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Midway milestone for Museum of London move
The Museum of London has reached the midway point of preparations for its move to a new, larger home in the restored buildings of West Smithfield’s historic General Market.
The London Wall site (which had housed the museum since 1976; see CA 391) closed to the public in December 2022, and the process of removing its 10,000 objects is expected to take two years, during which every item – ranging from small fragments of ancient glass to the 2012 Olympic Cauldron – will be individually barcoded, audited, digitised, and packed away.
The latest step saw the museum team dismantling the immersive ‘Pleasure Gardens’ gallery, which featured displays of rare 18th- and 19th-century garments. This clothing has now returned to the museum’s Dress & Textile collection as wider work continues for the museum’s move to its new home in Smithfield.
The new site, which will operate as the London Museum, is set to open in 2026. The Museum of London Docklands remains open to visitors, having celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2023.
A stitch in time at Maidstone Museum
A tiny Mesolithic bone needle, which was last used around 8,000 years ago, will be among the key objects on display in Maidstone Museum’s new archaeology gallery.
It is thought that the artefact would have been threaded with animal sinew or strong plant fibre to stitch together animal-skin clothing – and replica garments made in the same way will be available for visitors to try on.
The new gallery, called ‘Lives in Our Landscape’, will explore how people have lived in the Maidstone area for more than 600,000 years (see CA 406, ‘Museum News’). Maidstone Museum is owned and run by Maidstone Borough Council, and its team have been working in partnership with the Kent Archaeological Society (KAS) to select artefacts for the new displays. Council for British Archaeology South-East have also provided a grant for replica objects.
‘Lives in Our Landscape’ is set to open in the early summer. For more information, see https://museum.maidstone.gov.uk.
Captain Cook shells saved from a skip
An internationally important 18th-century shell collection, containing over 200 specimens including an extinct species and examples thought to have been collected during Captain James Cook’s final, fatal voyage, has gone on display more than 40 years after it was thought to have been thrown away.
The collection was created by Bridget Atkinson (1732-1814) who, despite never leaving Britain and rarely leaving Cumbria, amassed more than 1,200 shells from across the globe. Although most of them were sold along with the Clayton estate in 1930, around 200 of Bridget’s shells were displayed at Chesters Roman Fort, in the museum founded by her grandson John Clayton (1792-1890). These were later loaned to the zoology department of Armstrong College, now Newcastle University – and in the 1980s the shells were thrown away during an office clear-out. It was long thought that they were lost forever – but it has recently emerged that the shells were rescued by a passing lecturer, marine zoologist Dr John Buchanan, and remained with his family. They have donated them to English Heritage.
The shells have now gone on display at Chesters Roman Fort, where they have been reunited with a giant clam that was previously the only known survivor from Bridget Atkinson’s once-extensive collection. For more information about Chesters and its museum, see http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/chesters-roman-fort-and-museum-hadrians-wall.
New exhibitions
Women Doing Everything, Everywhere, All at Once…
Verulamium Museum, St Albans, Until 4 July 2024, http://www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/whats-on/
women-doing-everything-everywhere-all-once
Star Carr: life after the ice
Yorkshire Museum, York, Next 18 months, http://www.yorkshiremuseum.org.uk/exhibition/star-carr-life-after-the-ice
Maps: memories of the Second World War
National War Museum, Edinburgh Castle, Until 25 January 2026, http://www.edinburghcastle.scot
ABBA: one week in Brighton
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Until 4 August 2024, https://brightonmuseums.org.uk/event/abba-one-week-in-brighton/
There is Light in the Fissures
Belsay Hall, Northumberland, Until 14 July 2024, http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/belsay-hall-castle-and-gardens
D-Day 80 Exhibition
Torquay Museum, Until 21 September 2024, https://torquaymuseum.org/events/view/d-day-80-exhibition
