Ypres Cathedral Key ??

[jwp2007]

Interesting article from my local newspaper,

 

THE Folly Museum at Settle is asking people to decide on whether it ought to return a key  to Ypres.

The Museum of North Craven Life has been given the key bearing a label with the words ‘Key to Ypres Cathedral destroyed in 1914/18 War. Found by a soldier who was there’ .

It is currently part of the Great Silence Exhibition, but the museum is undecided what it ought to do with it and has asked people to vote on its Facebook page.

It was passed on to the museum by the late Cliff and Muriel Humphries of Burton-in- Lonsdale, both of who taught at Ingleton school for many years. The label was in a box handed over to the museum which also included a piece of a land mine, another mystery key, and a Roman oil lamp and had been used as a kind of ‘handling’ box by the school.

The museum says abut the key: “We have no written provenance for the object apart from the label. We have no proof that it is what it claims to be, but sometimes we have to trust our instinct and accept that we may just be holding something quite significant.”

Now, it is asking people whether it ought to keep the key, ask Ypres Cathedral whether it would like it back, or do something else with it.

 

Be most interested in other forum members thoughts on this !

 

John.

 

 

[depaor01]

Wow. On the basis that collectors should not "buy the story", the key itself really has no intrinsic value as things stand. My gut feeling is that the cathedral should be offered it. If it passes validation then it's theirs. If not, then flog unattributed on fleabay.

My tuppence.

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[OLD ROBIN HOOD]

Greetings from Sherwood Forest

My feeling is that the label should read "A key from Ypers Cathedral ? "  a cathedral is a very large building with many doors

and many locks, this key could have fitted any of them . It is highly improbable that any of these now exist. I  don't think that there

would be any gain for anyone by sending it back. it should stay where it is as an interesting curio.

 

                                                            Old Robin Hood

[Marilyne]

curious... 

something fishy about it if you ask me... 

 

M.

[JWK]

I'd ask Ypres Cathedral first whether they want this key or not.

It could well be they reply with a "No thank you, we've already got boxes full of them". Then frame it with the story of how it got to this museum (Nice building btw!), display it and let the visitor decide.

If on the other hand Ypres Cathedral is very, very, very interested. Well, then ask the volunteers/visitors what to do with it.

 

 

 

[jwp2007]

many thanks all for your comments.