Yearly Archives: 2021

Ho ho ho! Could you add to our Christmas collections?

by Amber Druce, curator of history Happy Christmas! Did you know… one of the most popular carols was first sung in Bristol, at the New Room in Broadmead? Hark! the Herald Angels Sing was written by Charles Wesley and published in 1739. Between…

Funding for creative projects and events

by Lizzie How, Arts Development Officer The Cultural Investment Programme is how Bristol City Council distributes public money to support arts and culture across the city. Our grants help support a wide range of organisations and activities; from larg…

Have you seen the TARDIS?

by Mary Milton – Archive Assistant at Bristol Archives If you noticed the TARDIS on the streets of Bristol this autumn you might not have been that surprised. The Doctor Who series is filmed in Cardiff and locations across the west feature in the rec…

‘That Zealous Naturalist Mr Miller’

by Deborah Hutchinson, curator of natural sciences 2021 is the bicentenary of the publication of ‘A Natural History of the Crinoidea or Lily-shaped Animals’ by J. S. Miller (born Müller, 1779-1830). Miller was the first curator of the museum of the Bris…

New maritime records at Bristol Archives

by Allie Dillon, City Archivist Bristol Archives recently obtained historic papers relating to Bristol merchants and shipping (ref. 46588). We bought it at auction, thanks to grants from the Friends of Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives, and the …

Black Bristolians – evidence in the archives

by Allie Dillon, City Archivist For some years, researchers have gathered evidence of Bristol’s historic black population. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, staff at Bristol Archives spent time bringing all this research together. The result is a new resou…

New for old: New art commissions respond to world cultures collection

by Lisa Graves, World Cultures and Archaeology Curator In the 1960s museums across the UK put together collections of objects that were sent into schools to ‘inspire’ and ‘educate’. Derbyshire Museums school loan service bought material from local d…

Rolling with the punches

By Laura Dow, Volunteer Cataloguer and Nicky Sugar, Archivist Laura and Nicky describe the range of emotions stirred by the Dorothy Myers photographs in the British Empire & Commonwealth Collection. Laura Two boys take part in a boxing lesson with …

The story behind: A Movement Not A Moment

by Jasmine Thompson, the artist of A Movement Not A Moment “Hello? Are you the artist?” I turn around and a family is standing behind the barriers looking at me. I’ve no idea how long they’ve been there watching. I also have no idea what they are …