Were you in Great Yarmouth on Monday to see the arrival of the Nao Santa Maria? This replica of Christopher Columbus’s flagship is docked at South Quay until Monday 21 July.
The Nao Santa Maria is not an exact replica of the original though, for two reasons. Firstly, fibreglass was used in her construction and she has engines to back up her sails. The latter seems sensible, given her schedule of visits.
And then, no-one knows for certain her exact dimensions because she was lost during Columbus’s first voyage in 1492. Her timbers were used to build Fuerte Navidad on Hispaniola, the first Spanish settlement in the Americas.
Fine details don’t really matter though, because this is a great opportunity to get a taste of what it was like aboard a sailing ship in the late 15th century. The ship is equipped as a museum, with a recreation of conditions aboard, exhibits and live displays. If you visit, bear in mind that her sister ships were half her size. Imagine setting off into the unknown in such tiny ships.
It’s rather sad that the BBC chose to focus on fictional pirates though rather than the real stories of the exploration of the Americas. There has always been plenty of misinformation about Columbus e.g. the notion that he circumnavigated the globe (he didn’t). The real story is exciting enough, even if he did think he was exploring China.
Tickets are available for all dates through to Sunday 20 July and cost £5 for children 5-10, £10 for over 10s, or £30 for a family ticket.
Norman-Saxon switch
There is to be a remarkable visitor to the UK next year – the Bayeux Tapestry is to be loaned to the British Museum. In return, our own Sutton Hoo treasure, along with the Lewis Chessmen, will go to France.
It’s not on quite the same scale as the 70 metre Bayeux Tapestry, but there’s a tapestry project underway here in East Anglia. The Woodbridge Riverside Trust is creating a tapestry of the River Deben, running through time and place. There will be a talk and workshop on 26 July at the Longshed in Woodbridge. Tickets are £10, including tea and cake.
Events celebrating South Asian Heritage Month
This weekend, 12 and 13 July, sees the Festival of Thetford and Punjab 2025. This might sound an unlikely pairing, but it celebrates the links between the town and the last royal family of the Punjab, who lived at nearly Elveden. Events include a talk about Princesses Sophia Duleep Singh and Catherine Duleep Singh, who campaigned for women’s rights, and the Thomas Paine Curry Night.
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Intriguing news from Luton, where The Culture Trust has announced Priya Ramkissoon as the Lead Artist and Ragavee Balendran as a Factory Associate Artist for the latest Luton Matters commission. This will focus on celebrating and exploring South Asian Heritage, with a project called Borderlight.
This sounds interesting, with its promise of creative workshops and opportunities to get involved. However, it’s a case of watch this space – they say “Stay tuned as we begin this exciting journey, amplifying South Asian heritage through art, collaboration, and community.”
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Meanwhile in St Albans, an exhibition will be opening on 18 July, which is the first day of South Asian Heritage Month. This is also a community-led project, for which over 60 participants, spanning four generations, from multiple communities, worked together with a group of 15 co-curators to bring their stories to life.
Project Lead, Elanor Cowland at St Albans Museums said:
“Although South Asian communities are long established in St Albans, it’s a challenge to research the history of these underrepresented communities by traditional routes such as archives and museums as often they are not included in the records and information is hard to come by.
“By approaching this topic using the voices and expertise of the communities themselves, we are able to build a picture and to start to understand their experiences, and the ways in which they have shaped the local area.”
The exhibition will run until November and St Albans Museums is looking for anyone with local objects or photographs to tell these stories in the future, people from South Asian communities to interview for their permanent archives and South Asian volunteers to collect these oral histories. To share your story, or nominate a person, get in touch with the museum at museum@stalbans.gov.uk.
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A Victorian skating rink in Norwich is home to a permanent collection of South Asian arts and crafts. The South Asian Decorative Arts and Crafts Collection Trust aims to record, conserve and promote the art, crafts and cultures of South Asia and adjacent countries such as Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Indonesia and Central Asia. They have a collection of around 8,500 objects and also host a research library.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe now at Norwich Theatre
Celebrating the 75th anniversary of C.S. Lewis’s classic novel, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, touring the country and now at the Norwich Theatre Royal for three nights is a spectacular production. The quality of acting, staging and magical illusions is superb. It’s not often I wax quite so lyrical about a performance but the costumes, the clever minimalist scene changes, the puppeteering is just masterful. And a positively exquisitely dressed but evil White Witch. Possible one of the best theatre productions I have seen on or off the West End.
The adaptation of Lewis’s Narnia story is delightful with musicians and dancing adding to the energy of the performance. The matinee audience including many school parties were enchanted by the production, laughing and clapping with delight. Maybe the underlying allegorical tale of redemption, sacrifice and re-incarnation at a time of war is not fully understood by the young audience. But they will go home with joy in their hearts and, hopefully, a love for the theatre and a desire to see more.
[Review by Kate Moore]
Lion Witch and Wardrobe, Theatre Royal, Norwich 10-12 July. Other tour dates here. Here’s a trailer ⤵️
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