8 favourite pieces in Warrington Museum and Art Gallery

Once a week? Once a year? Not since you were at school?

Well which is your favourite thing you always search for?

We asked eight members of staff at Warrington Museum and Art Gallery to tell us their favourite piece in the much-loved Warrington institution.

Next time you are there, check them out. If you have never been before, it is well worth a visit and entry is free.

It is open Wednesday to Friday from 10am to 4.30pm; Saturday 10am to 4pm; Sunday 11am to 3pm

Nicola Blackledge, visitor services assistant

“My favourite object would be the earthenware bust of Hercules in the Cabinet of Curiosities Gallery.

“I like him for the simple reason that he reminds me very much of Brian Blessed, and that makes me smile.”

Roger Jeffery, producer

“I’ve chosen the anatomical plant models in the Botany Gallery. They were made by the Brendel company in Germany in the late nineteenth century who employed expert model makers and botanists to produce amazingly accurate large scale plant models using basic materials such as papier-mâché, wood and plaster.

“At the time they were educational props designed to demonstrate the hitherto undiscovered world which could be seen with new advances in optical microscopy.”

Philip Jeffs, heritage and archives officer

The item I have picked is a tile from the floor of Warrington Friary. At first glance you could easily walk past it, its details hidden in the shadows, but next time you are in the museum stop and have a look.

In the museum we have lots of these small terracotta tiles which would have made up complicated geometrical patterns throughout the Friary complex. But the tile I have chosen is a bit of an oddity. Rather than just being a shape in a wider pattern, it shows a lion sticking its tongue out at a flower.

My job at the museum is looking after the archives, in historical manuscripts we often find lions looking far too friendly for their own good, lions with curly hair, lions with big toothy smiles, and lions with big round eyes. There’s something comforting about a dangerous wild animal, a symbol of power and authority, looking vaguely comical and rather harmless.

Whilst the image itself is fun, the tile also reminds us that so much of Warrington’s history is still there beneath our feet (either literally or metaphorically). So much more could be found out at any time – before the Friary digs, we knew almost nothing about the layout of the site or about what the buildings looked like.

Incidentally, as with much of our local history, there is still plenty to find out with this tile, what does a lion sticking its tongue out at a flower mean? That is a question I will leave with you.

Thomas Loussouarn, visitor services assistant

I’ve selected this painting by Daniel Donbavand, as I’ve always had an interest in the built environment. This depiction of Warrington townscape, dating from 1772, showcases a number of landmarks and sites – from Bank Quay on the left to Warrington Bridge on the right. Some of the buildings, such as the Town Hall or Holy Trinity Church, are easily recognisable.

Others have gone (the Old Court House, on the site of what is now Golden Square) or been altered through the years (St Elphin’s parish church). Donbavand’s painting was the first detailed and accurate image of the town, showing a view towards the town centre from the Cheshire side of the river Mersey.

Given the changes occurring to Warrington’s skyline in the past two and a half centuries, this 18th century view would be hard to recreate today!

Katy Melville, education officer

My chosen museum object sits within the World Cultures gallery which is my favourite space within the museum. Here you are surrounded by a kaleidoscope of eclectic artefacts from all over the globe illuminated on glass shelves in wall cases which flank all sides of the space. The object is found within the Americas case, from a place which sounds as if from a storybook- Cape Barrow, Nunavut, Canada. Here hangs a pair of Inuit snow goggles used to protect the wearer from the intense glare of the Arctic snow. The eye pieces are carved from wood, scooped out curves like two halves of a large nutshell with neat, narrow slits chiselled like piggy bank slots. They are held together by a surprisingly decorative array of seven-inch-long strings of blue glass beads. I wonder how those numb or thickly gloved fingers made and threaded the tiny beads. The goggles are tied in place with strings on each end. It’s a simple, essential, and well-designed object- curiously decorative- a perfect accessory to enable the wearer to manage the challenges of their land.

Amanda Moore, education and sustainability officer

“My favourite object is the Mummified Boy. He was around 14 when he died in c. 300BC. He was given to us in 1885, but we don’t know anything else about him, not even where he was from.

“In ancient Egyptian culture, it was important to have the name or identity of the dead person with their mummy. That way, part of the soul (The Ka) would recognise the right body when it came to rest at night.

“Our mummified teenage boy doesn’t have a name, so I feel quite sorry for him. I always say hello on my way past him in the morning. It might sound a bit silly, but it’s important to think of him very much as a person who was once alive, not a museum object.”

Mike Roberts, operations manager

“My favourite object is the carved head from the Democratic Republic of Congo. I love African art; especially wooden carvings and this example typifies why. I think it’s so beautifully carved, the proportions of hair, face and neck all work together perfectly and looking at it, it’s easy to see how African art has massively influenced modern art and contemporary design. Her face is stylistic yet full of character, serene and yet charming at the same time. Her striking hairstyle is simply portrayed with repeated patterns and a texture which contrasts with the smoothness of her face. For me the carving is ahead of its time and reminds me of contemporary illustrators’ work like Jamie Hewlett. The carving is something I look at every day and it’s without doubt my favourite object.”

Craig Sherwood, collections officer

“My favourite object is “The Trial of a Rat for The Death of a Chick” because I am both fascinated … and slightly repelled by the art of “anthropomorphic taxidermy” where the Victorians set up stuffed animals in poses as if they were miniature humans. The most famous practitioner was Walter Potter who created guinea pig cricket matches and frog athletes, but this piece is more likely the work of William Hart and Sons who are famous for their squirrel boxing matches. Obviously.

I also like this piece because although it looks like pure whimsy it is a satire on a real-life court case. The “rat” was Grantley Berkeley (1800-1881) a regency MP and author who had a reputation for violence – he beat up one critic and fought a duel with another after his first book got a bad review! Berkeley’s favourite sport was cockfighting and he continued to hold matches after the cruel sport was banned in 1835. Grantley thought that as an MP and the son of an earl the law wouldn’t apply to him – but he was arrested, brought before the magistrates, and fined.”