City’s hidden history revealed in world’s first citywide museum trail

Historic treasures are to be revealed from a Chester museum and displayed for the first time in what historians believe to be the world’s only citywide museum.

Thirty businesses in the heart of Chester city centre will become minimuseums and securely display never-before-seen artefacts from Chester Grosvenor Museum’s vaults as part of ‘Hoot’s Route’, a unique citywide museum trail which has just launched to the public.

Hoot’s Route is the first phase of ‘Chester Unlocked’, a groundbreaking collaboration between Chester city centre’s business improvement initiative and the archaeological social enterprise Big Heritage.

The programme celebrates Chester’s rich and hidden history – from Roman fort to Saxon settlement, medieval port and the classical, contemporary city of today.

We believe Hoot’s Route will make Chester the world’s first citywide museum, said Dean Paton, managing director of Chester-based Big Heritage. Every artefact being showcased through Hoot’s Route has either an historic connection to the business in which it is displayed or mirrors the modern day products on sale within the shops. Many of the buildings and treasures have survived the city’s tumultuous past, so there will be many fascinating things for people to enjoy.

Among the treasures on display as part of Hoot’s Route, visitors can discover medieval footwear in a city shoe shop, Viking combs in a hairdressers and elegant Victorian gowns in the windows of clothing stores.

Using a specially designed ‘Hoot’s Route’ museum trail map – available online or in store at participating businesses in the city centre area – the citywide trail will allow people of all ages to discover and enjoy some of Chester’s best kept secrets.

Hoot was inspired by the owl sitting on the shoulder of the Roman goddess Minerva, which is carved into a 2,000- year-old shrine in an old Roman quarry wall by the River Dee near Chester city centre. For more details, see chesterunlocked.com.

National Army Museum seeks helpers for online Waterloo archive

The National Army Museum has published a unique archive online to mark last month’s 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. The archive consists of more than 400 objects relating to the period, from personal letters to official documents and journals.

The records offer a rare opportunity for the public to get involved, as the museum is asking for help to transcribe and tag the images. The newly-digitised records are being posted on a new crowd-sourcing platform ‘Heritage Helpers’, where members of the public can contribute to the preservation and understanding of the Battle of Waterloo and the Napoleonic Wars as part of the ‘Waterloo Lives: In Their Own Words’ project.

By investigating the letters, journals and diaries of British Army soldiers who served in the Napoleonic Wars, volunteers will help unlock the real life stories behind the battle and help the museum preserve them for future generations.

As this process unfolds, the National Army Museum is also making these records available on its online collection. This will benefit anyone keen to delve deeper into the significance of the famous Battle of Waterloo and the wider Napoleonic era.

There are plenty of stories to be uncovered in this unique collection – from an interview with Napoleon Bonaparte, to vivid stories from the battlefield. The National Army Museum is calling for volunteers to uncover stories just like that of Captain Edward Kelly or the Leeke family:

• Captain Kelly relates his experiences of war, noting that his bravery and conduct were mentioned to the Duke of Wellington himself. Kelly goes on to relate his killing of a French Colonel in hand-to-hand combat.
• Letters from Henry Leeke to his father William Leeke, the youngest ensign to fight at the Battle of Waterloo, remembering his efforts at Waterloo some years after the battle. In a later letter, an officer during the First World War offers Leeke’s descendants a Union flag that had been flown across the battlefields of France.

Commenting on the launch of the ‘Waterloo Lives: In Their Own Words’ project, Janice Murray, Director General of the National Army Museum, said: The Battle of Waterloo is one of the most important events in European history, and it’s waiting to be discovered through this new archive. We’re dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of the British Army and telling its soldiers’ stories, but we need the public’s help to unearth more details and help us explore this Waterloo treasure trove.

‘Waterloo Lives: In Their Own Words’ is part of the Waterloo Lives programme from the National Army Museum, offering a number of educational and entertaining events and activities across the country, including exhibitions, art displays and lectures. The crowd-sourcing project is part of the National Army Museum’s ‘Building for the Future’ programme, which has been generously funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

For more information about the National Army Museum’s Waterloo Lives programme, other Waterloo activity happening in your area or to learn more about the battle through 200 objects visit nam.ac.uk/explore/battle-waterloo .