In almost every drop of water, from the shallowest puddles to the deepest oceans, you will find tiny life forms known as diatoms. To the naked eye, diatoms are invisible, but it is surprising how even the smallest things can … Continued
Delving into the Booth Museum libraries we uncover the beautiful bird drawings of Victorian illustrator, Edward Neale. Neale illustrated Edward Thomas Booth’s published diaries. The main legacy that Edward Booth (1840-1890) left to the town of Brighton was his famous … Continued
Collections Assistant Joy wonders how pieces of broken Victorian china ended up in her back garden and discovers the answer lies in ‘The Dust Destructor’, used by the Victorians to sort domestic waste and recycle. When I first moved to … Continued
Welcome back to our Cultural Icons series exploring the fascinating stories behind the people commemorated in flatback ornaments in the Willett Collection of Popular Pottery in the Brighton Museum. Many of these Victorian souvenirs, which are only decorated on the … Continued
At Preston Manor in the summer of 2015 we lifted the lid on the dark-side of the Victorian kitchen with an event in planning for a long time but which needed a strong stomach to create. The finished product turned … Continued
Welcome back to our Cultural Icons series exploring the fascinating stories behind the people commemorated in flatback ornaments in the Willett Collection of Popular Pottery in the Brighton Museum. Many of these Victorian souvenirs, which are only decorated on the front … Continued
Welcome back to our Cultural Icons series exploring the fascinating stories behind the people commemorated in flatback ornaments in the Willett Collection of Popular Pottery in the Brighton Museum. Many of these Victorian souvenirs, which are only decorated on the front … Continued
Welcome back to our Cultural Icons series exploring the fascinating stories behind the people commemorated in flatback ornaments in the Willett Collection of Popular Pottery in the Brighton Museum. Many of these Victorian souvenirs, which are only decorated on the front … Continued
Members of the Museum Collective – a youth group run regularly by Royal Pavilion & Museums – worked with local ceramist Louise Bell to create figurative ceramics based on the theme of heroes and villains. They created these works as … Continued
The exhibition Cultural Icons at Hove Museum earlier this year provided an opportunity to display some of the flatback ceramics from the Decorative Arts Collection. Previously housed in one of our stores, these historic flatback figures offer a glimpse of the … 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
Here’s the latest story from our What’s in the Box display. Collections Assistant Lucy Faithful on how a display of shell-shaped ceramics at Hove Museum can both twist your tongue and give an insight into the changing fashions and ideas … Continued
The gateway at the southern entrance to the Royal Pavilion estate has gone through many transformations. The existing India Gate dates from 1921 and was designed by Thomas Tyrwhitt in a simple Gujarati style. It was erected as a gift … 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
The Stanfords and their Servants At Preston Manor, owned by the Stanford family, there is documentary evidence to contrast dinner in the dining room with supper in the servants’ hall. A typical menu for the Stanfords and their guests consisted … Continued
Until recently, a series of photographs taken in 1909 by the owner of Preston Manor, Ellen Thomas-Stanford, comprised the earliest known views of the interior of the house. In 1982 a series of watercolours was purchased depicting the interior and … 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
I went to the legendary Booth Museum yesterday and I will certainly be going back some more during my Blogger-in-Residence time. I had ‘the tour’ from Keeper John Cooper and it was every bit as fascinating as promised. I’ve mulled … Continued
On 13 April 1838 the Brighton Gazette informed its readers that a local gardener had been attacked by a mysterious creature. The attack took place between 9 and 10 pm in what would now be described as the Round Hill area … Continued
The Booth Museum has had two international visitors this month on very different missions. Both were from North America, and both are studying for their Ph.D.s. First we welcomed Caitlin Silberman from California, but studying for her doctorate in Art … Continued
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