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School pupils' Mayflower exhibition goes online at Gainsborough Old Hall

Jul 07, 2020

Gainsborough Old Hall closed its doors in March 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak, meaning the public was not able to enjoy their collections and exhibitions - including a special display of Mayflower work created by local schools.

Pupils from across West Lindsey and North Nottinghamshire were invited to participate in the Schools' Pilgrim Exhibition, which involved creating pieces or work inspired by the Mayflower story.

During lockdown, West Lindsey District Council worked with Gainsborough Old Hall to make this exhibition available online for all to enjoy.

Gainsborough and North Nottinghamshire have strong connections to the historic story as the Separatists, who later became known as the Pilgrims, came from this area.

It was in this very region that they decided to break away from the established church and later travelled on the Mayflower to North America.

Six schools participated in the exhibition - Beckingham Primary School, Bracken Lane Primary Academy, Frances Olive Anderson Church of England Primary School, Misterton Primary School, Scotter Primary School, and Warren Wood Specialist Academy - with children from Years 1 to 6 creating more than 100 pieces of work.

The youngsters could be as creative as they liked and could make 2D or 3D pieces of art, creative writing or poetry.

Faye Pudney, Visitor Economy Project Officer at West Lindsey District Council, said: "We wanted to be able to make it possible for everyone to see all the hard work our local schools have put into the exhibition.

"We're thankful to the team at Gainsborough Old Hall for allowing us safe access so that we could capture this wonderful exhibition which is now available to view on our website."

Cllr Paul Howitt-Cowan, Member Champion for Heritage and Tourism at West Lindsey, added: "I'm delighted that this exhibition has been made available to the public.

"Gainsborough Old Hall is a treasured attraction in Gainsborough and West Lindsey, and we look forward to seeing visitors being able to return soon."

Victoria Mason Hines is the Visitor Experience Manager at Gainsborough Old Hall. She said: "We were really pleased with the number of schools who engaged with us on this project and the quality of work which was produced.

"It is great to be able to give the public a preview of the children's art work and we are still hoping to have this work on display at the Hall when we reopen."

The Schools’ Pilgrim Exhibition is now available to view online here.