Blog

This painting has more to tell than a first glance shows. Benjamin Britten & Peter Pears - individually great musicians, but together simply extraordinary. Their partnership was celebrated on stage but had to be hidden off it. The rich symphony of that love story though is now told at their beautiful home with its extensive collection. Drawing on photographs and notes, but also the details hidden in receipts, bookplates, and this painting, Dr Christopher Hilton, Head of Archive & Library, is here to tell us more about their 40 year duet.

Magic and mayhem about sums up this season (oh no it doesn’t, oh yes it does!). Get in the mood and discover a little more about what goes on before, behind and on the stage with this post from the brilliant team at Crewe Lyceum Theatre.

From Roman soldiers to a Regency era ferryman, the rich history of African people in our country is a long one. A project in the North East has been researching these stories, sharing them through a range of resources and events – including a taster walk over our festival. As we couldn’t attend the walk we asked them to share a few stories here, highlighting the wonderful work they do and resource they are creating.

“We demand the Wayfarer’s Dole!” intriguing words that link us to our ancestors across the centuries. Discover their reward and the different meaning of old and new wayfaring in this beautiful blog from Dawn at the British Pilgrimage Trust. Our landscape may have changed, often dramatically, over time, but this just makes the survival of, and our continued journeys along, ancient paths all the more special.

LASERS! Yep, not the answer I expected when I asked colleagues for their pick of the most astounding innovations in archaeology! But there you go. Now we are not talking lightshows* after dark at the dig, or evil masterminds of science fiction,* though the science part is right. Laser technology has helped archaeology jump light years. Here are two brilliant members of the National Trust’s archaeology team to explain.

From chocolate worms to hair-raising gadgets and back to front furniture, a rummage amongst the collections of the National Trust doesn't always turn up what you expect! Assistant Curator, Katie Knowles is working on an exciting new book highlighting the curious inventions amongst the collection. Look out for it this autumn, but grab a cuppa and take 5 with us now for a sneak peak at some of the things she's found!

Bring us some figgy pudding! In the red corner is a Medieval mash up, in the tinsel bedecked corner a Regency favourite! Are you ready for the contest of the season? Yes, Regency Cook, Paul Couchman is here to bring you history's contenders for the coveted Christmas title! Which pudding will stay the course?!

An astounding invention made from Meccano and elastic bands. A pop-up book on the master of suspense. A stylish poster. Just three treasures you might not think to look for in the collection of our fantastic British Film Institute national archive. I was lucky enough to attend their Heritage Open Day last year, and it really is like walking in to an Aladdin’s cave. The brilliant team throw open the doors once a year, but there are so many wonders to explore – so I am handing over to their coordinator, Jo, to tell us more!

Think archives are just full of dusty old documents? Think again! Creaking open the door of their 'dark fortress' Callum from Buckinghamshire Archives is here to give us a peek at some of their treasures. From truly 'delicious' (?!) documents to delightful doodles, with some alarming discoveries and curious mysteries to boot - archives really are awesome!

Come closer, these images will be worth a second look! From a smoking urn to a hallway hiding in a cupboard, turns out you definitely shouldn't believe everything you first see! Two of the National Trust's curators have seven wonderful optical illusions to share from amongst their curious collections. Enjoy!

From a dazzling cloak to the portrait of a Curling Captain there is more to our sporting heritage than you might think. Sport is a huge part of our culture, but its place in our heritage has sometimes been overlooked. Earlier this year though we came across a brilliant network working to change that. As they lead us in celebrating National Sporting Heritage Day, their Founding Director is here to introduce their work and some amazing sporting heritage collections you can visit.

Do you remember using one of those special guillotines to cut paper at school? Do you still use one?! Did you know they were invented by a woman? It's women's history month and we're all about Astounding Inventions this year so we've been chatting with our friends at the Women's Engineering Society. Heritage Officer, Helen Close is here to share a few highlights from their records and ask if you can help celebrate more of these extraordinary women.

Born to french aristocracy, scammed into poverty, and bouncing back to face all critics, including the British Admiralty – Celeste Sinibaldi was clearly an enterprising, charismatic woman. Her extraordinary tale is one of the stories that surfaced from a special project run as part of our New Wave cohort last year. We’re delighted not only to share this story with you now, but also to congratulate the Thames Discovery Team for their recent special commendation in the Heritage Alliance’s Heritage Storyteller Awards.

Actors, choral singers, circus owners and steel pan musicians; all part of our rich creative story. This year we’ve been unwrapping the history of creativity and for Black History Month wanted to share a snapshot of just some of the stories to be found across England.

A world turned upside down and mysterious stones that may have marked the burial of a heart... Clare Kirk from Friends of Friendless Churches is back with us to share more tantalising tales, this time of curious carvings to be found inside their historic buildings.

A wooden pet, a grenade that looks like a perfume bottle and a prosthetic leg for dancing - not what immediately comes to mind when I think of things the National Trust holds in its collections. But chatting about archival treasures by the tea point one day Katie Knowles, one of the Trust's Assistant Curators gave me a new perspective. The stories are too good not to share, so of course I asked her to introduce us all to the quirky side of the Trust's collection, over to you Katie...

From grand gatehouses to surprisingly splendid stables - The Landmark Trust collection is definitely not the standard offer of holiday home options! They restore historic sites to create fabulous self-catering stays and regularly open for Heritage Open Days to delight and intrigue visitors. As applications open for one of their charitable offers we thought it was about time we we learnt a little more, so here's Fiona Keyte, to tempt us with some of her favourites!

Pretty wallpaper? Pretty poisonous! The historic decorative features in our old buildings provide character and are much loved but require care. Careful care. Especially when some of those features are potentially deadly! So who do you call when your paper starts to peel or your doors to decay? A clever conservator please! Here’s Geanina Beres from Icon with 5 things to watch out for next time you walk the floors of a historic building…

Think of a Victorian mill working at full tilt - it's big, noisy, terrible working conditions that damaged the health of workers. But look closer at those workers, and we find examples of how disabled people have always been a valued part of the team.  A brilliant exhibition at Leeds Industrial Museum explores these histories, shining a light on overlooked voices from the past, and inviting disabled artists today to respond to them.  Read on for a taster, then explore more at the museum, or through their website.

The National Trust has an incredible collection of places, objects, and most importantly, stories. A collaborative research project has helped them highlight more of these from under-represented groups. Members of the project team introduce their work here and share three of the stories – discover the celebrated miniaturist who painted with her mouth and shoulder and the much loved sister who learnt to speak again after an accident.