Yearly Archives: 2023

Posted on by Saffron Smolka.

Marking International Museum Day 2023 with schoolchildren and cameras

Today (May 18) is International Museum Day with the theme of Museums, Sustainability, and well-being. A recent collaboration between our Museums Learning team and UWE Bristol demonstrates the valuable role museums play in lifelong learning and co…

Posted on by Saffron Smolka.

Rediscovering Black Portraiture: The Young Catechist by Henry Meyer

By Peter Braithwaite, baritone, artist, broadcaster and writer. I made this recreation of the painting ‘The Young Catechist’ by Henry Meyer for my exhibition at the museum, Rediscovering Black Portraiture. I’ve reworked Meyer’s 19th cent…

Posted on by Fay Curtis.

A daring expedition over Everest

By Eve Andreski, BECC Documentation Assistant A new accession to the British Empire and Commonwealth Collection (BECC) recalls a ground-breaking feat! 90 years ago today, on 3 April 1933, the first flight expedition over Everest prepared to embark. Two …

Posted on by Fay Curtis.

Black Lives Matter Placards at Bristol Museums

by Amber Druce, Curator of Social History During protests against police brutality and racial inequality on 7 June 2020, people left placards at the base of the Colston statue plinth. This began before the statue was pulled down and continued af…

Posted on by Fay Curtis.

“I was lucky enough to escape”: the WW1 diary of Dr Gordon Covell

By Eve Andreski, BECC Documentation Assistant The British Empire and Commonwealth Collection (BECC) cares for many diaries and letters. These reveal the inner thoughts of people who lived through momentous events. One such person, Dr Gordon Covell, s…

Posted on by Fay Curtis.

Dearest Wife!

By Pat Ellingham, Volunteer, British Empire & Commonwealth Collection (BECC) Around this time of year, sentiments of love and devotion waft in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. As I sat with the latest collection I’m cataloguing as a volu…

Posted on by Kate Iles.

The chapel of Saint Blaise

Today (3 February) is the feast day of Saint Blaise! So to celebrate, here is a short blog on our very own (long lost) chapel to Saint Blaise.   Saint Blaise was an Armenian bishop and the patron saint of wool combers, wild animals, candle makers a…

Posted on by Dan Wide.

Become a Trustee of Bristol Museums Development Trust

Bristol Museums Development Trust are looking for several new trustees to join their board of trustees. Bristol Museums Development Trust (BMDT) is an independent registered charity (registered charity number 1137777) which supports the work of Br…

Posted on by Alice Bush.

Patrick Cotter O’Brien, ‘The Bristol Giant’ (1760 – 1806)

Did you know that we have many powerful disability stories within our collection? As part of the Curating for Change project, our disabled curator Joanne is busy uncovering, researching and celebrating disabled Bristolians throughout history. The am…

Posted on by Fay Curtis.

200 years of amazing collections and stories

By Deborah Hutchinson (Geology Curator) and Kate Iles (Archaeology Curator) Bristol Museums’ forerunner, The Bristol Institution for the Advancement of Science, Literature and the Arts, officially opened 200 years ago on 6 January 1823. We’ve bee…