Porthcurno Telegraph Museum awarded £82,000 (From Falmouth Packet)

Porthcurno Telegraph Museum awarded £82,000

5:51pm Tuesday 2nd October 2012 in News

Porthcurno Telegraph Museum in West Cornwall has been awarded £82,000 to preserve its unique collection of artefacts.

The historic objects, hand-built from brass and mahogany, are described as “world-shaping” by the museum and important not only within Cornwall but around the world.

Today the museum announced it had been awarded £82,000 by the Arts Council England towards preserving and redisplaying objects from its collection.

Charlotte Dando, collections manager, said: “Many of our objects are unique, dating back over 150 years, and all have specific preservation needs.

“The award from Arts Council England will fund conservation grade cases that will showcase these beautiful and important objects whilst ensuring they can be admired by future generations.”

One such object is Sir William Thompson’s Siphon Recorder, used to record signals sent via the Porthcurno to Bombay telegraph cable laid in 1870. Only two of these instruments survive – one at Porthcurno and its twin at the Science Museum London.

Larissa Paver, learning and interpretation manager, said: “The objects in our collection tell a very human story; they show us how people used technology to overcome physical boundaries and communicate with others, sometimes on the other side of the globe. 

“The re-display of objects as part of our Developing for the Future project will allow more people to explore this amazing heritage and discover how it relates to their own lives.”

The project Developing for the Future is due for completion in 2014. It will include a brand new Learning Centre and Archive, new visitor facilities and new exhibitions.