US students

We had a great time with the students from New Jersey who recently came over to assist with our database. They were extremely friendly, helpful & professional - a credit to their Professor, the lovely Shelley. We had a couple of excursions out & about - walked the coast path to Tintagel & went out to Stannen Stone Circle & the Logan stone nearby. I think we'll see a few of them back next year. Here are a few pics of the dewds out & about. Graham couldn't control his urge to have a bit of a rockarama on the Logan stone himself.

Knit for a spell

We're thinking of doing a few videos to put on the site so this is our first try to see if it works. It's a piece about the glass knitting needles in the museum, a bit about how you use them, how to get them. We'll be doing more if people find them interesting.  

                                         

Trigg Morris Men come to Boscastle

On the 8th JULY 2010 Trigg Morris will be in BOSCASTLE at THE NAPOLEON INN at 8pm then on the BRIDGE at 9pm. The MUSIC & SINGING SESSION will follow at THE COBWEB.

They look forward to seeing both old and new friends and supporters.

New Book Donations

Two authors have recently donated their latest books to the museum library. Emma Wilby’s book ‘The Visions of Isobel Gowdie’ includes a full transcript of the Scottish witch Isobel Gowdie’s famous, but often misunderstood, confession. It also contains a wealth of other material such as examples of fairy lore in trial records. Like Emma’s previous book, ‘Cunning Folk and Familiar Spirits’, it is a fascinating and insightful study, and explores the connections between early modern magic and shamanic traditions.

After reading about Joyce’s book, Mary Sharratt, who lives near Pendle, has sent us her novel ‘Daughters of the Witching Hill’, which tells the story of the Pendle case from the point of view of two of the suspects, Elizabeth Southerns and her granddaughter Alizon Device. It is a moving account, which conveys the toughness and resourcefulness of cunning folk, and contains some wonderfully evocative and convincing descriptions of magic. Mary has also posted an atmospheric documentary filmed at Pendle on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBQMzRkeTiI&feature=related

Thank you, Emma and Mary!

T shirts Summer Sale Online

Fans of the Museum of Witchcraft T shirt can now get a reduced rate online for V necks - normally £12.00 down to £10.00 & there is free postage on all T shirts for the summer too.

Order through The Occult Art Company

Busy Painting

Graham took advantage of a fine weekend to do a bit of retouching to the outer door. Here he is, brush in hand, preparing the surface for his upcoming artistic skills.

Wicked Enchantments Launch bash

Here are a few photos of Joyce's book launch last Saturday. We had around 45 people attending - a glass of wine on arrival followed by a 30 minute talk by Joyce & her glamorous assistant Kerriann in the upstairs gallery, then onto The Wellington Hotel for a bevvie & a meal. Quite a number of her books were sold to the adoring public so we can't wait to hear what they think. Thanks to Harbour Lights cafe across the car park for lending us their chairs. Deborah, the membership secretary for Friends, came down to help out in the booth on the day. We'll soonn be selling some of her fabulous amber & jet necklaces in the shop along with her herbal bath products. We aslo have some interesting publishing ideas of our own - we'll keep you posted when things are happening.

Thanks to Beltane Bash Attendees

Just want to say a big thank you to Dee Pearce (who was responsible for coordinating the fundraiser for Friends of the Museum) & all those who attended last weekend's Beltane Bash in London. Fifty pounds was raised thanks to the generosity of the attendees. This will go towards the upkeep of the archives in the museum. Hoorah!!!:))

Countdown to Wicked Enchantments Cornwall Launch

Joyce is getting very excited about her Museum book launch on Saturday night - remember she'll be signing books throughout the day & giving a talk at the museum at 630pm followed by an informal gathering & witchy menu Saturday night at The Welly Hotel in the upper gallery.

Generous donor gives books to Library

Attached is a photo of the books donated to us by 'a generous donor from the west coast of the U.S.' Thank you for your generous donation!

