Press Release
19 | 12 | 19
Telegraph Museum Set to Digitise their Historic Archive
An officer coiling telegraph cable, circa 1960 | Image courtesy of the Telegraph Museum Porthcurno archive
Telegraph Museum Porthcurno have been awarded a significant grant from the Arts Council England Designation Development Fund, in support of plans to make the museum's historic archive collection available online for the very first time. The Designation Development Fund recognises, celebrates and champions significant collections of national and international importance, and the Telegraph Museum Porthcurno archive is currently the only designated collection in Cornwall.
Their archive includes a wide range of historic material relating to the development of international communications from the 1850's to the present day, including over 10,000 photographs illustrating the history of telecommunications; maps of the British world communications network from the 1850s to the 1990s; maritime records, nautical charts and engineer's reports on cable laying; an extensive reference collection including early and rare books, and copies of telegrams sent from around the world over the last 150 years. There is also an extensive collection of objects relating to the Eastern Telegraph Company (later Cable and Wireless), including cable ship models and early telecommunications equipment, as well as uniforms, household items and curios from telegraph stations around the world.
The museum will use the grant to develop a fully accessible online database of their extensive collection, and to fund a programme of student research placements, allowing researchers to connect with the museum from all over the world. Titled ‘Porthcurno 150: Connected Collections', the digitisation project coincides with 2020 celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the first cable landing at Porthcurno, an event which changed the way the Britain connected the world. The project builds on previous ACE funded work around the digitisation of the museum's collection, funded through the Major Museums Partnership and National Portfolio programmes (Cornwall Museums Partnership).
Alan Renton, Collections Manager at Telegraph Museum Porthcurno, says: "This is a new approach to working with the collections here at Porthcurno, and a great opportunity to reconnect with archive information surrounding the early cables that linked India to Australia through Indonesia and Malaysia. Online access to the new research that this will generate will open the routes to wider audiences worldwide."
Julia Twomlow, Museum Director, says: "Our amazing archive is a mine of information that needs to be shared more widely. Finally, through this funding and project, we can make our collection available for researchers around the world to explore, whether they looking into their family history and searching for an ancestor who worked in the telegraph industry, or carrying out academic study in global communications, our archive is unparalleled."
Telegraph Museum Porthcurno, Eastern House, Porthcurno, Penzance, Cornwall, TR19 6JX
01736 810966 |info@telegraphmuseum.org| www.telegraphmuseum.org
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Please note: forthcoming rebrand
From February 2020, the Telegraph Museum Porthcurno will be rebranded as PK Porthcurno, a unique museum experience telling the story of how a tiny valley in Cornwall found itself at the heart of worldwide communications, how it remains so today, and what might happen tomorrow.
Print Ready 300dpi images for press use:
For further press information and additional high resolution images contact Mercedes Smith
director@culturenotes.co.uk| Tel 07825 270235 |www.culturenotes.co.uk
Editors Notes
Arts Council England
Arts Council England is the national development body for arts and culture across England, working to enrich people's lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries - from theatre to visual art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2018 and 2022, we will invest £1.45 billion of public money from government and an estimated £860 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country.
Telegraph Museum Porthcurno
The tiny Cornish village of Porthcurno was once the heart of international telecommunications, boasting the largest telegraph station in the world. Today, the Telegraph Museum Porthcurno is a vibrant and captivating heritage attraction. Discover our World War II tunnels, which were the secret hub of Britain's wartime communications; visit the Cable Hut where the UK's network of underwater telecommunication cables came ashore; explore exhibitions and interactive displays telling the amazing story of global telecommunications. from the first practical use of electricity to how we communicate today using fibre optic cables that still run beneath the world's seas and oceans.
A Unique History
The Telegraph Museum is unique amongst Cornwall's heritage attractions and illustrates the crucial role Porthcurno and its residents played in the development of modern communications. In particular it tells the story of the people who came to train at the telegraph station, the friendships and romances they formed, the extraordinary lives they led as Cable & Wireless employees in far flung locations across the British Empire, and the vital role they played in defining the Allies' strategy during World War II.
For Families
Designed for all ages, this family-friendly interactive museum showcases the science, the people, and the amazing stories that made developments in global communications possible, and demonstrates how advances in digital communications are changing the world forever. Immerse your family in Porthcurno's lasting legacy and spend the day exploring science, technology, history and the world around us. With secret tunnels, trails, codes to crack, interactive technology, hands-on experiments and creative seasonal events, families can take advantage a wealth of inspiring activities throughout the year, as well as enjoying our onsite café, and browsing our museum shop.
For Schools
Our varied programme of school workshops combines engaging hands-on activities with time to explore the Museum. Our experienced learning team will work with you to plan your visit, tailoring workshops to meet your groups' needs or specific learning outcomes. Activities are hosted at our onsite Clore Learning Space - an accessible and flexible space designed for both formal and informal learning.
For Students and Researchers
Available by arrangement to school students, undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers, the Telegraph Museum Porthcurno houses the business archive of Cable & Wireless, an enviable collection that includes thousands of unique records from Porthcurno's lasting communication legacy, including an estimated 10,000 photographs from the 1850's to the present day. Following the closure of the original telegraph station and training school, many historically significant objects were kept and now form the basis of the Museum's unique collection, which has designated status in recognition of its national and international significance.
Additional Information
Telegraph Museum Porthcurno is owned by the PK Trust which is a registered educational charity no. 1062233.
Telegraph Museum Porthcurno, Eastern House, Porthcurno, Penzance, Cornwall, TR19 6JX | 01736 810966
info@telegraphmuseum.org| www.telegraphmuseum.org
director@culturenotes.co.uk| Tel 07825 270235 |www.culturenotes.co.uk