During routine conservation work on Elizabeth Blackadder’s painting Two Cats on a Kelim an offending hair was seen under the glass. After its removal it was identified as a cat’s whisker! The whisker has been wrapped and labelled, and is now … Continued
As a farewell to 2015, a final blog from the Booth Museum looks at some of the festive birds in the collections. In a nod to the twelve days of Christmas, we start with the partridge. Despite the grey being … Continued
Kids in Museums’ Takeover Day – Friday 20th November 2015 Takeover Day is a celebration of children and young people’s contributions to museums, galleries, arts organisations, archives and heritage sites. It’s a day on which they are given meaningful roles, … Continued
The Booth Museum is a wonderful showcase of Victorian taxidermy, but one of the main features of Edward Thomas Booth’s displays are the dioramas his birds are displayed in. The typical manner of displaying taxidermied birds during the Victorian period … Continued
Extracted from: Sussex and other Rhymes by James Harvey Published in 1919 by Hearth Cranton Ltd, London. A TRIP TO BRIGHTON Tom: You can’t see Brighton in a day, You want about a month to stay; To-day I’ll own, … Continued
Day 1 Just after the longest day in June on a torrential Monday morning very unlike a summer morning I started my work experience at the Booth Museum in Hove; something I have been looking forward to with great excitement. … Continued
The most notable fact about specimen number R5964 is that, unlike every other creature in the Booth Museum, it lives and breathes. This European Yellow-tailed scorpion (since christened ‘Sidney’ by staff) was spotted scuttling across the living room carpet of a … Continued
A group of artists with learning disabilities had an inspiring trip to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at Brighton Museum. The artists aged between 16 – 25 spent a morning getting creative using wildlife images and real-life exhibits … Continued
This quote from a Japanese novel is certainly apt in the case of the latest scientist to visit the Booth Museum. Dr. Shinichi Nakahara, most certainly a friend of butterflies, recently arrived to study the marvellous collections of butterflies at … Continued
You may remember that I kicked off my residency last year when I was treated to something of a baptism by fire at the Booth Museum at their excellent after-hours event Night of the Curiously Strange. This week you can … Continued
It was a chill November evening. A handful of eager observers were gathered together in a darkened corner of the Booth Museum. They gazed at the illuminated picture thrown onto the wall by the magic lantern in the corner. The … Continued
‘Type’ Specimens Of all the several hundred thousand butterflies in the collection there are some very special ones: the ‘types’. When ever a new species of animal or plant is found it has to be given a name, described and … Continued
Another half term has ended, and we’ve had another two very well received events at the Booth Museum, both in conjunction with the Brighton Science Festival! On Monday 16th February, half term week kicked off with the ever popular animal … Continued
A seven-year-old boy from Twickenham got a surprise parcel in the post just before Christmas after his mother sent a photograph of a museum he set up in his spare bedroom to Brighton Museum staff. Su Hepburn, Senior Learning Officer, … Continued
The first thing to strike a visitor to the Booth Museum is the smell of the place – which is basically ‘mothballs’. And if you think it’s noticeable in the main gallery you should spend the day in the stores … Continued
Well I could not have hoped for a better start to my exciting new post as the third Blogger in Residence for Brighton Museums than a visit to the Booth Museum of Natural History, where I squeezed in for a … Continued
In the herbarium archives at the Booth Museum sits a rather nondescript, leather cloth bound box, containing 9 trays of pressed plants. Embossed on the cover are the words ‘North Pole Plants’. The label attached states an old accession register … Continued
We had an extra special visitor this week at the Booth. As a designated collection, the Booth Museum holds an internationally important natural science collection that is regularly used in scientific research. We were recently contacted by Canterbury Christ Church … Continued
Sometimes the early morning job of unlocking the Booth Museum is a rather sombre affair as Mr. Booth’s birds slowly emerge from the gloom, polishing their glass eyes ready to face their public once more. But now they are greeted … Continued
Mick Jackson is the new writer-in-residence at the Booth Museum, funded by Arts Council England, from September 2014 to August 2015. Throughout the residency he will be running creative writing workshops and conducting his own research. Mick is on Twitter, … Continued
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