Story Category: Legacy

This is a legacy story from an earlier version of our website. It may contain some formatting issues and broken links.

Earlier this week, we launched a new online activity for half-term, encouraging young people to try animation at home.

If the style of the tutorial looks familiar, that may be because animator Dave Packer of the Remix the Museum team was also responsible for the video we produced last year introducing the Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust.

In this post and accompanying video, Dave explains how he managed to turn a story about museum governance into a fantasy world of spectacled cats.

Making the video

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It was a really interesting project, because it wasn’t a simple explainer video with the visuals all lined up in front of me. The subject matter was visually abstract – how do you represent the concept of a trust in a single visual? Instead I used the museum subject’s strengths – beautiful buildings and locations, along with fascinating artefacts and put my own visual interpretation on them.

Happily it also allowed me to use my favourite Brighton Museum artefact, Brummel the Cat. Specifically, my 3D scan of him, which I used as shorthand for “Brighton Museum”

Aside from the cat, the project also gave me a chance to use my favourite visual ideas:

• small and large objects mixed (the giant tags, hands, archival boxes etc.)
• changing objects that are essentially unchanging or unchangeable (notably the Royal Pavilion)
• bringing inanimate objects to life
• adding glasses to cats (see my previous cats in glasses GIFs)

Apologies for using literal signposts in the video to tell the audience the titles for some sections.

Dave Packer, Sheep Films

This is a legacy story from an earlier version of our website. It may contain some formatting issues and broken links.

On St Valentine’s Day we take a look at an 1882 cartoon from the Brightonian newspaper. Why is cupid trampling on a fish?

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The Brightonian was a weekly publication of the 1880s that regularly featured cartoons. These were mostly caricature portraits of local people but they occasionally focused on an event or day of celebration. For 14 February 1882 they depicted the impact of St Valentine’s Day on Brighton.

Many of the details, such as Councillor Dell’s ascension to ‘glory’, are rooted in local politics of the day. But there are plenty of details we can appreciate today.

St Valentine

St Valentine is depicted as the familiar naked cupid carrying a bow and arrows. He empties two sacks of letters upon the people of Brighton, with one envelope (in the style of great art) covering his modesty.

The ‘fish’ he merrily tramples upon is actually a dolphin and represents Brighton. At the time, Brighton’s coat of arms incorporated two dolphins in a stylised form commonly used in heraldry.

Early 20th century postcard bearing Brighton’s coat of arms.

These ‘fish’ are actually dolphins. Although they may

Lovers on the Chain Pier

The Chain Pier is presented as the perfect venue for ‘Loungers & Spoony Couples’. But if you are familiar with photographs of the Chain Pier, you might be surprised to see the odd T-shaped section at the end.

A ‘Kursaal’ is a term derived from the German for a ‘cure-hall’ in a spa, but was usually used in 19th century English to describe a place of amusement in a resort. This feature was planned for the Chain Pier, but never actually built. The print below was published at about the same time as this cartoon and shows what might have been.

Pavilion animals

Surprisingly, the minarets of the Royal Pavilion are nowhere to be seen in a set of images capturing Victorian Brighton. Yet it seems to play a role for loving animals, with both Pavilion Rooks and Pavilion Cats having apparently made the former palace their home.

Kevin Bacon, Digital Manager

More information

• Brightonian cartoons on our Digital Media Bank
• Chain Pier

This is a legacy story from an earlier version of our website. It may contain some formatting issues and broken links.

Today’s smattering of snow in Brighton has inspired us to look at some wintry scenes in our fine art collection.

This 1904 oil painting by William Henry Boyd captures the loneliness and cold of a trudge through nearby Shoreham.

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The bridge depicted here crosses the Adur river, at the northwest edge of the town. It was built in the early 1780s to replace the ferry crossing between Shoreham and Lancing. It originally operated as a toll bridge, with passengers and carriages paying rates according to the number of animals that accompanied them. In the 1860s it was taken over by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway company, which had constructed the nearby railway line between Shoreham and Horsham.

Boyd’s painting captures a view west across the bridge towards Lancing, with the rolling Downs in the background. A cold and snowy day, there is no traffic on the bridge except for a sole pedestrian. Look closely and he seems to have his shoulders hunched against the cold.