Meet Pendle’s black magic woman - Lifestyle - lep.co.uk

Meet Pendle’s black magic woman - Lifestyle - lep.co.uk

Altar Box For Sale

We have been asked to notify people of the sale of a beautiful 'portable' altar that is for sale. The measurements are:

Wide 37 inches (94 cm) x high 19 inches (48 cm) x deep 19 inches (48 cm)

I have attached two photos of the altar. One is closed and the other is open and shows all the storage space

that was used for everything needed at an open ritual. There is a photo of it being used in the museum. The altar has been in constant use by the House of the Old Ways since it was first purchased in the 1980s.

The guide price is £150 but the owners are open to offers as they are interested in it going to a good home.

It is no light weight and the buyer would have to collect it form the Glastonbury area. Please email houseoftheoldways@talktalk.net for details if you are interested.

Sian Thomas' Poem as Promised

Spirit Bottle

Here is a body,

a container

of the correct proportions,

a little long perhaps,

a little thin.

Here are sinews,

muscles, bones,

coils and strings

of red and white;

hard, turned sticks

and ivory dowels;

the threads of veins.

Here is a centre,

a lump of a heart

to jig, to flex,

for the rhythm

in the dancing.

Here are lungs,

to squeeze,

to wheeze,

airbags, a throat

for the singing.

Here everything moves,

quivers, pulses,

trills, resounds.

Here’s a home for a spirit,

fill it, fill it.

CCTV

A most unpleasant experience greeted Hannah & Graham as they opened the museum on Friday - someone had placed a rather 'well-thumbed' (so to speak) pornographic magazine through the letter box. Graham will be going through the CCTV footage to see if he can discover the culprit & he is considering reinstating the web cam. The police have been informed as we do with any untoward activity like this and they have been very supportive and are keeping an eye out on their patrols. It occurred between 8 and 9 am Friday morning. There are some very strange people out there!

Cauldron Magazine

The latest edition of Mike Howard's fabulous Cauldron magazine has an article on Cecil Williamson & The Museum of Witchcraft written by our very own Graham King. There is also a glowing review of The Occult Reliquary which is the book published by Three Hands Press relating to The Richel-Eldermans Collection.  The Cauldron is always a fascinating read & this edition is even more so - or is it that I'm biased.

Joyce's Lancaster Book Launch

April 17 was a busy day for all at the museum as we had Scarlett Imprint's launch of Dartura in the museum itself & Joyce Froome, our historian, had her very own book launch up in Pendle. Joyce's book 'Wicked Enchantments' focuses on The Pendle Witches and the magic used in their era.
Here is a photo of Joyce with Jacqui Leviston. Jacqui was one of the people behind the Lancashire Witch Project,which organised a touring exhibition about the Pendle Witches.When the exhibition was over they kindly donated some of their displays to The Museum of Witchcraft.They also arranged for a plaque commemorating the witches to be put up in Lancaster's Golden Lion Hotel.
We're planning a book launch for Joyce in the museum - probably 29th May. We'll let you know when the date is finalised. 'Wicked Enchantments' will shortly be available form the museum or online at The Occult Art Company.

Poet in Residence

For the last week we've the lovely Sian Thomas as 'poet in residence' for the Museum of Witchcraft. Sian, who has also been poet in residence at Tunbridge Wells Museum, hails from East Sussex and has quite a body of work behind her. She has been published in Agenda and The Telegraph & won the Chapter One competition last year. She chose our museum because "it's so amazing and is such an inspiration". She has been sitting up near the goddess display chatting with gusts and getting inspiration for future poems. You can read more about Sian & some of her work on her blog http://www.wealdwife.blogspot.com/ . When asked what display inspired her most she found it hard to pin down but said she felt most moved by a small bird wrapped lovingly in a blanket which was found in the beams above someone's bed. I'm hoping to post one of Sian's poems here in the near future.

