Spalding Gentlemen’s Society will have two new attractions as it welcomes people in for an open day on Sunday (August 21).
A new exhibition entitled Curious Connections: Exploring the World in 18th Century Spalding, is to be unveiled.
And at 2pm on the day there will also be the grand unveiling of an early 18th century painting of the scene around Ayscoughfee Hall.
Dated between 1722 and 1785, the panel painting shows the hall, Hollyrood House and the wooden bridge replaced by a stone bridge in 1838.
It has recently been conserved by Hirst Conservation with a grant from the Associated Independent Museums (AIM), the Pilgrim Trust and match funded by Robert West.
Its unveiling follows a collaboration between society officers and volunteers, and the University of Roehampton, and was funded by the UK Research Institutes through a participatory research grant.
South Holland Jubilee Poet Laureate Miles Green, will unveil the restored painting, and present a poem about it.
The Curious Connections exhibition is also due to launch.
Spalding Gentlemen’s Society chairman Petronella Keeling said: “‘Curious Connections: Exploring the World in 18th Century Spalding’ explores the society’s global networks during the first century of its existence.
“Combining artefacts, books, manuscripts and maps, the exhibition ranges from Africa and Asia, to South America and the Caribbean, to the Arctic regions of North America. Come learn about famous members such as the Senegalese imam and former slave Ayuba Suleiman Diallo and the infamous Manningham family of East India Company officers.
“Explore natural specimens that have survived in the collection for more than 300 years…despite being used for less than scientific purposes!
“Discover just what members found when they hurried to the marketplace to see the visiting ‘Unicorn’, and how they preserved its memory for posterity.
“Join us as we begin to uncover the ways in which the early SGS members navigated difficult topics such as slavery, warfare and colonial expansion, gathering information and discoveries from around the world while redefining their own place within it.”
Entry to the Spalding Gentlemen’s Society is free and it’s open on Wednesdays 11am-1pm and every third Sunday from 2pm-4pm.
