Thursday 10 March 2011

Curatorial Corner - 10th March 2011

A Charitable Find!

A recent find in a charity shop in Swindon has got the Curatorial department buzzing with excitement!  Last Monday a call from one of the Museum's volunteers alerted us to a GWR inkwell set sat in the window of the Prospect Hospice Shop on Victoria Road, Swindon.  A frantic call to the shop confirmed the inkwell set was still for sale and the Curator and Collections Officer rushed on over to take a look.


The complete GWR inkwell set

We were staggered by what we found.  A near perfect GWR inkwell set, complete with three glass inkwells sat in a lovely wooden stand.  The stand still had the brass pen holder attached.  Two of the glass inkwells are branded with the letters GWR, and the third with the slogan Go Great Western. The publicity slogan Go Great Western was introduced in the 1920s and the style of the script on the inkwell dates the set to 1926.  Both the stand and the pen holder are stamped GWR too.

We settled up with the shop and took our prize find back to STEAM.  We do not know where the inkwell set came from, but like to think that it sat on the desk of an important Works Manager or Station Master!  I guess we will never know.


A close up of the "Go Great Western" glass inkwell

The Museum hopes to display the inkwell set in a new display over the summer.

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