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Obituary: Tom Wells
The announcement of Tom Wells' death on December 1 will have saddened all those involved with Cuckfield Museum from the time of its establishment in 1979 until Tom's move to Scotland early in 2003.
During this period of nearly 25 years, Tom was the mainstay of the museum in many ways. Nickola Smith, the museum's first curator, remembers his generous and skilled practical help in the preparation of exhibitions, and his building of the cabinet bookcase to house the museum's reference library.
By the time I became curator, at the beginning of 2001, Tom was a museum trustee, representing the Old Cuckfieldians, but still contributing actively to the life of the museum, and taking his turn on the Stewards' Rota. His Cuckfield credentials went back for generations and he was the authority on all matters to do with Cuckfield Town.
Whenever visitors' questions required recourse to his knowledge and expertise, we would check the rota to see when he was on next, and advise them to book in.
Tom would always place his craftsmanship at the service of the museum. Stained glass rescued from the demolished Knowle House was turned into an eye-catching landing window and also a sequence of decorative screens, representing the seasons, framed using recycled wood, some from redundant church pews. Antique chairs were refurbished. A clock fixture Tom contrived was so admired by specialist clock restorers at West Dean College that they made a detailed drawing of it to copy themselves.
From picture-framing to designing a wooden 'toadstool' to support an Edwardian plumed hat, Tom could always be relied upon to produce a solution to any display problem. He was particularly proud of one exhibit – a collection of football team photographs in which he featured. We would point out to visitors that he was the handsome goalie in the dark jersey.
Two groups of objects in the museum collection are particularly associated with Tom Wells and his family. The First World War 'ditty box', donated by Tom, belonged to George Botting, who had married Tom's aunt, May Wells, not long before going to the Front. When George was tragically killed, the ditty box and its contents, some very personal, were sent back to be collected by May from Haywards Heath Station.
As a young widow, May is included in a photograph of the Cuckfield glovemakers. This home industry was organised by the indomitable Emily Wells, May's mother and Tom's grandmother. To add to material assembled a number of years ago by the W.I., Tom brought in to the museum, as a farewell donation before his move north, a pair of pristine, long kid gloves.
Until I left the museum, at the end of 2005, I continued to consult Tom. For his invaluable contributions to the Cuckfield archive, for his numerous donations to the museum collection, and for the important part he played in creating the actual fabric of the museum, he will be remembered with the greatest of appreciation and much affection.
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Weather for Haywards Heath
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 0 C to 2 C
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Light sleet showers
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