Castleward House

Went to Castleward House on Easter Monday which is now owned by The National Trust. The size and splendor of it was remarkable. It has two facades, one Gothic facing the grounds and the other Classical facing the lough. This was so built because the owners could not agree on a style so built both together. The interior reflects the outside with evidence of gothic and classical influences depending upon where you are in the house. I spoke to a guide who stated that there is no other house like it in Europe. Walking through it gave me a greater perspective on the type of lifestyle Theodosia would have experienced.

SOURCES EVALUATION CHECKLIST

Venue/Location/Person: Castleward House

Staff ·         Number - numerous as it was a Public Holiday ·         Attitude - friendly ·         Location - both outside and inside the house. One guide per room ·         Informative - Extremely and seemed to like being asked questions.	Accesssibility ·         Opening hours - change according to times of year. ·         Parking - plenty and well signposted ·         Disabled Access - Not inside the house as original features unchanged. ·         Well signposted - Yes, National Trust signs.
Resources ·         Books- leaflets available ·         Journals ·         Newspapers ·         Internet access ·         Pre-order ·         Photocopying -Photographs were allowed to be taken inside the house with the camera's flash turned off. ·         Electronic materials	Ambience ·         Policies to support study (state) ·         Social aspects for elderly ·         Social aspects for young ·         Reference Section
Building ·         Windows - many large windows ·         Design - Gothic & Classical	Other comments: An extremely well organised venue with friendly informative staff who engage well with the public. One guide confirmed which portrait was Theodosia.

Date 25.4.2011                                                        Signed  Pamela Frazer

Rathfriland Markethouse

Went to Rathfriland and took some photographs of the Markethouse. Also took some of the old Clanwilliam Arms which was a hotel owned by the family. The markethouse has been empty now for some time and is in a state of disrepair.This is sad to see as it stands proudly in the middle of the square. At a time there would have been thatched houses on the other side of the square. The signs are from Rathfriland Historical Society which has highlighted places of historical interest in Rathfriland.

Armagh Historical Studies Library

Got a phone call yesterday from the above library stating that they had found the book on Rathfriland and did I still need it. I informed her that I now had enough resources. She was very helpful and offered to photocopy the pages and post them out to me.

Local research in Rathfriland

Went to Drumballyroney Graveyard this morning and found the Magill family burial plot. Then visited Rathfriland Local Library and got lots of great resources. Think I now have enough material to begin to write the essay. The more I dig into this the more interesting it becomes.

SOURCES EVALUATION CHECKLIST

Venue/Location/Person ;  Rathfriland Local Library

Staff ·         Number: 2 ·         Attitude: Pleasant and helpful ·         Location: In office behind reception desk ·         Informative: Yes, I explained my topic and the staff member immediately started to look through the non borrowable resources.	Accesssibility ·         Opening hours: Closed Mon & Wed. Late night opening Tuesday. ·         Parking: Very limited, had to park on steep street. ·         Disabled Access: Yes, good disabled access. ·         Well signposted: Clearly signed from the street.
Resources ·         Books: Wide and varied range. Good local selection which I was looking for. ·         Journals ·         Newspapers ·         Internet access: Yes ·         Pre-order: Yes ·         Photocopying: 15p per sheet ·         Electronic materials	Ambience ·         Policies to support study (state) Silent atmosphere, quiet morning, only 3 adults in library. ·         Social aspects for elderly ·         Social aspects for young: Low tables and chairs. Designated childrens corner. Lots of information posters up. ·         Reference Section: Well signposted & informative.
Building ·         Windows: Well lit with internet and photocopying services in a separate corner. ·         Design: Building is dated. Well laid out interior.	Other comments: Staff were friendly and very helpful. One staff member searched for resources which were very useful to me.

Date: 11.03.11                                                  Signed: Pamela Frazer

Armagh Historical Studies Library

Visited the library today and spent some time gathering information about Rathfriland Markethouse. Got lots of information on the genealogy of Theodosia Hawkins-Magill. Extremely interesting and the staff were most helpful.

SOURCES EVALUATION CHECKLIST

Venue/Location/Person:  Armagh Historical Studies Library

Staff ·         Number  3 ·         Attitude- Pleasant, welcoming & helpful ·         Location – Reception just inside the door. ·         Informative - Extremely	Accesssibility ·         Opening hours- Mon/Tue/Fri/Sat 9.30am-1 & 2-5pm Thurs 9.30am-1pm & 2-8pm ·         Parking – Large free car park ·         Disabled Access – Lift ·         Well signposted - Yes
Resources ·         Books – excellent variety ·         Journals ·         Newspapers – I used the Rathfriland Outlook ·         Internet access – 4 computers ·         Pre-order – Yes, I phoned ahead and 2 books had been left out for me by another staff member but could not be found. ·         Photocopying – 10p per sheet ·         Electronic materials	Ambience ·         Policies to support study (state) Silent atmosphere Mobiles on silent Good study environment ·         Social aspects for elderly – Yes, I heard on elderly gentleman being called by his name and booking a slot again for next week. ·         Social aspects for young - None ·         Reference Section - Excellent
Building ·         Windows – Well lit building ·         Design – Old building	Other comments: When I arrived and asked for my pre-order, staff could not find them and searched everywhere to no avail. They provided me with lots of other relevant sources and were most apologetic. Took my phone number for when they turn up.

Date: 10.03.11                                                   Signed: Pamela Frazer

Now the research begins!

Got my evaluation checklist complete and have been in touch with Armagh Historical Studies Library. Going to visit on Thursday and am looking forward to getting the research started. Next step is to meet a member of Rathfriland Historical Society.

Learning to blog

Hi everyone. Beginning to research Rathfriland Markethouse and the history behind it.

SRC RESEARCH PROJECT

Onto the next step of our research module and now have to create a blog. This will detail my journey of using a wide variety of resources.