reside in the permanent collection at DGLAM. The Friends would like to thank the following for their support with this project; The Liz and Terry Bramall Charitable Trust, Tesco 'Bags of Help Scheme' Tickhill Local History Society and numerous members of The Friends who made generous donations.
Dave Adgar
Chair
