Agenda item

To view a presentation on achievements at Keats House April-September 2024

The Committee viewed a presentation on achievements at Keats House April to September 2024, noting the following points:

-       The ‘Hidden Histories of Keats House’ exhibition is currently in place;

-       2025 will be the 100^th anniversary of the House opening as a museum and a range of events are expected to take place to commemorate that, including information on its historical context;

-       A range of events take place at the House on Saturdays including events for families with young children, and late evening events;

-       The recent Open House event was a success;

-       Two major partnership conferences took place: the Keats Foundation Conference in May 2024 (scheduled to run from 16 to 18 May 2025); and the Shelley Conference in July 2024;

-       Learning programmes have been successful and include initiatives for schoolchildren at KS3 and KS4 in particular;

-       The City of London Corporation’s Education Strategy Unit (ESU) funds the Culturally Speaking programme that included, in its 2023-24 programme, partnership work with a wide range of cultural museums and institutions (with Dr Johnson’s House joining the group in 2025). A a wide range of students from different backgrounds were welcomed under the aegis of Culturally Speaking;

-       A new collections management database system is expected to be in place in 2025 that will deliver better search capabilities;

-       Re-accreditation processes will be rolled out from May 2025;

-       The input of the Heath Hands team is valued; and

-       The House continues to support the local community via events such as local art fairs.

A Member sought confirmation that information stored in the new collections system could be used and accessed by anyone. The meeting heard that the new database will mean that researchers and members of the public will, for the first time, be able to access the full range of what is held. 

A Member asked whether proposed logos and straplines for the centenary programme would be circulated for comment, and the meeting heard that the draft graphics were being presented at the meeting to the Committee for the first time and that further consultation would take place.  

The meeting noted that a lawnmower is needed at Keats House (KH) following changes in the organisation of the Open Spaces Department resulting in the loss of the some gardening services. Heath Hands has continued to contribute to the upkeep of the House. Part of an agreement with Heath Hands involves the purchase by KH of a lawnmower that will be operated by Heath Hands.

A Member asked where collaborative partnership within City of London Corporation assets could be further invoked and where support was needed (including around environmental considerations and digitalisation), suggesting that some kind of cultural asset management apprenticeship scheme could be developed. The meeting noted that partnerships are ongoing, and that further initiatives are expected to be launched on the back of the 100 year celebrations to include volunteer recruitment. The meeting noted that some apprenticeship and trainee positions have been arranged through other means, but that the CoLC family of cultural partners could generate more opportunities. The meeting noted that the collection management system being rolled out is already in use at the Guildhall Art Gallery though requirements across museums vary greatly - noting also comments from Members urging caution on giving power to a single provider of such systems.

On museum accreditation for Keats House and The View (Epping Forest Collection), the meeting heard that the process is ongoing.

A Member commented that there is merit in exploring the potential to get involved in a literary festival for spring 2025 arranged by the Fleet Street Business Improvement District, which recently commissioned a cultural strategy for the area that has a significant focus on the power of the spoken and written word.

A Member commented that May 2025 is also the 100^th anniversary of the publication of the Virginia Woolf novel ‘Mrs Dalloway’ that has a strong London emphasis, noting also the writers of the time involved in Keats House’s opening in 1925 including Thomas Hardy, John Masefield, Edmund Gosse and W.B. Yeats.