December’s bird is the Crested oropendola, Psarocolius decumanus. Oropendolas forage in groups, looking for fruit and insects. They can use their beaks to prise open clusters of dead leaves. This ability to powerfully open, rather than close, their beaks only occurs … Continued
In a few weeks I will finish a year-long placement with the digital team at Royal Pavilion & Museums. During the first week of my traineeship in January I wrote a blog about the upcoming year and what I hoped … Continued
Last week a killer whale skeleton was moved from the Booth Museum to be on display in the National Maritime Museum Cornwall. The killer whale will be on display at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall for two years along with … Continued
Our local history collections hold thousands of postcards, a few of which show Brighton Museum and some of its former galleries. Some of the long-gone Brighton Museum galleries featured in these postcards include the fine art, zoological, geological and archaeological … Continued
Here’s the latest story from our What’s in the Box display. Piecing together the history of the Terracotta chess set. When carefully opening one of our hundreds of storage boxes I found, what I thought was, an extraordinary chess set. … Continued
Regular visitors to the Booth Museum will notice a large gap in our displays where our largest object has disappeared. Our Orca (or Killer whale) skeleton which normally hangs in our osteology gallery has gone! If you’re a fan … Continued
Here’s the latest story from our What’s in the Box display. Do you recognise this china? These miniature porcelain models, with their crests of British seaside towns, were once hugely popular souvenirs. In 1910 most people in Britain owned one … Continued
Here’s the latest story from our What’s in the Box display. This beautifully made wooden model of the church organ in Stanford Avenue Methodist Church Brighton was made by a Mr DA Wright – perhaps a worshipper at the church? … Continued
Here’s the latest story from our What’s in the Box display. There is a suspicious gent and a headless lady a man is hanging out with spirits a ‘ghost’ is tormenting poor villagers Death is greeting a drinking man Hamlet … Continued
During the summer season 2019 families visiting Preston Manor were challenged by a specially created Riddle Trail. The trail took them on a journey around the house encountering Victorian brain-teasers, puns and puzzles on the way. Arguably the most famous … Continued
His Dark Materials on BBC1 In the trailer for the major new BBC series ‘His Dark Materials’ above, there is a brief appearance at 1:08 for a digitised version one of our specimens. Two years ago several of our specimens … Continued
Come and join us for a fun day of creativity at Hove Museum with Making Day: Christmas Crafters. Event Details: Start: 30th November 2019 at 11:00 am End: 30th November 2019 at 4:00 pm Categories: Events, Families, Workshop Ease yourself gently into the … Continued
The Booth focus on the Long-tailed paradise whydah, Vidua paradisaea, for November Whydahs are brood parasites, like the European cuckoo, though they do not destroy the host’s eggs. Whydah chicks are larger and louder than the host’s, which means they … Continued
As you are walking from the Museum to the Pavilion, look out for the beautiful autumn colours of Rhus Typhina (Stag’s horn sumach). Situated on the edge of the King’s Lawn, it is a deciduous spreading suckering open shrub or … Continued
The View from Here is a colourful installation in ceramic and steel that was recently displayed at Hove Museum. When I saw this work at the museum I was intrigued by it and wanted to meet the artist to find … Continued
Flowerpeckers are October’s Bird of the Month. Flowerpeckers are tiny birds that occur in Australasia and southern Asia. The genus Dicaeum contains over 40 species. The pygmy flowerpecker is only 10cm long, while the largest is the mottled flowerpecker at 18cm. The … Continued
I was very excited to become part of the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery Queer The Pier community curators’ team. My understanding of what we mean by ‘Queer’ has grown in recent years to include not only sexuality but a … Continued
I had worked at the Royal Pavilion for about four years when another workforce development placement was suggested to me. I had done two before – a great placement working with researchers to put together a new tour all about … Continued
Here’s the latest story from our What’s in the Box display. Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) started writing and illustrating with her first book ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit’ published in 1901. Her scientific interests as a naturalist and knowledge of animal … Continued
From animals that escape death by playing dead, to those who push their bodies to the brink, join us to learn more about our world’s most extreme survivors. Handle live insects with incredible camouflage and learn about beetles that bury … Continued
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