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Back To Basics Weekend Pitt Rivers Museum For the final time that weekend we gathered at the porter’s lodge in Magdalen College and set off for the bracing walk down to the Pitt Rivers Museum. The Morse walking tour was led most ably by our very own resident expert on all things connected with Morse*. The museum itself is located just outside what is traditionally referred to as the centre of Oxford and is housed in a beautiful building near the numerous science departments of the university and on a sunny Sunday morning is a pleasant trek. We stopped at many locations that were involved in various Inspector Morse episodes and were taken through their significance whilst also offering us an insight of the behind the scenes work that goes on and the sheer numbers of people involved in producing just one episode of the programme. On arrival we were greeted with tea and coffee before being taken to the lecture theatre where Morse Code was first publicly demonstrated according to a plaque on the wall. We were given an A-Z lecture by Mike O’Hanlon who explained all the vital historical details of the Pitt Rivers Museum and indeed, the man after whom it was named. One of the points that Mike O’Hanlon constantly touched upon was that the museum has survived because of it’s attitude to displaying it’s artefacts. The ‘granny’s attic’ effect that is created by the organisation of the artefacts is what has and will continue to endear it to different people of different ages for many years to come. At this point were due to watch a screening of DAUG before lunch, which had to be abandoned owing to an illumination deficiency within the projector (broken bulb and they don’t carry a spare one as they cost too much!). As it happened this worked out much to our advantage because it allowed the extra time needed to fully appreciate the University Museum as well as the Pitt River’s section. As a consolation members were given a free compact disc entitled ‘Music for the Oxford University Museum of Natural History’ featuring Susanne Ryden and Robert Farley, with musical direction by Roy Goodman of the European Union Baroque Orchestra. Pieces range from Teleman, to Vivaldi to Bach. If any member would like a copy there are a few still remaining at £5 including postage and packing. | |||||||||||||
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The iron-bladed knife given in 1919 to Bishop May by Zeta III, | ||
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We enjoyed a lovely buffet lunch in the upper gallery before being admitted to the Pitt River’s Museum where the entire Inspector Morse Society understandably made a beeline upstairs to have a look at the knife that was used in DAUG to murder Dr. Felix McClure. There were hundreds of artefacts in the Pitt River’s Museum (most of which should be thrown away! - Antony) from every conceivable area of the globe and combined with the informative lecture by Mike O’Hanlon, who was presented with one of the new silk Inspector Morse Society ties for his troubles, we felt that by the end of the morning we knew it very well. * Of course I refer to Lindsay Siviter who needs no introduction being the official ‘Number One Morse Fan’. | ||
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