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LAGAN LEGACY’S BARGE EXHIBITION.
Belfast’s Charitable Maritime Organisation Lagan Legacy has recently been awarded grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board to convert the 600 ton barge MV Confiance into a Maritime Heritage and Arts Centre with a cafe up top. The vessel is permanently moored on Lanyon Quay, adjacent to the Waterfront Hall. Lagan Legacy is imminently tendering for the structural work and fit-out with a view to commencing early Jan 2010 and completing the entire project by June/July 2010.
Central to the project is a major ‘state-of-the-art’ exhibition of images, artefacts and film/tape recordings focused on the River Lagan’s nautical history, but also chronicling its related social, cultural and industrial activities.
Amongst other important themes, the exhibition will set Belfast’s maritime heritage firmly in its fullest and widest industrial context. The vital story of shipbuilding, ships, shipping lines, the Port of Belfast and the Lagan Canal will rightfully interconnect with a tally of key operations such as Sirocco, the Rope works, Short and Harland, Short Brothers and Harland, Linen, Mackies, Agriculture, Soap, energy and finance. These and numerous other industries collectively relied on the Lagan and its ships.
Lagan Legacy retains a substantial collection of generously donated materials, documents, narratives and artefacts for the exhibition, but will rely on receiving and/or borrowing further suitable items, particularly of lesser or greater maritime and industrial significance, from the recent or distant past. Lagan Legacy is formally affiliated to the Northern Ireland Museums Council, and will follow all of the Council’s stringent guidelines for displaying, borrowing, or taking ownership, of artefacts, documents and images. The latter can easily be scanned or copied. Full accreditation will be given to all such materials appearing in the exhibition.
Whilst we are fully aware of the importance of artefacts to their collectors, Lagan Legacy is passionate to tell a unique story too often forgotten by the city where it all happened. As artefacts will greatly enhance the telling, we would hugely appreciate having a chat with you about our search for exhibits. Please let us know if you would like to discuss this matter with a Lagan Legacy representative in the near future.In the meantime we invite you to have a look at our website on www.laganlegacy.com
Regards,
Derek Booker, Charlie Warmington and the Lagan Legacy team.