Blog / Collections

Posted on by Alice Bush.

First impressions of the British Empire and Commonwealth Collection

by Eve Andreski, Documentation Assistant Hello! I am a long-term volunteer and previous museum front-of-house team member. I began working with the British Empire and Commonwealth Collection (BECC) at the end of January. This is when generous funding f…

Posted on by Lauren MacCarthy.

Decolonising Language

by Ray Barnett, head of collections and archives In our efforts to address decolonisation, one major piece of work is around our use of language. In everyday speech, many people are now more aware of terms that may be offensive to different com…

Posted on by Lauren MacCarthy.

Tony’s drawing by William James Müller

by Martha Robbins, Development Officer On 14 February, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery welcomed friends of the late Tony Merriman for a celebratory tea party. Last year Tony’s wife, Anne launched a fundraiser to acquire a drawing by William Jam…

Posted on by Lauren MacCarthy.

The story of Saint Blaise

by Kate Iles, curator of archaeology The Blaise Estate is named after Saint Blaise and today (3 February) is his feast day. Saint Blaise was the Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia (modern Turkey) around 1,700 years ago. There are many versions of his life but…

Posted on by Lauren MacCarthy.

Next steps in our repatriation journeys…

by Lisa Graves, curator of World Cultures The good news is we have been able to return the Cree coat to Canada. We first told you about this in early 2020 but on 13 October 2021 it finally left Bristol on its journey home. Read more about its return in t…

Posted on by Lauren MacCarthy.

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…

Posted on by Lauren MacCarthy.

‘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…

Posted on by Lauren MacCarthy.

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…

Posted on by Lauren MacCarthy.

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 …

Posted on by Lauren MacCarthy.

Digitising our delftware

by Amber Turner, Project Curator, Delftware In March we began an exciting two-year project funded by Arts Council England. The project aims to raise the profile of Bristol’s important collection of delftware. At over 2,100 pieces, it is one of the l…