Farewell Iain Steele

It was with great sadness we recently learnt of the passing to spirit of Iain Steele, a man well know in witch circles especially in Wales. Iain was a true gentleman and was recently involved in promoting the art of the pagan world with his Ludlow Conference for the Society of Pagan Arts. We have lit a candle in our shrine for him. He will be sadly missed. Merry meet & merry part & merry meet again.

A Reply to Anna

Anna posted a comment with a query about Brownie Pate

here is Graham's reply

Hi Anna

Yes our Brownie is your Brownie!
Sadly she passed away in 2006 - Graham attended the funeral.
We have quite a lot of her 'witchy' note books etc in the archive.
Here is a photo of her in the museum library.

Magical Sign

Steve Patterson has carved a fabulous sign for the new Christian Magic display. Here he is looking suitably serious holding the sign. Steve is well known for his one off carvings, copper & bone athames, dark scrying mirrors & tarot boxes. His work is available at the museum and we will soon be making pieces available on The Occult Art Company website.

Wicked Enchantments Launch

Hoorah ! Joyce Froome's book 'Wicked Enchantments' is to be launched ,at the Pendle Heritage Centre, Pendle Lancashire next Saturday April 17th from 2:00 till 4:00PM. There will be tea and cake! & Joyce will be doing a short talk - "without my glamorous assistant, alas!!" She'll also be taking along some magical objects (wand, scrying mirror etc.). There are more details on the publishers' website http://www.pendlewitchesbook.co.uk/. The book will soon be available through the museum and The Occult Art Company online.

Handsome Folk Attend to Robes

Craig & Spencer did a fab job attending to some of our ritual robes before opening this week - with a bit of hoovering thrown in.

Action packed weekend

It was certainly a hive of activity in the museum over the weekend with the lovely Simon Costin designing and putting together our new window display. Simon is an internationally renowned art director and we're so happy he was able to come down and spruce up our window. He made the fab crow by hand and we love the whole new look! I believe there may be a piece of chiffon in the mail as a finishing touch to the cauldron. It was also Simon's birthday so we hope he had a good time. Here is a pic of the crow in action and some before & after shots of the window in question. We also have the lovely Spencer & Craig & Roger in the museum wielding paintbrushes & drills as they helped with the finishing touches before the museum opens. Here are a few pics of them as well.

Thanks to Philippa & Angela

Graham has been kept on his toes over the last weekend as two volunteers came down to help with preparations for the museum's 2010 season. They worked really hard & made a big difference - painting, drilling, moving objects around, putting skirting boards up ............ the list goes on. Here is a pic of them moving the witch balls from the front window in readiness for Simon Costin coming down this weekend to do the new window display. Only 2 weeks to opening - we hope you lime the new displays & the new lighting.

Modern Witchraft

Had a lovely day yesterday rearranging some of the modern witchcraft display, mainly the Stewart Farrar & Brownie Pate section. It's such a privilege to handle the magical objects that once belonged to such interesting people ad know they are being cared for in a respectful environment. As you may know Graham has donated all the artifacts in the museum to the Trust for the Preservation of the Boscastle Museum of Witchcraft so the collection will always remain together. Here I am with Brownie's elf doll - one of my favourite artifacts.

Volunteers Respond

Our first volunteer turned up for duty today and was busy waxing & polishing some new cabinets for the 'Images' display as PF conference attendees came to visit. Though not officially open it is a tradition at allow PF visitors to have a look around the museum on the Sunday after the event....it's great to see the same friendly faces each year & indeed some new people as well. Quite a few have decided to join Friends of the Museum now that they see what a benefit it is to the museum.

More volunteers are due to come in next weekend which is greatly appreciated. Here are a couple of photos of Dee performing her magic on the new cabinets.

New Friends of the Museum Blog

Friends has a new website thanks to Gemma & Jane of Rockpool Arts. It's a much easier to access site & we hope will be more interactive than before. Check out the sire at www.friendsbmw.org.uk

We also have a blog on the site which keeps you up to date on latest Friends info. This can be accessed on:

http://friendsbmw.wordpress.com/

We hope you like it - let us know!

