Museum bids for national award

WARRINGTON Museum is in the running for a national award.
The recent exhibition, “Mr Smithies and the Lost Tombs of Peru”, which attracted large numbers of visitors, has been shortlisted for an award in the Museum and Heritage Awards for Excellence.
The display was nomated in the limited budget category and judges were impressed by the team work and thought that went into the interactive exhibition which was one of the most popular staged by the museum in recent times.
Museum manager Janice Hayes said: “This acknowledgement is great news for us here at the museum. The nomination is a reflection of all the hard work put in by the staff – it was a real team effort.”
Winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on May 13.
The exhibition consisted of items collected in Peru by an enthusiastic amateur archaeologist from Warrington more than 100 years ago.
It was put together by William Smithies, formerly assistant manager of a Warrington cotton mill, but also a talented archaeologist.
Between 250-300 objects, including pottery, domestic objects and metalwork, were given to Warrington Museum in 1898 by Mr Smithies.
More of his material later came to light in museums across the North West and even in London.
His grandsons offered the museum their grandfather’s Victorian photographs of his time in Peru – and the exhibition was born.
The exhibition proved so popular, its run was extended by a month.