The Beaney in Canterbury

[Grandad]

This is really in response to a question that RS asked in another thread. She said she had seen a picture of a building, The Beaney, in my home city and would like to know more about it so here goes...

The Beaney is an Art Gallery, Museum, Public Library and Tea Room situated in the heart of the historic city of Canterbury. It reopened to the public in September 2012 after a £14 million refurbishment and extension half of which was funded by the National Lottery. Originally known as 'The Beaney Institute, Public Library and Museum' it was renamed 'The Beaney, House of Art and Knowledge'.

The building takes its name from its benefactor Doctor James George Beaney (1828 - 1891) who left £10,000 towards the creation of a library and museum for the benefit of the ordinary people of the district. James Beaney himself came from very humble beginnings and through his good fortune in life wished to give something back to the city of his birth. After an apprenticeship in the city he went to Edinburgh to study medicine and then spent most of his life practicing medicine in Australia where he became a renowned physician.

The building cost a total of £15,000 and the balance of £5,000 was provided by the city council. The building stands in the middle of the east side of High Street on the site of the former Coaching Inn, The George and Dragon, which was demolished to allow construction of The Beaney. The original museum and library opened to the public in September 1899.

I well remember The Beaney from my youth. It was a musty place, very brown everywhere and still in the Victorian style. One particular memory is when I found an old coin in the garden at home, when I was about 12. I took it to the curator who identified it as Roman from the time of Pope Pius I and offered me 2s 6d which I accepted. Good pocket money in 1946.

The building still retains many of its original Victorian features although these have been brightened up. The new extension that includes the Library and most Museum Galleries is very much 'of today'. Here are some pictures from this afternoon of the exterior and some of the galleries.

From an 18th century watercolour with the coach at The George and Dragon Inn


View from approximately the same point today with The Beaney on the right.


The original exterior viewed from the north.


Detail of first floor windows and gable ends.


The original front entrance


A popular spot for buskers


The 'Front Room' with a display of works for sale. This was originally the reference library


The 'Garden Room' originally the public library but now devoted solely to works by Canterbury born artist, Thomas Sidney Cooper (1803 - 1902)


Tea Room with antique bicycles hung around the wall


The side entrance to the new extension


Foyer of the new extension


Part of the library with interactive book search


The original staircase. A stuffed lion used to stand where the floor grill is now


Top of the staircase in the 1899 building


People and places gallery


Looking through to Materials and Masters gallery


Display case in Materials and Masters gallery


Explorers and Collectors gallery. Included in one of the cabinets is a small collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts


I hope some of you will find some interest in this piece, in particular you RS

[LovelyLadyLux]

I've found it SUPER interesting. Very interesting indeed.

[Horus]

Smashing set of photos Grandad and a nice little potted history to go with it. It certainly is a very charming old building and I like the melding of the old and new with the modern galleries, shame they didn't keep the stuffed lion though.

[Grandad]

shame they didn't keep the stuffed lion though.

I expect the moths got at it

Thank you both for your comments. It was something to do yesterday afternoon especially as RS had asked the question. LLL, are you OK? I was expecting a question or two from you.

[Kiya]

Super looking building inside & out, old & new mix well together.

Love the ornate stairway even underneath.

And noticed in the 2nd last photo far corner...is that pattern woven into the carpet corners ?

And to me the art pictures look though they are hung low down on the walls, is there a reason for this ?

Thanks for the history of the building & photos....Super

[Ruby Slippers]

Grandad, thank you, thank you, thank you! That is an absolutely wonderful synopsis of a fabulous building! I think I will have to make the effort to get to Canterbury in the very near future, although your great photos have more than paid justice to it. One fact surprised me more than any other and that is the fact that it is a Victorian building! When I first saw photos, I really thought it would be Elizabethan at the latest. All I can say is that whoever designed the original building showed a measure of forethought which surprises me in Victorian times. Many thanks again for taking the time and making the effort to do this, primarily for me. I hope the other members here have enjoyed and appreciated your work as much as I have.

[Grandad]

@RS I am glad you like my post RS, made the little bit of effort worthwhile

As you have not been to the city for so many years I think that if at all possible it would be worthwhile to see changes that have happened since your last visit and also that the whole city centre is pedestrianised.

@Kiya I can't answer your question about the carpet, you look too closely I would think that the carpet was made to fit the room and the border IS woven into the design. As for low hung pictures, that is quite common in galleries as opposed to say, stately homes. The thing is you want to be able to stand back and view the art at eye level. There is also the need to accommodate the disabled and wheelchair bound.

