Tributes paid to “endlessly fascinating” Peter Jewell, founding donor of The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum

Family and friends shared joyful tales about  the “endlessly fascinating” Peter Jewell, founding donor of Exeter’s Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, at a special event to pay tribute to his work.

Peter died earlier this year at the age of 90. He and his great friend, the renowned filmmaker Bill Douglas, spent decades amassing an amazing collection of 50,000 artefacts on the history of cinema and the moving image.

This incredible archive was gifted to the University of Exeter 30 years ago following Bill’s death and the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum is now established as the leading museum on the subject in the UK.

Peter remained a very active collector and donor, hugely invested in the running of the museum and its success, until his death in March after a short illness.

Those who knew and worked with Peter gathered at the museum to mark his huge knowledge about the objects on show, the crucial role he played at the museum, and his passion for the role it could play in people’s lives.

Peter was immensely supportive of Bill’s work as a filmmaker and gave him the emotional strength he needed to navigate the stressful and frustrating world of the film industry. Peter made a significant contribution to the films as a script editor and researcher, particularly with Bill’s final epic about The Tolpuddle Martyrs, Comrades, although he played down his role, and also his successful career as a social worker, caring for elderly and disabled people in London,

Museum curator Dr Phil Wickham said: “Peter was an extraordinarily cultured man who felt things very deeply. He was an endlessly fascinating person and was very modest.

“What he loved most was enthusiasm and collecting, which he used to say was a disease for which there is no cure.

“Peter was a gifted speaker and storyteller and his work with our students was often the highlight of their experience at the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum.

“Peter was emotionally invested in every aspect of this museum and cared deeply for what it could do. I hope he knew he left an amazing legacy and it is now up to all of us to build on that.”

Richard Crangle, who worked with Peter to set up the museum, described seeing the objects in their original location at Peter and Bill’s Soho flat and in their house in Barnstable and helping catalogue them when they eventually reached the University of Exeter.

He described how Peter’s enthusiasm risked him breaking royal protocol when Queen Elizabeth II visited the University of Exeter and he touched her sleeve because he was so keen to show her an object.

Richard said: “Working with Peter was by equal measures difficult and a delight. It was often hard to know which was which. He knew what he wanted and what Bill wanted. The single biggest element to this museum was Peter and his knowledge. If you are seeking a memorial to Peter look around you.”

Peter’s nephew Chris described how Peter and Bill’s homes were so packed with film memorabilia it wasn’t always possible to sit down. He spoke about Peter’s love of charity shops, where he searched for new items for the museum.

Chris said: “Peter was thoughtful, generous and caring towards everyone except for himself. The museum was their dream, his life and was what he talked about most. He was hugely invested in it and had a great deal of trust and time for Phil and the job he is doing.”

Peter’s nephew Michael described his uncle as quiet and unassuming and spoke about his generosity and love of collecting and films.

Professor Lisa Roberts, University of Exeter President and Vice Chancellor, said: “Over time the museum has become a unique asset of the University, a jewel in our crown. It is used extensively by students in a range of disciplines, including of course film, and brings researchers and visitors from all over the world to our campus.

“This has all been possible, of course, because of Peter’s incredible acts of generosity.  Peter was not one for such awards or recognition. Rather he was motivated by his passion for the museum, and what it could achieve, something that continued to the day he died.

“On behalf of the University of Exeter, I want to thank Peter for the extraordinary legacy he has left not just to the University, but also to everyone now and in the future that loves cinema and the power of the moving image.”

You can find out more aboutr Bill, Peter and the collection at www.bdcmuseum.org.uk . A documentary about Bill and Peter’s friendship, Bill Douglas, My Best Friend is now available on BBC iplayer.