Itxj O) GEOLOGICAL CURATORS' GROUP

00 ?H ■ (D rO ■ i LO ItXJ O) GEOLOGICAL CURATORS' GROUP The Group is affiliated to the Geological Society ofIx)ndon. It was founded in 1974 to improve the status ofgeology in museums and similar institutions, and to improve the standard of geological curation in general by: - holding meetings to promote the exchange of information - providing information and advice on all matters relating to geology in museums - the surveillance of collections of geological specimens and information with a view to ensuring their well being - the preparation of a code of practice for the curation and deployment of collections - the advancement of the documentation and conservation of geological sites - initiating and conducting surveys relating to the aims of the Group. 1993 COMMITTEE Chairman Paul Ensom, Yorkshire Museum, Museum Gardens, York YOl 2DR (tel. 0904 629745, fax 0904 651221) Secretary Simon Knell, Department of Museum Studies, 105 Princess Road East, Leicester LEI 7LG (tel. 0533 523976, fax 0533 523960) Treasurer/Membership Andy Newman,Department of Archaeology, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne (tel./ Secretary fax 091 222 7426) Editor Peter Crowther, Bristol City Museum,Queens Road,Bristol BS8 IRL (tel. 0272 223592,fax 0272 222047) Recorder John Nudds,The Manchester Museum,The University, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL (tel. 061 275 2634, fax 061 275 2676) Public Relations Officer Phil Doughty, Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens, Belfast BT9 5AB (tel. 0232 381251, fax 0232 665510) Minutes Secretary Diana Hawkes, Haslemere Educational Museum, High Street, Haslemere, Surrey GU27 2LA (tel. 0428 642112) Committee Roy Clements, Department of Geology, University of Leicester, Leicester LEI 7RH (tel. 0533 522522, fax 0533 523918) Chris Collins,Geological Conservation Unit,Department of Earth Sciences,University ofCambridge, Madingley Rise, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 OEZ (tel. 0223 62522, fax 0223 60779) Colin Reid,Dudley Museum,St James' Road, Dudley,West Midlands DYl 1HU (tel.0384 453574, fax 0384 453576) Kate Pontin, Cultural Activities and Libraries Unit, Central Library, High Street, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 IHD (tel. 0895 250702, fax 0985 239794) Co-opted Rosina Down,(BCG), Department of Zoology, University College, Gower Street, London WC1E6JB Tom Sharpe,(Coprolile), Department of Geology, National Museum of Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CEl 3NP (tel. 0222 397951) Simon Timberlake, 12 York Street, Cambridge CBl 2PY (tel. 0223 300616/081 938 9031) Gill Weightman, Leicestershire Museums,96 New Walk, Leicester LEI 6TD (tel. 0533 554100) The views expressed by authors in the Geological Curator are entirely their own and do not represent those of either the Geological Curators' Group or the Geological Society of London unless otherwise stated. © The Geological Curators' Group ISSN 0144 - 5294 Cover: A full size robotic Demonyc/iui from 'Dinosaurs' at the Natural History Museum in London. The model was designed and built by the Japanese Kokoro Company Ltd. © Natural History Museum. THE GEOLOGICAL CURATOR VOLUME 5, No.8 CONTENTS CONTENTS 301 EDITORIAL 302 JOHN WATSON AND THE CAMBRIDGE BUILDING STONE COLLECTION by K.J. Andrew 303 PERPETUAL EXCITEMENT: THE HEROIC AGE OF BRITISH GEOLOGY by J.Morrell 311 BOOK REVIEWS 318 LOST AND FOUND - compiled by P.R. Crowther and H.S. Torrens 323 NOTES AND NEWS 328 THE A.G. BRIGHTON MEDAL 331 GEOLOGICAL CURATORS' GROUP - 16TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 335 GEOLOGICAL CURATORS' GROUP April 1994 -301- EDITORIAL Several pages of this issue(pp.331-334) report GCG's the still often thankless struggle to bring order to our latest initiative to encourage the improvement of neglected geological heritage and thereby open the collection care - the A.G. Brighton Medal. The need doors to new geological research.' for a prestigious award that recognises real curatorial Such words stand as a memorial as much to David achievement over a long period was first argued for in himself as to the man he so much admired. 1989 by the late David Price. GCG Committee re quired little convincing of the merits of David's idea To my mind David's personal tragedy was an extreme or his association of A.G. 'Bertie' Brighton's name example of the gulf that can develop between the with the award. Following David's tragic suicide in curatorial bedrock of good professional practice and November 1991, it was clearly appropriate to present the shifting and sometimes conflicting priorities of a a posthumous Founder's Medal to his widow Valerie museum's operational policy. Such conflicts are by no (see p.333), ensuring that David's name too remains means restricted to (or even typical of) universities. forever linked with the establishment of what GCG But they are an inevitable product of the highly hopes will become an important triennial award. fragmented and disorganised nature of the UK muse ums sector. The curatorial 'good practice' codified by As Assistant Curator and then a Curator of the the MGC (Registration, Standards), specialist groups Sedgwick Museum (Dept. of Earth Sciences, Cam like GCG (the Guidelines), the MTl (?) and the bridge University) from 1972, David Price made Museums Association (??), typify a paradigm which many contributions to the work of GCG, particularly curators take for granted. But we forget at our peril during his years on Committee (1985-1988). Mem that such a mind-set is not always shared (or even bers will be most familiar with the interest he took in understood) by museum policy-makers. Which of us, computerised documentation and the history of the for instance, either works for or knows of: weak, Sedgwick Museum collections (e.g. 