Two good exhibitions at the Central Library. First, in the foyer, be entranced by ethereal singing (plain chant?) which may make you wonder if you’ve gone into the Cathedral by mistake. Follow the sublime sound to story boards denoting the history of the Dean and Chapter of St Augustine’s Abbey of which our Cathedral remains. Many of the records were destroyed by the iconoclasts at the time of Edward VI, 1547-53, when the service books were replaced by the new Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Such vandalism must make you weep,  whatever your religious persuasion (or none),  All done in the name of love of Jesus. Beware those who know “The Truth” as my Philosophy lecturer used to say. The broken bits of parchment were used as draught excluders, plugs for beer barrels, baking sheets, even kindling for domestic fires.  A surviving fragment of a Temperere, a list of masses,  from 1350 contains notation which is recognisable as a musical score.   Exceptionally poignant.

Upstairs in the corridor leading to the Reference Library, in contrast,  there is an exhibition to mark the centenary of the BAC with illustrated items from the Local History and Reference Library collections including a piece of a Cody 1910 aeroplane, a children’s textile of the Bristol Balloon Fiesta, Boy’s Annuals from the 1930s, newspaper cuttings featuring early “birdmen” and balloonists with special reference to Bristol’s own historical daredevils. I have always been intrigued that we still have “Air Balloon Hill” at St George which commemorates an early landing. http://fishponds.org.uk/balloon.html 

Visitors are invited to leave anecdotes from their own flying experience, particularly of “exotic” travel from Bristol. As my most exotic flight from Lulsgate in the early 1960s was by Dan Air to Glasgow, I don’t think this counts. I remember a fog delay and once airborne, being told to extinguish my cigarette and offered barley sugar to suck during take off.  Even with the barley sugar, my ears popped alarmingly. The girl who would become my bridesmaid was an air hostess with Dan Air. An occupation then thought of as extremely glamourous and highly sought after. 

What fun it must be to put such exhibitions together!