Latest News
December 2009
The royal opening by Her Majesty The Queen has sealed a triumphant first six months for the Great North Museum.
Accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, Her Majesty The Queen performed the official opening of the museum on 6th November 2009. The official opening involved the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the occasion, a tour of the museum and a lunch for invited guests who have been closely involved in the £27million redevelopment of the museum which opened earlier this year on 23rd May.
Caireen Hart, communications officer, Great North Museum Hancock said: “The Royal Party dined at the Museum and Sodexo Prestige catered for the event. We worked very closely with the Sodexo team to design the menu, had tasting sessions and we were impressed that they brought in their very best staff to ensure everything ran smoothly on the day. We were delighted with their performance, the service was excellent and the food was delicious."
Led by Malcolm Emery, Sodexo Prestige Executive Chef, the guests were served a selection of canapés including Smoked Salmon Caviar Blinis, Spiced Aubergine Square with Coriander & Red Pepper on Crostini, Smoked Duck Roll with Bishops Hat on Toast and Vegetable Frittata with Houmous and Black Olive. The guests enjoyed a three course lunch of Autumn Leaf Salad of Crisp Bacon, Soft Boiled Quail Eggs and Sippets with a Grain Mustard Vinaigrette followed by Herb Crusted Cod over Savoy Cabbage, Marquise Potato with a White Wine Velouté. A dessert of Poached Pears with Cinnamon and Red Wine Syrup and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream was followed by a selection of Coffee, Tea and Tisanes and Petit Fours.
In addition to the royal opening, the Great North Museum: Hancock has been the venue for over one hundred events since its opening in May 2009. The events consisted of meetings from 10 people up to large conferences for 150 guests for clients including Heritage Lottery Fund, One North East, Museums Business Partners and Newcastle City Council. In November the first wedding was held at the museum and it was a great success.
The Great North Museum: Hancock brings together the North East’s premier collections of archaeology, natural history, geology and world cultures under one roof. It incorporates collections from the original Hancock Museum, and Newcastle University’s former Museum of Antiquities and the Shefton Museum.
Highlights include a planetarium, a life-size replica T.rex skeleton, mummies from Ancient Egypt, a large scale model of Hadrian’s Wall and a display of many of its treasures, and a superb collection of ancient Greek art and archaeology.
To read more about meetings, conferences and events at Newcastle's Great North Museum, please click here.
www.greatnorthmuseum.org
ENDS
Notes to editors:
The Great North Museum is a partnership between Newcastle University, Tyne & Wear Museums, Newcastle City Council, the Natural History Society of Northumbria and the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne.
The creation of the Great North Museum: Hancock has been made possible by £8.75million in funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), in addition to generous funding from a wide range of supporters including the European Regional Development Fund, One North East, Newcastle University, Newcastle City Council, TyneWear Partnership, Northern Rock Foundation, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Garfield Weston Foundation, Clore Duffield Foundation and the DCMS/Wolfson Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund.
The Great North Museum: Hancock building, land and over £20 million of the Natural History Collection within the museum are owned by the Natural History Society of Northumbria.
The creation of the Great North Museum: Hancock is part of the wider Great North Museum project involving the redevelopment of the magnificent Hancock Museum, the management of the Hatton Gallery and the development of The Great North Museum Resource Centre.
Heritage Lottery Fund
Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported more than 28,800 projects, allocating over £4.3billion across the UK, with over £208 million granted in the North East alone. Website: www.hlf.org.uk