Work Begins on Christian Magic

As well as moving our fabulous hare around Graham has started work on the Christian Magic display. It will be located next to the Herbs & Healing section within the gothic arch & should be rather interesting!! Here's Graham showing off some of his handiwork.

Hare Today.............

Our lovely hare is moving to a new space in the museum............she will be sitting in the space vacated by the automaton by the stone circle. Graham has been doing a lot of work on the surrounds including moon lighting, mirrors, & plinth. She looks amazing & it's a logical place for a hare to be, by the circle in moonlight. Lovely!

Farewell Automaton

You may remember the lovely

automaton which sat in the area around the stone circle in the museum. Well last weekend we reluctantly returned it to the maker Alan Manktelow over in Eastbourne. As part of our annual revitalisation of the museum, we realised we needed more space in this area, so unfortunately it had to go back. It was refurbished by Alan after the flood as it had been flung around quite a bit & was under water for a time. Alan is looking for a new home for the automaton so if anyone has any ideas please contact the museum & we'll put Alan in touch with you. Fare thee well!

Too Much Wind

Just before the end of last year we had a rather full-on wind storm in Boscastle and our fabulous sign 'Selling The Wind' painted by the lovely Vivienne Shanley was blown down and damaged. Graham has had the painting repaired and it will be reframed by Andy of The Old Forge Gallery up the road. It should be reinstated to its usual place above the window of the museum before we reopen at Easter.

This image is available as a greeting card from the museum shop but we have now discontinued the other cards painted by Vivienne. They will be replaced by a new range of cards based on the Richel Eldermans collection, reproduction Good Luck cards and other images from the museum. We did have a small selection last year but should have a larger range for 2010.

Work Begins so Volunteers Prepare for Action

Lots happening at the museum at the moment in readiness for the 2010 season.Graham has started work on installing the new Phillips lighting system which was donated by Friends Thanks to Phillips for supplying a large number of sample bulbs when Graham was researching the project. They should save money in the long run, be more ecologically friendly, and give a better light to the objects. To those volunteers who registered an interest in helping with the installation project, could you please either phone or email Graham at the museum to organise a time to come in and help out - that would be much appreciated.

As well as the lighting there are many other areas where volunteers can help, from cleaning displays to touching up paintwork so please get in touch & we'll slot you in. We are very grateful to all those who help out each year.

Another project happening at the moment is the replacement of some of the glass panels in the front window with panel board so that we can affix browsers for the Richel Eldermans prints. The prints are selling really well online and with the launch of 'The Occult Reliquary' shortly we expect demand to rise. Retail space is limited in the entrance area so we're trying to be creative and utilise the available area to its full capacity. Here is Graham working on the window.

And, exciting news, it looks like Simon Costin, internationally renowned designer and curator of the new Museum of British Folklore, has agreed to design our 2010 front window display. More on that later.

Work Begins Again

Hannah has done a great job holding the fort over the past couple of months but now it's back to work for Graham as he gets busy in the museum, readying it for opening at Easter. The biggest project is the new lighting which the Friends of the Museum have been so much a part of funding. Graham will shortly be calling on the volunteers who offered assistance at the Friends' December Get Together for practical help in the installation.

The Occult Art Company which sells museum items was extremely busy over xmas with a particular run on the new witch weather vanes, glass knitting needles and the Richel-Eldermans' prints. We are replenishing the prints as we speak so if you've been watching the website our stock levels should be back to normal by mid next week.

The book 'The Occult Reliquary' which relates to the Richel-Eldermans collection is due for publication end March/Early April and pre-orders are coming in quickly. If you would like information on the book or to reserve a copy please email Kerriann at kg@theoccultartcompany.co.uk . Three Hands Press are the publishers of three limited edition versions so we know the quality will be excellent and will become a real collectors' item in the future.

