New Museum Manager Announced

Following the stepping back of former manager and curator Jim Grevatte, Ruddington’s Framework Knitters’ Museum has just revealed its latest boss. After completing “a competitive recruitment process” for their new ‘Operations Manager’ role, the venues’ Trustees say they are “delighted” to announce that Ruddington resident Sarah Godfrey has been appointed. Sarah is already well known for her extensive community work within our village. The Trustees add: “With a strong arts background, Sarah brings us an unusual combination of both creativity and commercial awareness, as well as a wealth of experience…

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It’s Goodbye to Jim

The man who has guided a Ruddington museum through one of the most important periods in its history has now left for pastures new. Jim Grevatte, who’s been the Manager and Curator at The Framework Knitters’ Museum since December 2018, has just stepped down from the role following the appointment of a new ‘Operations Manager’.* However, he will continue as a trustee for our internationally famous Chapel Street tourist attraction. Over the last three years, Jim has been instrumental in implementing (amongst many other things) the ‘Right Good Yarn’ project…

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Funding Boost for Museum

Staff and volunteers at Ruddington’s historic Framework Knitters’ Museum say they’re “super happy” to have received new funding worth £62,925. The cash will be used for urgent structural, chimney, window and roofing repairs, as well as improving the heating and security at their Chapel Street tourist attraction. The award is part of a £48m national package of additional government support for museums and libraries in the UK from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England. The museum has already benefitted from extensive previous funding to help with its ambitious…

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What’s Happening with the Church Clock?

If you tend to glance up at our Parish Church tower to check the time, when you’re making your way through Ruddington, you might have been rather misled lately. Even though the hands of St Peter’s clock may reassure you are not late for that midday appointment after all, they have actually been frozen at six minutes to twelve for quite some time!  Indeed, there are two incorrect clock dials on the historic building. The most prominent of these is the south face of the tower – with a newer…

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Night at the Museum

Those attending the official re-opening of Ruddington’s famous Framework Knitters’ Museum this week got to see it in a different light…. the dark! Staff and volunteers at Ruddington’s now internationally acclaimed tourist attraction welcomed invited guests to see the newly expanded site at four o’clock on Tuesday afternoon (23rd November) – and it was soon apparent why this time was chosen. As night fell, the workers’ cottages – recently restored to how they would have looked in 1890 – and the museum’s new ‘community garden’ were lit by candles and other…

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Volunteers Needed for Expanded Museum

As Ruddington’s Framework Knitters’ Museum on Chapel Street moves towards re-opening in October, it’s looking for new volunteers. Jan Perret writes… If you are local to Ruddington, you will probably have noticed that the museum has been undergoing extensive building work over the last few months, thanks to a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and FCC Communities Foundation. This money has allowed us to create a new entrance, reception, shop and cafe in the old ‘Gunn Cottage’ and this means we have more opportunities for you to be involved…

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Dismay Over Lost Ruddington Trees

The felling of two large trees – which had been part an attractive, green canopy above Manor Park for many generations – has caused shock and sadness among villagers. Emma Revill, who kindly supplied RUDDINGTON.info with the photos (above and below), contacted us in dismay last Thursday (August 19th) when she saw that two of the tall, Beech trees by the roadside in front of James Peacock School had been chopped down. She called it “tragic” – and was very keen to find out the reason why. With the ‘climate emergency’…

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‘Behind The Scenes’ at Ruddington’s Framework Knitters’ Museum

Villagers and visitors are being given the opportunity to view the progress on an ambitious project enabled by National Lottery cash and other funding sources to double the size of a unique Ruddington heritage site on Chapel Street. From Sunday 6th June to Saturday 12th June there are tours ‘Behind the Scenes’ at the Framework Knitters’ Museum as part of ‘National Lottery Open Week’ 2021. It’s a chance to see how the expansion work is progressing into the recently purchased ‘Gunn Cottage’ – which sits between the existing museum and its…

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Further Vandalism at Our Heritage Railway

Volunteers at Great Central Railway Nottingham (GCRN) now have some more unexpected and unwelcome work to do after trespassers at the Ruddington site decided to spray graffiti onto one of the 125 Group‘s recently restored MK3 coaches. The Heritage Centre is already facing great financial challenges thanks to the Coronavirus – having been unable to run any passenger services from there since the February half-term last year. Whilst not on the scale of the vandalism in 2019, it’s still very upsetting and disheartening for all those involved. This latest, mindless act was discovered…

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Museum’s ‘Victorian Life Swap’

Back in July we reported how Ruddington’s Framework Knitters’ Museum had reopened with a more personal and ‘socially distanced’ visitor experience – having been shut for four months due to first COVID-19 ‘lockdown’. With full Coronavirus restrictions sadly now back on, once again the doors are firmly closed to the public until at least December 2nd. However, with spare time on their hands once more, staff at the popular village visitor attraction began to wonder what life must have been like without many of the things we take for granted. How…

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