Grand Exhibition Opening at Gallery Oldham: Oldham Tinkers, Tours, Family Activities and more!

The Millscapes and Cops and Bobbins exhibitions at Gallery Oldham launch with a packed opening event on Saturday 17 November. The event features the popular Oldham Tinkers, talks, tours and family activities.

The Oldham Tinkers, one of Lancashire’s best-loved folk acts, perform mill songs from 12noon – 1pm.

The exhibitions will be officially opened at 1pm by Edmund Gartside. Edmund was Chairman of his family’s textile firm, the Royton-based Shiloh group of companies, for 38 years. He represented the industry in negotiations with the Government and EEC Commission.

Guided tours of Cops and Bobbins will take place at 1:30pm and 2:30pm, led by curator Sean Baggaley, whilst Stephen Whittle leads tours of the Millscapes exhibition at the same times.

At 2pm and 3:15pm there will be tours of the Talking About Slavery trail by Dinah Winch. The trail is part of the Revealing Histories, Remembering Slavery project www.revealinghistories.org.uk.

Throughout the afternoon visitors can meet a Victorian mill owner, as played by our actor! There will also be free family craft activities from 1 – 4pm.

Oldham Local Studies and Archives will be showing a photography presentation of cotton mills in the landscape from 10am – 4pm. Local Studies and Archives is based at 84 Union Street, in front of Gallery Oldham.

Everything is free and there is no need to book.

Millscapes explores how artists have represented the unique industrial architecture of the North West. The exhibition is a journey from the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in the 1790s, through the decline of the textile industry after World War II, to today’s changing skylines.

Artists include L.S. Lowry, J.H. Carse, Julian Trevelyan, Adolphe Valette, Theodore Major and Liam Spencer. Millscapes is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and jointly curated by Gallery Oldham and Touchstones Rochdale.

Cops and Bobbins looks at the history of the textile industry in Oldham and Saddleworth through items from Gallery Oldham’s Social History and Art Collections.

Birth of a Milltown, the first stage of the exhibition, examines the rapid growth of Oldham during the early 19th Century. A Golden Age of Mill Building uses architectural drawings from Oldham Local Studies and Archives to illustrate the blossoming industry between 1890 to 1920. Decline and Fall traces the post World War II decline of the textile industry and features stories from those affected.

Both Millscapes and Cops and Bobbins are on show at Gallery Oldham from 17 November 2007 – 2 February 2008.

Gallery Oldham is situated in the Cultural Quarter, Greaves Street, Oldham, OL1 1AL. The Gallery is open Monday – Saturday 10am – 5pm and admission is free. For further information call 0161 770 4653 or visit www.galleryoldham.org.uk

ENDS

For further information and images contact Catherine Bradley on 0161 770 4741 catherine.bradley@oldham.gov.uk

Millscapes and Cops and Bobbins

Opening Event: Saturday 17 November, 12noon – 4pm

Refreshments served from 12noon.

12noon – 1pm: Mill songs from the popular Oldham Tinkers.

1pm: Exhibition to be opened by Edmund Gartside. Edmund was Chairman of his family’s textile firm, the Royton based Shiloh group of companies, for 38 years. He represented the industry in negotiations with the Government and EEC Commission.

1:30pm & 2:30pm: Guided tours of Cops and Bobbins by Sean Baggaley

1:30pm & 2:30pm: Guided tours of Millscapes by Stephen Whittle

2pm & 3:15pm: Guided tours of the Talking About Slavery trail by Dinah Winch. The trail is part of the Revealing Histories, Remembering Slavery project.

1pm – 4pm: Free family craft activities.

Throughout the afternoon: Come along and meet a Victorian mill owner, as played by our actor!

10am – 4pm: Presentation of photographs showing cotton mills in the landscape at Oldham Local Studies and Archives, 84 Union Street (in front of Gallery Oldham).

All events are free and there is no need to book.