4 February—1 May 2020

Documenting death

Through documents and images held in Bristol Archives, this exhibition explores how death has been represented in different ways across the centuries, from official documents to personal commemorations to community memorials.

Documenting Death will explore traditions, practices and attitudes towards death and show how people in the city have understood and responded to death over time.

The exhibition will be accompanied by archival material from the Arnos Vale cemetery collection, which has just been made available for research.

The display documents the history of this Victorian burial ground, where over 300,000 people have been laid to rest, as well as its decline and regeneration in the 20th century.