The bridge was rebuilt in 1916, just over a decade after this painting was made. It was restored in 2008 and enables many walkers and cyclists to access the popular Downs Link route that follows the course of the now disused railway line.

Kevin Bacon, Digital Manager

This is a legacy story from an earlier version of our website. It may contain some formatting issues and broken links.

A new film on Netflix, The Dig, tells the story of the excavation of the Great Ship Burial at Sutton Hoo. The film is based on the novel of the same title by John Preston, the nephew of Peggy Piggott, one of the archaeologists who worked on the excavation.

Although The Dig is set in Suffolk, at least three of the characters depicted in the movie had strong links with Brighton. Local History & Archaeology curator Dan Robertson explains more.

Who’s who

Roedean School, early 1900s

Edith Pretty (née Dempster) (1883-1942) is played by Carey Mulligan. As reported in The Argus, Edith went to Roedean School between 1894 and 1899. I like to think that some school trips were made to Brighton Museum back then. The lumps and bumps on the surrounding Downs might have inspired some interest in archaeology too. A few skeletons were excavated from the vicinity in the 1920s and 30s.

Peggy Piggott (née Preston, later Guido) (1912-1994) is played by Lily James. A student of the archaeologist Dr Mortimer Wheeler (1890-1976), Peggy assisted Dr Eliot Cecil Curwen (1865-1950) on the third season of excavations at Whitehawk Camp in 1935 alongside her peers Miss Leslie Scott, Miss V Seton-Williams and Mr Bernard Sturdy.

Peggy was pictured in the the Brighton Herald newspaper on 30 November 1935. The accompanying article mentions that sherds from the excavation ‘are now being examined by an expert, Miss Preston, at the Brighton Library, in the hope that out of the hundreds of small pieces complete vessels may be reassembled.’ (see Brighton & Hove Archaeological Club’s cuttings scrapbook (1928-1939), p10).

Peggy’s ‘valuable service’ is also noted by Dr Curwen in his report on the excavations. The library at the time was located across parts of Brighton Museum and the Dome. It is quite likely that the vessels acquired by Brighton Museum were reconstructed by Peggy. In 1949, Peggy published a report on the Late Bronze Age hoard from Black Rock in Brighton. The hoard is on display in the Elaine Evans Archaeology Gallery.

Stuart Piggott (1910-1996) is played by Ben Chaplin. According to Roger Mercer’s paper on Stuart published by the British Academy, Dr Eliot Curwen (1865-1950) was an ‘important figure of the old school who was to influence Piggott’. Stuart’s ‘interest and energetic expertise in the analysis of Neolithic pottery’ saw Dr Curwen and his son, Eliot Cecil Curwen, invite him to participate in their excavation of The Trundle near Goodwood in 1928. Stuart and Peggy met on this excavation and crossed paths again while studying at the Institute of Archaeology from 1935 to 1936. Stuart reviewed the pottery from the second and third seasons of excavations at Whitehawk. The two were married on 12 November 1936.

Dan Robertson, Curator of Local History & Archaeology

This is a legacy story from an earlier version of our website. It may contain some formatting issues and broken links.

The Chattri memorial is dedicated to the Indian soldiers who died while being treated in Brighton during the First World War.

The monument stands high on the Downs in Patcham, on the spot where 53 Hindus and Sikhs who died in Brighton’s hospitals (including the Royal Pavilion) were cremated.

The Chattri was unveiled by the Prince of Wales on 1 February 1921. An annual ceremony still takes place at the memorial every June.

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More information

• WW1 and the Royal Pavilion
• The Chattri and the Royal Pavilion
• A Close Look at the unveiling

This is a legacy story from an earlier version of our website. It may contain some formatting issues and broken links.

On this day in 1970, Pink Floyd played at the Dome in Brighton.

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Even though Pink Floyd were a well established band at this point, the poster did its best to give a visual flavour of their music for the unfamiliar. The swirl of the Milky Way references space-themed songs such as ‘Interstellar Overdrive’ and ‘Astronomy Domine’. The pink universe is a reminder of the band’s roots in psychedelic pop.

