This hands-on experience enabled Val to advise upon museum interpretation and to create themes which capture visitors’ imagination,\u00a0 helping them to make meaning of the past.<\/p>\n Advice to the Theatres Trust<\/strong> on the interpretation of Normansfield Hospital Theatre<\/p>\n Assessment of and proposals for future use of Twyford Bathrooms<\/strong> business archive<\/p>\n Support for Barley Hall<\/strong><\/a>, York in a successful HLF bid for interpretation and outreach work<\/p>\n Cowper’s House from the garden<\/p><\/div>\n Interpretation planning, working with trustees and volunteers, for the Cowper & Newton Museum<\/strong><\/a> in Olney (with Matthews Millman).<\/p>\n Advice to the Suffolk Punch Trust<\/strong> on inter-pretation in advance of an HLF grant application (with Matthews Millman)<\/p>\n Interpretative planning for a new Shrewsbury Museum<\/a><\/strong> at the Music Hall in the town (with Artservice\/Matthews Millman)<\/p>\n Interpretative and management planning for new Havering Museum<\/a> <\/strong>in part of former Romford Brewery (with David McCabe Design); curatorial and interpretative input to HLF application (grant awarded Feb 2008), research and script writing, working within design team, Museum opened May 2010<\/p>\n Interpretative planning for Lewes Castle and Barbican House<\/a><\/strong> for Sussex Past (with David McCabe Design) at Stage 1 of and HLF funded project. Stage 2 funding was awarded and the project is now completed.<\/p>\n Audience development plan for City of Westminster Music Library<\/strong> (with Matthews Millman)<\/p>\n Hogarth’s House as the artist saw it<\/p><\/div>\n Support for HLF application for Hogarth\u2019s House <\/a>(Hounslow Council),<\/strong> grant awarded\u00a0 in 2008. Chair of steering group for refurbishment, devised new inter-pretative scheme and provided curatorial support to client for the project. House re-opened to visitors November 2011. She also worked with Hounslow officers on a successful second bid for the Mulberry Garden Project at Hogarth’s House.<\/p>\n Concept development for interpretation of the House Mill,<\/a> Bromley-by-Bow<\/strong> and advice on funding strategy, in advance of submission of funding applications. A substantial Stage 1 HLF grant was awarded in November 2010 and Val continues to advise the River Lea Tidal Mill Trust.<\/p>\n Interpretative planning for Toynbee Hall<\/a><\/strong> in East London, working with Jura Consultants on a successful HLF application.<\/p>\n Initial interpretative planning for The London Charterhouse<\/strong><\/a>, working with Museum of London staff and Jura Consultants for a successful HLF application.<\/p>\n Hertford Brewery, architect’s perspective, 1891<\/p><\/div>\n The Brewery Story<\/strong>, a museum about McMullens’ Brewery in Hertford<\/a>, opened in June 2012 in the town’s new Sainsbury’s store. Val Bott co-ordinated the project, with David McCabe<\/a> (3-d design), Toni Marshall (graphics) and Bob Farrow<\/a> (technical support and mount-making), using objects and images from McMullens’ collection. Steve Beeston<\/a> did the digital photography including photos of the Whole Hop Brewery today.<\/p>\n Thomas Rowlandson, Richmond Park<\/p><\/div>\n Val worked with Pat Astley Cooper, advising the late Daniel Hearsum of Pembroke Lodge<\/strong> on developing a project to create a Richmond Park visitor centre. Sadly, despite a number of high quality grant applications this was never implemented.<\/p>\n Sandycombe Lodge<\/p><\/div>\n Val advised on interpretative planning for Turner’s House<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0 Sandycombe Lodge, whose transformation with the support of HLF funding opened in 2017. This is the house which J M W Turner designed and built in Twickenham for himself.<\/p>\n The Chiswick Pier Trust installed an information panel<\/a><\/strong> close to Chiswick Pier which provides a brief history of Corney Reach. Designed by Toni Marshall, Val researched the storyline and images and compiled the text.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/valbott.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/T-M-Rooke.jpg\" "\\"T")
<\/a> With the support of an expert steering group, Val devised the new interpretative scheme for Hogarth’s House<\/strong>. This uses a local history rather than an art history approach to set the artist’s home into a Chiswick and London history context and people it with Hogarth’s friends and family as well as other past residents. The House re-opened in November 2011 and visitors are enthusiastic about this new approach. Her book <\/a>on the history and occupants of Hogarth’s House was published in 2012. Val was awarded the MBE in the 2014 Queen’s Birthday Honours for her work with Hogarth’s House.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>