Pride in the Past at the National Civil War Centre in Newark

When it comes to museums, all too often they tell the same stories, which don’t always include minority communities. Which can make it really hard to engage with these spaces - if you don’t fit into them. As a Queer person who is also a history nerd, I find that while I can enjoy them on one level, all too often, they don’t speak to my community. 

In recent years, there has been extensive work aimed at changing this, reflecting more diverse audiences, especially within Nottingham. The National Civil War Centre in Newark has announced a new LGBTQ+ History trail, Pride in the Past, that starts in February.

The trail queers the existing collection and incorporates donated items to find new ways of looking at their stories. Queering a collection means looking for and making visible Queer connections within historic collections or spaces.

“We were inspired to programme events for this month by our youth panel, The Creative Influencers. We are proud to join in with this National History Month for the first time,” said Tom Cable, Community Engagement and Partnership Development Officer. “We hope to engage new audiences and are always looking for ways to allow our objects to speak in new ways with new stories. We feel that these stories inspired by our collection have been left untold for too long.

Some of the objects include a Roman coin depicting the Roman emperor Hadrian. New labels have been added to show the Queer history connected to the coin. Roman men were free to enjoy sex with male partners, free from judgment. Hadrian had a male lover, Antinous. When he died, Hadrian was devastated and made him a god before naming a city after him.

“This was a collaborative process with the Learning and Participation and Collections teams and The Creative Influencers. We reviewed our displayed collection with this topic in mind, assisted by Notts Queer History Archive,” said Denise Greany, Learning and Participation Manager.

“We also looked for objects from the reserve collections that have not been on display before, and have stories to tell. We learned so much – for instance, it surprised us to discover that a biscuit tin provided the language for talking about this issue in the 1960s! – we are also hoping to enhance our collection with some new objects, such as printed materials and badges.”

Another object, a top hat, is significant within the Queer community as it could be adopted as a sign of gender non-conformity. It was worn by such figures as Anne Lister (Gentleman Jack) and the Ladies of Llangollen, the two women who fled Ireland to start a new life together in Wales. They even named their dog Sappho.

The trail gives nod to the local connections of the hat in acknowledging it was a vital part of the costume for music hall star, Vesta Tilley. Tilley was a male impersonator who developed her male stage characters while living on Huntingdon Street in Nottingham. While Tilley was straight, she had lesbian fans who came to see her, and she would meet them occasionally - but at a distance.

The centre also included more modern items, such as Gay News. The newspaper was a lifeline to many people who needed to know where to go but couldn’t ask. It included a listing of nightclubs, pubs, and support services within each city, including Nottingham. These were compiled by volunteers who sent in lists from their cities. Train tickets on display hint at the reality for Queer people living in Newark who would have had to travel to get to iconic Queer venues such as Part Two nightclub or The Forester’s Arms pub. The team worked with the Notts Queer History Archive, who donated copies of Gay News and a selection of historical badges, which will also be on display. 

There will also be events as the centre will host a talk from the author of ‘Queen James,’ Gareth Russell, on February 4. The book shares the story of James I and the men he loved at the centre of one of the most dramatic stories in British Royal history. There will also be children’s events, such as a puppetry and identity workshop on February 14 with resident artist Robbie Bellekom. There is a chance to make a unique thumbprint keyring on February 7. 

There is an open invitation to join a community choir that will be recording a special song celebrating identity and belonging on February 28. The track will be released on Apple Music and Spotify.

This isn’t going to be a one-off; the centre says it is a starting point for the collection.

“This is a starting point, and we look forward to developing the project further in the future, to enhance our collections and interpretation. It’s fantastic that this has been a youth-led project, and we look forward to doing more work in this way, once we have evaluated this year’s project.”

“We aim to collect and interpret objects that reflect our communities in Newark and Sherwood, both in the past and the present, and this focus has helped us to work in a way that is more inclusive,” said Glyn Hughes, Collections and Exhibitions Manager.

Head to the Newark Civil War Centre website to check out all of the Pride in the Past events taking place across February.

nationalcivilwarcentre.com