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Later that year, Pink Floyd returned to Brighton to play at the Big Apple, a venue above the Regent Cinema in Queen’s Road. The Big Apple only ran for a few months, but it hosted an impressive line up of bands including T Rex (then known as Tyrannosaurus Rex), Fleetwood Mac, and Status Quo.

Pink Floyd would return to Brighton again in January 1972 when they played at the Dome once more. This was their most famous gig in Brighton as it was the first public performance of their classic album Dark Side of the Moon.

Kevin Bacon, Digital Manager

This is a legacy story from an earlier version of our website. It may contain some formatting issues and broken links.

Yo ho ho! We’re dashing through the snow with bells on as the Draw returns for a jolly festive edition! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good Draw!

white charcoal & white highlight pen on black paper

Join In

If you are tempted to have a go, please share your drawings with us! We would love to see them. Email them to Beth at beth.burr@rpmt.org.uk.

Tweet @BrightonMuseums or tag @brighton_museums on Instagram. If you are uploading them to Facebook with pride, share the URL in the comments section below.

This week’s additional ideas:

Discover More

• The Mid-Week Draw

Beth Burr, Museum Support Officer

This is a legacy story from an earlier version of our website. It may contain some formatting issues and broken links.

In the latest in our series of Climate Conversations, guest blogger Dr Diana Wilkins looks at the role of Brighton & Hove City Council.

Brighton & Hove City Council have declared a Climate Emergency and have pledged to become a carbon neutral city by 2030. But how is the council engaging local residents to get their voices heard?

Brighton Pavilion by night BY Elaine Morgan CC BY-SA 2.0

To hear ideas of local residents, the council has recently set up a Climate Assembly. The assembly encourages a representative group of local people to give their views on tackling climate change. A Youth Climate Assembly is also open to those aged 13-19 (or 25 for those with special needs or care leavers). Both assemblies will be looking at transport as it is one of the city’s biggest sources of carbon emissions.

The Council’s website gives you access to the assembly’s expert presentations which cover:

• Climate Change
• Public Health
• Sustainable Transport (buses, electric cars, cycling, active travel)
• Local Knowledge

If you are not directly involved in the climate assembly you can still take part by sharing ideas and stories on our ‘Lets talk climate change’ online space.

The final session of the Climate Assembly is Saturday 7th November.

You can also find out how nature is being affected by climate change in the museum’s series of Climate Conversations blogs.

Dr Diana Wilkins

This is a legacy story from an earlier version of our website. It may contain some formatting issues and broken links.

The Draw goes off with a bang this week as Beth has chosen a firecracker of a selection to help us ‘Remember Remember the 5th of November’. Will you take a pop at it?

Young hedgehog Beth

Join In

If you are tempted to have a go, please share your drawings with us! We would love to see them. Email them to Beth at beth.burr@rpmt.org.uk.

Tweet @BrightonMuseums or tag @brighton_museums on Instagram. If you are uploading them to Facebook with pride, share the URL in the comments section below.

*Please note: We currently won’t be able to take any submissions for the Draw as our staff will be on furlough during the next lockdown.

This week’s additional ideas:

Discover More

• The Mid-Week Draw

Beth Burr, Museum Support Officer

This is a legacy story from an earlier version of our website. It may contain some formatting issues and broken links.

Diatoms are microscopic algae with wonderfully detailed, symmetrical patterns. They inspired the Victorians to create miniature masterpieces which were shown at social gatherings.

Inspired by the microscope slide collections at the Booth Museum of Natural History, contemporary basket-maker Mary Crabb created a step-by-step guide to weave your own diatom pattern in this mindful activity for half term.

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Weaved diatom

Step-by-step instructions

Download the Diatom weaving activity or follow the steps in the photos below. The guide has been adapted by Amy Charlton, Booth Museum volunteer.

Discover more

• Diatoms aren’t just pretty, find out how diatoms help to mitigate climate change and provide a window to the past in our blog post Diatoms: Hidden Climate Heroes
• Learn more about the Booth Museum’s microscope collections on our website

Amy Charlton, Booth Museum of Natural History volunteer