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The diverse displays of the Museum of Cornish Life, located in the heart of Helston in the north of the Lizard Peninsula, are spread across three floors, and stretch in time from Mesolithic Cornwall up to Victorian Britain.
As Finds Liaison Officer (FLO) for Cornwall, I am based at the museum – and, when I started the role in October 2023, I was asked if I would be interested in curating a new archaeology display, to which I replied ‘Of course!’. I have been interested in archaeological finds for as long as I can remember, and – like most FLOs – I began my career out in the field. As time went on, though, I found myself more interested in the post-excavation and research processes, which eventually led me to my current role, back home in beautiful Cornwall.
The Museum of Cornish Life has always had substantial archaeology holdings, mainly finds from local excavations. When the decision was taken to update, revise, and expand the display, it therefore made sense to focus many of the new infographics (funded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme) on the sites most represented in the collections. The remainder are used to spotlight specific finds and the projects/excavations across Cornwall that brought them to light. All seek to offer updated interpretations, and to link Cornwall’s past to its present. Another key aspect reflects the collections of Camborne Museum: these were transferred to us when the museum closed in 2005, and as they were mainly personal donations, we wanted to integrate them as far as possible into the new display.
The display is split into four ‘sections’: Collection Highlights, Community Archaeology, Experimental Archaeology, and a Children’s Corner. I have an MSc heavily featuring Experimental Archaeology, so I was particularly passionate about exploring craftsmanship – this theme features several object replicas, as well as ‘how to’ posters aimed at children and developing our ethos of ‘makers and materials’. Collection Highlights explores a number of important local sites, as well as individual finds, while in Community Archaeology we have recent artefacts registered with the Portable Antiquities Scheme, as well as an area dedicated to celebrating the long-running dig at Boden (see the ‘Underground, overground’ feature here).
Among the objects on display, favourites include a clay pipe commemorating an 1801 battle in Alexandria – an interesting find for Cornwall, considering its links to an Irish infantry regiment – and an Iron Age spindle whorl made from metagabbro, which I admire because of the skill required to hand-craft it out of the hard stone. Other highlights are a medieval vesica-shaped seal matrix (CORN-506808 on the PAS database), and the largest sherd of Samian ware ever found in Cornwall, which was excavated at Boden (pictured in the ‘Underground, overground’ feature here). As for my colleagues, Joe likes the early Bronze Age axehead, sitting next to its replica (above), while Isobel favours a ‘sitting lion’ candlestick holder (CORN-3773E8) for its zoomorphism and not obviously medieval appearance. Meanwhile, Museum Director Annette highlights the greenstone axeheads and their replica, bridging the gap between the broken and worn and the useable and beautiful.
With new infographics, updated finds, excavation photographs, hand-painted timelines, and copies of historical paintings, we hope that the new displays hold something of interest for everyone.
Further information: The Museum of Cornish Life in Helston is open 10am-4pm Monday to Saturday. Entry is free. For more information, see http://www.museumofcornishlife.co.uk.
All images: Museum of Cornish Life
