Blog

Posted on July 1, 2020 by Lauren MacCarthy.

10 netsuke from Bristol’s collection

by Amy Raphael, volunteer Did you know that Bristol Museum & Art Gallery has 300 Japanese carvings known as netsuke and okimono? Netsuke were Japan’s solution to a lack of pockets in men’s kimono and other clothing. During the Edo Period (1…

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Lauren MacCarthy.

Joining Bristol: The city’s diverse population over time

by Karen Garvey, engagement officer for events We’ve been celebrating Bristol’s diversity and how migrants enrich the city during our virtual World in Bristol Festival along with our community partners at 91 Ways to Build a Global City. People have com…

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Lauren MacCarthy.

Bristol’s Afrikan-Caribbean legends of martial arts

Clive Smith captures the true stories from some of Bristol’s Afrikan Caribbean legends of martial arts. Lloyd Russell. Lloyd Allen. Nathan Lewis. Shaun Vera. Winston Williams. This podcast gives an insight into the journey of racism and discr…

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Lauren MacCarthy.

Princess Campbell: a unique voice in Bristol’s Black history uncovered at Bristol Archives

by David Brookfield, Audio Digitisation Engineer I’m part of the team digitising audio recordings for the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage (UOSH) project at Bristol Archives. This has given me the chance to hear stories from countless people on a wide ran…

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Lauren MacCarthy.

To understand racism, we need to understand empire: The British Empire and Commonwealth Collection

By the British Empire & Commonwealth Collection team The British Empire and Commonwealth Museum was an independent museum in Temple Approach, Bristol, which was open to the public between 2002 and 2008. In 2012, following the museum’s permanen…

Posted on June 10, 2020 by Lauren MacCarthy.

In support of Black Lives Matter

by Zak Mensah, Head of Transformation on behalf of Culture & Creative Industries M Shed, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Bristol Archives, Blaise Museum, Georgian House Museum, and Red Lodge Museum are all part of Bristol City Council. Bristol Ci…

Posted on June 1, 2020 by Lauren MacCarthy.

Caring for our collections during lockdown

by Fran Coles, Conservation and Documentation Manager Although we’re currently closed, our museum collections still need looking after. Maintenance of our buildings is essential work and a skeleton crew of staff are carrying out a variety of essent…

Posted on May 30, 2020 by Lauren MacCarthy.

How can 200 year old paintings get us talking about climate change?

by Jenny Gaschke, curator of Fine Art The coronavirus pandemic has triggered an unexpected improvement in UK air quality as daily carbon emissions have fallen. We can feel the difference in Bristol too. A month before the UK lockdown began, climate …

Posted on May 28, 2020 by Lauren MacCarthy.

Penelope Chetwode and ‘the perfect ADC’ (personal assistant)

by Pat Ellingham, Archives volunteer Our volunteer, Pat Ellingham, found this story of the young Penelope Chetwode (later Lady Betjeman) in the photograph albums of Geoffrey Kellie, part of the British Empire & Commonwealth Collection. There’s a defin…

Posted on May 21, 2020 by Lauren MacCarthy.

A House Through Time: Bristol’s archives take starring role in BBC series

by Jo Vietze, former Senior Archivist The third series of the BBC’s A House Through Time begins next week. Following examination of houses in Newcastle and Liverpool, this year David Olusoga and his team trace the history of a house in Bristol &#821…

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