Our historian Joyce Froome's book 'Wicked Enchantments' is getting closer to publication as well. She has been doing talks around Cornwall and London based on the book and has an article in this month's Pagan Dawn. Speaking of Pagan Dawn there is a very good review of the museum's new Ouija Board in there. Graham designed the board based on the Richel - Eldermans images and it's been very popular so far.

That's all for now. More soon.

Hamish Miller

It was with great sadness that we learnt of the passing to spirit of Hamish Miller in January this year. Hamish has been a great friend to Graham & the museum over the years. He was well known through his books on sacred landscapes and dowsing and made the dowsing rods which we sell in the museum. He was also well known for being a thoroughly lovely chap. We send our sympathies Ba & his family & friends. Merry Meet & Merry Part & Merry Meet Again

Happy Yule

After a fabulous Friends' meeting the museum is now well & truly closed for the season. We will open again at Easter next year. Our membership has already outstripped last year's & Graham has already ordered the new lighting, the funds for which were handed over by Friends at the AGM.

Our membership dates have changed to coincide with the opening of the museum so new members will get a few extra months free as this year's lasts till April 2011. We have already reached half our target membership for the year so if you want to help spur it along by becoming a Friend or promoting it at your Moot please contact Deborah our membership secretary at friendsbmw@googlemail.com & she can help you with both joining & getting hold of application forms.

Hannah is ably holding the fort at both the museum & The Occult Art Company while we take a short break in Brittany. I'll aim to keep the blog up to date while away - WiFi permitting.

Happy Yule fest to you all.

Friends Meeting 2009

From the feedback we've had so far the Friends Get Together & AGM was one of our best yet! Over 60 people attended the event to see Simon Costin speak on the development of his project the Museum of British Folklore and Helen Cornish talk on Joan Wytte: The Fighting Fairy Woman of Bodmin. Unfortunately Geraldine Beskin was unable to attend so Levannah Morgan gallantly stepped in at very short notice and spoke on Spirit Contact the Cecil Williamson Way. Geraldine has kindly offered to speak next year. We all raised a glass to our Honorary President Adrian Bryn-Evans & his wife Anne who, unfortunately, were unable to join us.

The whole day had a distinct feeling of Folklore & traditions and the evening event was full of lively folk singing with the very first public appearance of Graham King & Kerriann Godwin singing The Chase Song from the museum's CD 'Songs of Witchcraft & Magic'.

At the AGM we welcomed our new treasurer Martin Shepheard & it was a great pleasure to hand over a large cheque to Graham for a project he will be undertaking in February. All the lighting in the museum will be transferred over to lower voltage, more cost effective bulbs & tracking. This will ensure a long term saving on electricity bills for the museum and will be a much greener option than the current bulbs used. A softer illumination is given which is beneficial to the artifacts as well.

Membership has already overtaken last year's figures thanks to the hard work of membership secretary Deborah Westmancoat, and we're already putting together a programme for next year's meeting. I think it may have a more Ritual Magic feel but more of that later.

The following morning a few stalwarts made the annual pilgrimage to Joan's headstone up near Minster Church while others visited the museum. Thanks to The Wellington Hotel who hosted the event & being as helpful as ever. Hopefully we'll see more of you next year. I had to include this fabulous photo of Ray looking gorgeous & amusing.

Friends meeting Dec 5

The Friends of the Museum of Witchcraft meeting is on next weekend Dec 5 at The Wellington Hotel 1030 to 1700. speakers include Geraldine Beskin, Simon Costin & Helen Cornish. Free entrance to Friends or those wishing to join on the day. A walk to the Joan Wytte memorial stone on Sunday 6th. Hope to see you there.

'Harry' Takes a Break in Bournemouth

A visit to the museum this summer by Dr Martin Smith of Bournemouth University has started the ball rolling for a tantalising research project regarding our beloved tarred head known affectionately as 'Harry'. Martin is an osteoarchaeologist and was excited to come across 'Harry' in the cabinets as it turns out he/she could be one of only three such specimens known to exist in the UK.