And to you all, thank you for your comments. As Horus has said before, it does take a little while to put together these little picture stories but if you find them of interest then it is worthwhile....Thank you

[Kiya]

It was the corner that caught my eye, rather nice it is too.

And low hung art not only for disabled people but us shorties too like me.

[Grandad]

RS, I can understand why you thought the building was Elizabethan. The building was designed by the City Surveyor of the day Mr A H Campbell. A little further up the street there is an Elizabethan building AD 1573. This was always The Elizabethan Tea Rooms but is now a Neros Cafe and unfortunately they have painted over some of the original decoration at the front that I think is sacrilege.

Something I like to do is find a postcard image and try to replicate it. In this collage the Tea Room is to the left, I would guess that the postcard is Edwardian around 1910 so the collage represents a difference of about 100 years. I could not get quite the same perspective because the original image was taken from a raised platform or step ladder.

[LovelyLadyLux]

@Grandad - actually I only skimmed it yesterday as was really busy - income tax prep + twin + quilt finishing (finished both for the boys) + getting ready for Herself's birthday tomorrow (the granddaughter is now 3) so I need to go back as I sometimes do and look more thoroughly at my leisure which is when the question perk in my mind.

What I did notice yesterday that struck me was the weather vane. Do you know - What is the design on the top? In the first photo the top is cut off (or at least I can't see it) and in the second it is positioned head on so I don't get the outline. Do you think this is decorative or functional? And I wonder when the weather vane was actually put up there? Do you think it would be or could be original to the building? I'm sure it is updated or modernized but I wonder when it was actually added to the building?

[Grandad]

LLL, although I am sure there has always been a weathervane on the roof I am inclined to think the current one is not original. In this collage the left hand is a crop from another of my pics and the right is a postcard from c1930. Not very clear but they do not look the same.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Very interesting Grandad - there is nothing on top I was wondering what was up there. Do you think the original weather vane was a cross? (I might be seeing it wrong) Or was it actually a turnable weather vane?

I like weathervanes myself and have been half thinking how I could get one in the backyard here on top of either a pole or on top of the shed.

[Ruby Slippers]

RS, I can understand why you thought the building was Elizabethan. The building was designed by the City Surveyor of the day Mr A H Campbell. A little further up the street there is an Elizabethan building AD 1573. This was always The Elizabethan Tea Rooms but is now a Neros Cafe and unfortunately they have painted over some of the original decoration at the front that I think is sacrilege.

Something I like to do is find a postcard image and try to replicate it. In this collage the Tea Room is to the left, I would guess that the postcard is Edwardian around 1910 so the collage represents a difference of about 100 years. I could not get quite the same perspective because the original image was taken from a raised platform or step ladder.

Grandad, looking at the two photos, they look as though they haven't just painted over the original features - they've annihilated them! All the mouldings on the upper storey are missing! That's pure vandalism!

[Grandad]

I do so agree RS. The building was always as in the postcard picture. I was born in the city so have long memories of it. I find it hard to believe that some coffee house chain was able to destroy the original frontage. I have to assume that there was no preservation order on the building but I find that hard to believe.

RS, I found this web page and maybe they have not spoiled the fromt too much and any decoration could be removed to get back to the original. But it has now lost its authentic look.
http://machadoink.com/Queen%20Elizabeth ... ambers.htm

[Jayway]

Lovely to see the photos, Grandad. The Neros cafe should be sued for ruining a beautiful building.

[Grandad]

Something else I like to do with old postcards is take a picture from the same viewpoint and then meld the images like this one using a photo editor. It is Butchery Lane in the city with about 100 years difference between the left (today) and right (late Victorian/Edwardian)



The sort of thing Horus and I (and Kiya) idle our time doing

[LovelyLadyLux]

I must day all your street signs are very nice. Are there rules and regs about signs there?

Here it often seems signs are just slapped up anywhere and everywhere and they're often seem cheaply hand painted. Signs there seem to have a period look to them. They're nice and tasteful.

[Grandad]

@LLL. Generally speaking; shop, restaurant, and pub signs do tend to be appealing. Pub signs in particular have always been very representative of the Public House name. Here are just nine typical ones from around the city. I have not counted but I guess there are over 100 pubs, or licensed premises, in this small city of only around 30.000 people. (plus a similar number of University students)

[LovelyLadyLux]

@Grandad - quite like those signs. They're more than interesting and took some thought to design them. The Seven Stars is a bit basic but the other ones are quite nice. The lettering on the buildings is nice too. It all seems quite thematic.