'The computer disinterested local councillors who succumb to a ised Sedgwick Museum', Geol.Curator 4, 45-56; hidden agenda of senior officers: senior university 'Mary Anning specimens in the Sedgwick Museum', academics who see curators as so much research/ Geol.Curator 4, 319-324). David was conscious of a teaching fodder and collections as little more than a general lack of appreciation of curatorship within the waste of expensive space: or so-called 'independent' scientific community, and he fought to promote our boards of trustees stacked with political appointees to cause. His inspiring biography of A.G. Brighton ('A stifle debate and bleat the market forces mantra when life of dedication: A.G. Brighton and the Sedgwick kicked into action? Extreme descriptions? Yes, of Museum, Cambridge', Geol.Curator 5, 95-99), the course, but a wry smile of recognition probably Brighton Medal initiative, and his active involvement crossed many members's faces.... We know that the with the UGCAJFC Review of Earth Science Depart attitudes of such governing bodies can dictate the ments, were all facets of this determination to see the policies which rule our professional lives. In the light work of curators and the importance of collections of such uncertainties, that curators, conservators, receive better recognition. educators, designers, etc. manage to provide the An extract from David's biography of Brighton was quality of service they do is a continual source of quoted by Ian Rolfe in a tribute he gave at David's amazement and encouragement to me. funeral. Referring to Brighton's total commitment to David assumed that certain principles which curators curating, David had said: know underpin our profession were universally ac 'To him this work was clearly necessary, urgent, and cepted. That he was wrong seems to have triggered the self-evidently worthwhile. He looked for no further complex line of events which culminated in his death. reward. Indeed he felt that among his academic In addition to the indelible mark which he left on the colleagues his efforts were little appreciated. He felt Sedgwick Museum, perhaps his memory should re that they regarded curating as an unimportant, periph mind us that the battle for recognition will never be eral sort of activity which practically anyone could do. won while the UK museums sector remains so frag This saddened him but did not affect his conviction mented, when the curatorial imperative will always be that the work was of basic importance or his relentless vulnerable to vested interests. Occasionally the per determination to pursue it. In the face of such lack of sonal stresses that result become too great. David sympathy his life's work becomes even more remark Price's death may well have been a tragedy which able. It remains as an inspiration for all who continue spotlights the shortcomings of an entire system. 23 April 1994 Peter R. Crowther -302- Geological Curator, Vol. 5, No.8, 1994, pp.303-310 JOHN WATSON AND THE CAMBRIDGE BUILDING STONE COLLECTION by Katherine J. Andrew Introduction land Cement collapsed (Watson 1922). This naturally led to a loss of confidence in the new cement by The John Watson Building Stone Collection occupies architects. After numerous analyses and unsuccessful what was originally the Museum of Economic Geol attempts at manufacture, Johnson eventually discov ogy on the ground floor of the Sedgwick Museum ered the correct constituents and temperature of calci building and is now the common room of the Depart nation to produce a reliable hydraulic cement that ment of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge. became the colour of Portland Stone on drying (i.e. Watson published a series of three catalogues for the Portland Cement). collection (Watson 1911, 1916, 1922) but very little additional information was known about the collection When Johnson severed his connections with White's or how the collection came to be formed. and took over the Gateshead works in 1890, he also estabished a cement works on the banks ofthe Thames. John Watson the man Clearly Watson worked in the industry during the Family details period when Portland Cement gradually became the John Watson was bom in 1842 in the north of England (Marr 1918). He was married and had at least one son, Hugh, and a daughter, Kate Bumup (Anon.

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