Many of the objects we hold in our museums were once collected by individuals with a keen interest in a topic. But what drives collectors to collect? In this guest post, Eiffion Ashdown of our Museum Mentors group describes his … Continued
For the return of our Bird of the Month series, we focus on the Ruff. The Ruff is a migratory bird that spends northern winter in Africa and the tropics, and breeds in wetlands in the colder regions of Northern … Continued
The Royal Pavilion Music Room is well recorded having suffered major damage from a fire in 1975, which then took eleven years to restore. A year later in 1987 it was to suffer again during the Great Storm in October. … Continued
We have made some adjustments to the Victorian Parlour in the Booth Museum to increase its accessibility and encourage a more hands on experience. Visitor feedback has indicated that people would love to sit down and touch objects in the … Continued
We have just installed a new dinosaur exhibit at the Booth Museum! It includes a Deinonychus skull, a Raptor skull and Iguanodon thumb spike, tooth, vertebrae, and skull. The Deinonychus was one of the notable dinosaurs used in Jurassic Park … Continued
In December 2021, after a pause due to both the Covid pandemic and a change in contractor, conservation work has recommenced to complete the conservation of two large ceramic pagodas from within the Royal Pavilion & Musuems Trust (RPMT) collections. … Continued
As photography fans are flocking to the Marilyn Stafford: Life in Photography exhibition at Brighton Museum, we asked Nicola Jeffs, who is a member of the Marilyn Stafford Working Group Collective, to tell us more about her work. Until recently, … Continued
You may have noticed some interesting activity on the East Lawn of the Pavilion Estate over the past few weeks. Since the deinstallation of the ice rink, the garden and pond have received some much-needed TLC. As we prepare to … Continued
Ada Brown worked as a housemaid at Preston Manor appearing on the 1901 census with six other servants. She then disappeared from history and ordinarily her life would be forgotten. However, the opening of the 1921 census in 2022 began … Continued
As part of the Booth Museum closed period, we have been rotating the display heads mounted in the gallery, and replacing those on display with some which haven’t yet been displayed. These include a tiger and warthog, but one head … Continued
‘How many greens can you count?’ This is the question posed in a description to be found below a painting currently on exhibition in Brighton Museum & Art Gallery. The picture is by the local Hove-born artist, Robert Polhill Bevan … Continued
Today is World Whale Day (20th February) We are privileged to have one of the magnificent mammals in our collection. The female Orca whale was washed ashore opposite the Brighton Aquarium, 22nd May 1935. The cause of death was evidently … Continued
The Tree Pangolin This specimen from the RPMT collections was recently ‘virtually donated’ to Lauren Laverne’s 6 Museum as part of her 6 Music Breakfast Show. It is a Victorian taxidermy example of a Tree Pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis), a scaly … Continued
Our Head Gardener Rob has just snapped these beauties on our comfrey – absolutely lovely they are! A bunch of Scarlet Tiger moth caterpillars, and very hungry ones too by the looks of the leaves. They will eventually grow in … Continued
The ancient art of storytelling has often been enhanced by some kind of visual element, from hand shadow characters in front of the fire to the latest blockbuster movie at your local cinema. You can learn more about these and the … Continued
The release to the public of the 1921 census on 6 January 2022 has opened the door to a day in the life of Preston Manor when it was a private house. The Manor would not become a museum until 1933. … Continued
The 18th January is the anniversary of the death of one of England’s foremost writers, Rudyard Kipling (30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936) In 1897 Kipling moved to Rottingdean, where he lived until he relocated to the more rural … Continued
It’s been a while since we had our Midweek Draw, so we thought we would do a special Bowie Inspired Draw to celebrate what would have been his 75th Birthday on the 8th. Happy Birthday Starman. Will you be inspired … Continued
Wishing you all a very happy and healthy New Year, with a selection of our Victorian New Year’s cards.
On 27 December 1830, Amelia Fitzclarence, one of King William IV’s illegitimate daughters with Mrs Dorothea Jordan, married Lucius Cary, 10th Viscount Falkland, at the Royal Pavilion. This may sound odd, but the many children William IV had with Mrs … Continued
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