'Visual symbol' of town restored and back in place

16 minutes ago

Eleanor MaslinEast Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

The 19th-century weathervane has been placed back on the top of Spalding Gentlemen's Society rooftop following restoration

Spalding Gentlemen's Society A weathervane shaped as a three-masted seagoing vessel with a black and white bottom and small Union Jack flag on its side is on top of a roof. In the background you can see various buildings and houses down below. — The 19th-century weathervane has been placed back on the top of Spalding Gentlemen's Society rooftop following restoration

A "very visual symbol" of Spalding's history is back on a museum rooftop after 150 hours of restoration.

Dating back to 1810, the weathervane, mostly made of copper, depicts a three-masted seagoing vessel.

It was placed back onto Spalding Gentlemen's Society museum roof on Broad Street on 4 November after it was refurbished by one of the museum's members, Robert Frost.

Dustin Frazier Wood, head of collections and operations at the society said: "That ship really represented a very long, hundreds of years history of shipping in Spalding and its connections with the world."

The weathervane was originally situated in the former Ship Warehouse in Double Street before it was demolished in 1964. It was first displayed on the museum's rooftop in 1996.

Wood said the restoration was needed as the weathervane had been "exposed to the elements for nearly 200 years".

He said: "This is a place in theory you could board ship and go out to sea around the world as so many people in Spalding did.

"For the town it's that very visible symbol of the history of the place and its connection to the wider world."

The weathervane was first erected on top of Spalding Gentlemen's Society museum in 1996

Spalding Gentlemen's Society A weathervane with a black post and gold pointers coming out of it is being placed back onto the top of a roof. You can make out a ship as part of the top of the weather vane. People in helmets and yellow high-vis are sat around it securing it back into place. — The weathervane was first erected on top of Spalding Gentlemen's Society museum in 1996

Spalding Gentlemen's Society began in 1710 with informal meetings at a coffee house in Abbey Yard, after it was founded by Maurice Johnson of Ayscoughfee Hall.

The museum and building is currently undergoing a renovation which was launched in 2025 and the first phase of the project is funded by a Museum Estate & Development Fund (MEND) grant, the society said.

It comes after the society said the building was "subsiding and placing strain on the original structure" following extensions.

"These essential works will help secure the building's future for generations to come and enable the society's museum to be repaired, refurbished, and fully re-displayed for the first time in over a century," the society said.

The society added that the re-erection of the weathervane "marked a step towards the museum reopening for visitors in spring 2027".

Collections in the museum represent all time periods and all seven continents, Wood said.

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