Conversations and Memories – a 2018 celebration at Crich Tramway Village

A 2018 announcement advertised a celebratory weekend at Crich Tramway Village on 28 and 29 April for the installation of Musson+Retallick’s First World War sculptures.

The permanent installation, ‘Conversations and Memories’ is a legacy to the tramway men, women and their families whose lives were lost or changed by the Great War.  The duo’s Barnsley Somme memorial, Light Lines, was recognised by the Civic Trust Awards in 2017.

A figure-like arrangement of tram rails braced in a field

A person pressure-washes lengths of tram rail

Tramways throughout the UK lost many men to the war effort. The tramway industry was also host to significant social change. Female tram workers became more visible in positions of authority. The 1918 Representation of the People Act gave some women the parliamentary vote; equal voting rights with men followed in 1928. Recruitment trams were the scene for life-changing moments. Injured men returning from war often could not physically access trams. The National Tramway Museum’s Nationally Designated collections include a range of fascinating material relevant to the period, including oral history recordings, rolls of honour, employee records, wage books and photographs.

An orange open-top tram on the street at Crich Tramway Village

Musson+Retallick used the Museum archives and community engagement to inspire the final artwork, which consists of groups of abstract steel figures installed at different locations around the museum. Each group of figures represents a different story relating to material in the collection.

The museum describes five sculptures made from tram rail, each telling a different story of the First World War.

Metal rail figures in a field below a hilltop tower

Two people examine and photograph a drawing in an archive Rail sculptures standing in a field with a tower on the ridge

The artists developed designs through a series of creative workshops with visitors, local schools, community groups, and museum volunteers. The advertised weekend programme included post-installation talks and walks with Musson+Retallick.

Curator of Crich Tramway Village, Laura Waters, said:

“We will be offering sessions that allow access to parts of the Museum’s collection, not usually available to view, which inspired the artworks. There will also be art activities for children and families throughout the weekend, as well the opportunity to ride on the historic trams and explore the rest of the Tramway Village”.

The original article said that ‘Conversations and Memories’ was made possible by National Lottery players through the Heritage Lottery Fund’s First World War then and now programme, Arts Council England, Derbyshire Freemasons through Foundation Derbyshire and Derbyshire County Council’s Community Leadership Scheme. It also said that Museum Development East Midlands’ Working with Artists programme supported the museum in the development of the project and the selection of Artists.

For current visitor information, see the National Tramway Museum.