Today he came to pick up 'Harry' and transport him/her to Bournemouth for some tests which we hope will give us a lot more information than we currently have. From Cecil Williamson's notes it appears 'Harry' was found in a box (which we still have) in a bombed out church in London during WWII. Martin and his colleagues will be performing a CT Scan and various other tests to try to narrow down when he/she was alive, where he/she came from and other information as yet unknown to us. We've always presumed he was a man but there is evidence already to show she may be a woman.

'Harry' is one of our favourite exhibits and we always say hello and have a chat when we do the morning cleaning every day. It will be great to have more information on him/her. We'll keep you updated via the Friends newsletter and future posts. I've attached a photo of Martin delicately placing 'Harry' into the transport box.

Luckily Sarah Ransome from the BBC was here doing an interview with Graham for Radio 4 about businesses recovering after disasters and she managed to do a piece with Martin which we think will be on Radio Cornwall shortly. If we hear anything about when this will be on on mention it on the Twitter site. Here is a picture of Graham being interviewed by Sarah with Martin in the background.

Grey Chapel Gallery

We had a lovely time up in Glastonbury a couple of weeks ago and while we were there we popped in to see Sylvia Wolfe in her recently opened business 'The Grey Chapel Gallery'. It's sort of across the road from the entrance to The Chalice Well so easy enough to find & Sylvia mainly sells artworks with an esoteric theme & some really unique pieces ranging from handmade staffs to snakeskin walking sticks, tribal masks and bronze phalluses. If you're after something different this could be the place for you. I think its been running for about 3 months so is still quite new. Sylvia is German originally and is passionate about her business as well as being one of the friendliest people we've met. There is an exhibition of Ann Sudworth paintings on at the moment. For details have a look at the website www.greychapel.com . Here is a photo of Graham, Sylvia & her partner Peter.

Cleaning Frenzy

Had a bit of a whizz around the museum last Thursday cleaning for the end of the season....so much dust accumulates so quickly, especially in the library. Having the new roof put on earlier in the season meant that dust got to places we didn't know were places!!! All beautiful now though....we'll be working on a couple of new exhibits while the museum is closed over winter so there'll be something fresh for all our repeat visitors to see when they come back next year. We try to change or update things every year to keep it exciting for everyone. A new window display is being worked on as well.

By the way, there's an interesting art exhibit at Tate St ives called 'The Dark Monarch - Magic & Modernity in British Art'. Worth a look if you're in the area, some Ithell Colquhoun, Osman Spare, Henry Moore et al. There's a rather nice unicorn from Damien Hirst to greet you as you walk in.

V & A Talk a Success

A fab night was had by all at the V & A Halloween Late Night last Friday night. Simon Costin performed his Dine with Death painted head to toe in red surrounded by others in High Victorian garb. He arrived in a rather fabulous hearse. Unfortunately I didn't get to see it in person as Joyce & I were doing a talk in the Arts Library. Joyce is writing a new book on magic in the Middle Ages called 'Wicked Enchantments' and she was asked to speak on this subject at this event. I read out the spells in my best Medieval Australian accent. Apparently the talk was 'sold out' within 5 mins of the tickets being released. Joyce did a great job & the reaction from the audience was very popular. Interestingly one of the questions was 'where is the Museum of Witchcraft?' Clearly we neeed to do some more promotion as there are still people out there who don't know we exist.

Notification of Painting For Sale

We don't normally mention these types of things on the blog but we've been informed of an oil painting for sale in the USA featuring a witch on a bat & thought we'd let people know in case anyone was interested. Please note the museum is not selling the painting & we are not taking any agent's fees for putting this notice on the blog. Following is an excerpt from the email regarding the painting and some photos. If you would like to be put in touch with the seller please email the museum on museumwitchcraft@aol.com.

