Museum

Final countdown begins for Museum of London move

The Museum of London will close its doors on 4 December, ahead of its planned relocation to larger premises in West Smithfield’s historic General Market. What will the new museum look like, and what is planned at the original site during its final few months? Carly Hilts reports.

Medicine cabinet (2) © National Museums Scotland.

Exhibitions, events, and heritage from home this autumn

There is a fantastic selection of historical and archaeological events on offer over the coming months, ranging from exhibitions exploring medieval armour and 19th-century anatomical study to local society conferences and symposiums. There are also still many different ways to get involved in history and heritage at home, with virtual tours of historical sites, podcasts, games, apps, and much more. Amy Brunskill has put together a summary of some of the options available.

LEFT Stromness Museum is home to a temporary exhibition exploring some of the latest finds from The Cairns in Orkney.

The Cairns and the Newark Project, Orkney

This summer, CA Editor Carly Hilts travelled to Orkney to catch up on recent archaeological research in the islands (watch this space for future features). While there, she also visited exhibitions showcasing discoveries from two more excavations, at Stromness Museum, and the Orkney Museum in Kirkwall.

Exhibitions, events, and heritage from home – Summer and Autumn 2022

There are many brilliant opportunities to get involved in archaeology, history, and heritage around the UK over the coming months, ranging from new exhibitions and lectures to returning festivals and excavations. There are also still plenty of ways to get your heritage fix at home, with online exhibitions and virtual tours, podcasts and online talks, and TV shows and games for the whole family. Amy Brunskill has put together a selection of some of the options available.

The Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth

With the 40th anniversary of the raising of the wrecked Tudor flagship Mary Rose approaching this autumn, the Portsmouth-based museum dedicated to the vessel is trialling immersive new approaches to illuminating its archaeology. Carly Hilts visited to find out more.

Left One of the most moving pieces in the exhibition is a set of photographs showing a young Egyptian boy wearing a large necklace found in the tomb. The photos were supposedly intended simply to show the ‘method of suspension’, but the boy’s expression reflects the weight of the history on his shoulders a reminder of the significance of Tutankhamun’s legacy in a newly independent Egypt.

Tutankhamun: excavating the archive

A century after Tutankhamun’s tomb first captured the world’s attention, a new exhibition at the Bodleian Library offers fresh insights into the famous discovery through archival material. Amy Brunskill visited to find out more.

Review: Fort George

Open 9.30am-5.30pm daily (April to September) and 10am-4pm daily (October to March)Ardersier, Inverness, IV2 7TDwww.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/fort-george/+44 (0) 1667 462 834 Fort George is an imposing reminder of a turbulent period in British history. Its commanding position on the Moray Firth in…

Opposite ‘Queen of the Night’ relief representing Inanna. Painted clay; Iraq, c.1750 BC. Size: 49.5 x 37 x 4.8cm

Feminine Power: She who must be obeyed

An exhibition on Feminine Power currently at the British Museum journeys through the beautiful, but dangerous, realm ruled over by great goddesses. There, Lindsay Fulcher discovers, men are often afraid to tread.

Above The new Gods and Goddesses gallery, overlooked by a colossal, 4m tall 1st century BC marble statue of a goddess. She is known as Juno, but is most likely a Muse.

Athens of America: an interview with curators at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

At the end of last year, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston – the city known as ‘the Athens of America’ – opened a renovated suite of five galleries devoted to the art of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium. Lucia Marchini speaks to curators Christine Kondoleon, Laure Marest, and Phoebe Segal to find out about how they are using technology and even modern art to help visitors see ancient artefacts in a new light.

Archaeology events, exhibitions, and heritage from home

There is a wonderful selection of archaeological and historical events and exhibitions scheduled for this summer, ranging from the return of Europe’s largest Viking festival to new exhibitions at the British Museum and the London Transport Museum. There are also still many ways to get involved in history and heritage at home, with online museum tours and educational resources, social media accounts, TV shows, and much more. Amy Brunskill has put together a summary of some of the options out there.

Far left The Marlipins c.1926, when the building first opened as a museum.

The Marlipins Museum, Shoreham-by-Sea

With its distinctive chequerboard exterior combining Caen stone and knapped flint, the Marlipins building in Shoreham-by-Sea has been an eye-catching landmark for centuries – in fact, dendrochronological analysis suggests that it is the earliest surviving secular building in Sussex. Its…

ABOVE Japan: Courts and Culture explores the relationship between the British and Japanese courts through objects in the Royal Collection, ranging from impressive samurai armour and weapons

Japan: Courts and Culture

A new exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, tells the story of 350 years of interaction between the British and Japanese royal and imperial families. Amy Brunskill visited to find out more.

UK events, exhibitions, and heritage from home 2022-2023

As we head into spring, there are many fantastic opportunities to get out and about and enjoy the UK’s history, archaeology, and cultural heritage, whether you’re looking for historical re-enactments, excavation opportunities, or new exhibitions. If you prefer, there are also plenty of resources available online, ranging from digital museum collections and 3D tours of heritage sites to activities and archaeological TV shows for the whole family. Amy Brunskill has put together a selection of some of the options available.

BELOW Henry Parke (Soane office apprentice), Royal Academy lecture drawing showing a plan of Stonehenge, Wiltshire. Pen, pencil, and coloured washes on wove paper, 1817. Size: 71.3 x 129.4cm

Paper worlds and hidden masterpieces

A small selection of the thousands of drawings compiled by Regency architect Sir John Soane have gone on display in London, among them exquisite works that bring us visions of ancient monuments abroad and of unrealised splendour in England. Lucia Marchini takes a look.

Opposite Marble head of the god Apollo (Kassel type) found during excavations for the construction of the Opera House on the Viminal Hill in Rome. Roman copy of a mid 5th century BC original attributed to Phidias.

Museo Barracco: a head for sculpture

Having brought together ancient Roman, Greek, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian artefacts to create a museum of comparative sculpture, Baron Giovanni Barracco gave his collection of antiquities to the city of Rome in 1902. Now housed in a 16th-century palace in the Italian capital, the little-known Museo Barracco showcases ancient artistry and the activities of collectors, both at the turn of the century and in ancient Rome. Dalu Jones is our guide.

Exhibitions, events, and heritage from home in Spring and Summer 2022

There are lots of great heritage-related opportunities to get out and about this spring, with conferences to attend, exhibitions to visit, and excavations to sign up for. Or, if you’d prefer, there are still many archaeology-, history-, and heritage-related resources and activities to enjoy at home, whether you’re looking for a virtual tour of an ancient Egyptian pyramid, a podcast about transatlantic shipwrecks, or online games designed for children. Amy Brunskill has put together a summary of some of the options available.