These subjects in art are extremely rare to come by. My client is asking $5,000 US, and I think this is an excellent opportunity and investment. It has a few old repairs, but in good condition for age and rarity. I can find no other paintings from this time period and subject matter anywhere. Please let me know if you have a buyer for this excellent piece. It measures 34 x 62 inches, and has its original period frame from 1899. Shipping would be absorbed by potential buyer. Thank you, Michael K.

The Occult Reliquary Notice of Publication

March 2010 will see the publication of The Occult Reliquary by a very high quality US publisher Three Hands Press which is run by Daniel Schulke. Many of you will be aware of Daniel through his other publishing house Xoanon which is responsible for the Chumbley works Azoetia and Qutub among others, as well as his own Ars Philtron.

The Occult Reliquary showcases the Richel-Eldermans Collection which is an occult archive of over 2000 images and artifacts housed in the Museum of Witchcraft. 'Situated at the crossroads of erotic magic, ceremonial angelic conjuration, and witchcraft, the images comprise, in part, a veiled pictorial cipher of the practices of several European Occult Orders operating in the Netherlands in the early 20th Century. Among these are Ars Amatoria, a magical order using sex magic and the lesser known M.M ...............

The Reliquary presents for the first time a selection of these magical images reproduced at full scale, & bound with the highest quality materials. The book is 216 pages, with over 200 illustrations, 80 of which are in full colour, & includes an introduction by curator Graham King.'

The book is available in three editions as follows with UK prices:

Special Edition - gilt stamped full leather with felt lined slipcase, limited to 100 copies - £200.00

Delux Edition - gilt stamped & quarter-bonded in leather, limited to 250 copies - £130.00

Standard Edition - casebound in cloth with gilt stamping, limited to 700 copies - £65.00

For information on Pre-ordering contact the museum's official retail outlet The Occult Art Company on kg@theoccultartcompany.co.uk

666 on Facebook

Very excited to note that the membership for the Museum of Witchcraft Fans Facebook site has reached 666 members!! How devilish!!

If you haven't checked it out yet follow the link http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=4238981379&ref=ts and join up. There are some really interesting videos on there which have been posted by members. Please feel free to add interesting content yourselves. Our next target is 1000 members!!

Friends of the Museum of Witchcraft membership is also doing really well. We have surpassed last year's numbers year to date. We have purchased books for the library and are hoping to make a major contribution toward the lighting within the museum - more cost effective, low heat output which is better for the artifacts, and of course more environmentally friendly. If you want to join go to http://www.friendsbmw.org.uk/ and join online or pick up an application form from the museum itself.

Joyce Froome at V & A Oct 30

The V & A is having an 'In The Dead of Night' themed Late Night event on Oct 30 & our very own Joyce Froome will be speaking on the Witch Hunts (which is based on her upcoming book)assisted in a minor role by my good self. Simon Costin is also on the bill performing his 'Dine with Death' promenade performance, along with Karen Rubens who is creating Japanese lanterns. It kicks off at 1830hrs and finishes at 2200hrs. Admission is free so come along and enjoy some rather different entertainment and say hi to us museum dudes.

Simon Costin Write Up in Telegraph

You may know something of Simon Costin & his Museum of British Folklore from his touring caravan & other mentions on this blog. He's been featured in the Telegraph (follow the link below) and mentions a couple of the items loaned to him by the Museum of Witchcraft. Nice to get a plug in the Telegraph now and then. It all seems to be going ewll for his project at the moment and we wish him well in his venture.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/6365018/The-caravan-of-folklore.html?state=target#postacomment&postingId=6385367

Dragons Visit the Museum

It was so cool to have a visit from some dragons earlier in the week - Friendly ones of course!! The dudes from Friendly Dragon up in Halifax popped in to check out the museum & pick up some stock to sell in their store. They picked up some besoms, our recycled glass chalices and some of Graham's personally designed ouija boards. They were also kind enough to give a donation to the museum while they were here. If you're in the Halifax area please pop in and say hi. Dickie is in the background.