Cornish heritage is a man’s game

Geevor, near Pendeen, one of Cornwall's last mineral mines.

Cornwall Councillor Bert Biscoe today published a really thought-provoking article on the recommencement of mining in Cornwall: To manicure or mine, Cornwall’s modern dilemma. Amongst other points he raises the issues of the tensions between preservation, environmental sustainability and economic gain; he also makes the point many of us have been thinking about not really… Continue reading Cornish heritage is a man’s game

History 51 and All Our Stories

Part of the Judith Cook archive, Elizabeth Treffry Collection.

In November 2012 the Hypatia Trust was awarded £10,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund’s All Our Stories programme for a project entitled History 51: Unveiling Women in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. History 51 has been designed as a community-led project  based on the Hypatia Trust’s Elizabeth Treffry Collection to trace the journeys, make things… Continue reading History 51 and All Our Stories

Artistic licence: misrepresenting (Cornish) history

Last week the temperature under my collar was raised twice over. Both times it concerned a poor representation of the past. One probably down to lazy journalism (but with no real excuses) and the other possibly down to poor editing choices and an over-reliance on a ‘pat narrative’. Here I discuss the first of these,… Continue reading Artistic licence: misrepresenting (Cornish) history

New report on Swansea copperworks: An industrious future from an industrial past

Morfa Lifting Bridge over the Tawe Navigation, unlisted (credit: Brian Perrins)

I have recently completed consultancy and research work for Swansea University. In addition to undertaking research on digital heritage in Wales and the potential for creating a digital heritage, history and archaeology hub in Swansea (more on this soon), the university commissioned a report that would provide a vision for the heritage­‐led regeneration of the… Continue reading New report on Swansea copperworks: An industrious future from an industrial past

Approaches to regenerating industrial heritage sites

Following on from my survey of industrial heritage education this article discusses different approaches to the regeneration of industrial heritage sites. By their very nature, industrial heritage sites are often also classed as ‘brownfield’ sites and therefore fairer game for redevelopment than areas of ‘greenfield’. This was well-illustrated in English Heritage’s Industrial Heritage at Risk report… Continue reading Approaches to regenerating industrial heritage sites

Old pilchards and Cornish industrial fishing heritage

Industrial heritage in Cornwall is completely dominated by mining, and most of that is heavily focused on tin mining and china clay extraction as opposed to that of other metals and minerals such as copper, arsenic and so on. Even more neglected is Cornwall’s fishing and fish processing heritage. The Cornish Quaysude gallery in the National… Continue reading Old pilchards and Cornish industrial fishing heritage

Copper research funding success!

I was delighted to hear on Friday that I had been successful in my application for a small research grant from Glamorgan County History Trust for continued research on my project entitled, Biographies of British copper: The heritage of a global commodity, c.1700-1980. The Trust supports research into any aspect of the history of Glamorgan, south… Continue reading Copper research funding success!

Hidden Treasures of the Elizabeth Treffry Collection

This week I am leading tours of the Elizabeth Treffry Collection on Women in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly at Hypatia Trust HQ at Trevelyan House, Penzance. Hidden Treasures is a national campaign organised by the Collections Trust in association with the Independent newspaper who featured the campaign in the 2 June edition. About… Continue reading Hidden Treasures of the Elizabeth Treffry Collection

Paddington history for kids

Last November I blogged about my experience demonstrating the wonders of history school children at Hallfield Primary School, my first alma mater. I continued the theme with the local Cub Scouts Group based at another Paddington primary school, St Mary Magdalene (5th Paddington). My tack was slightly different here. The incentive to listen and learn… Continue reading Paddington history for kids

Stop trashing our collections!

Over the last four or five years, even before the austerity thing, British cultural collections and internationally-important training and teaching in cultural heritage, have been seen by many institutions as an expensive inconvenience when neither of these has been the case. I just want to list here, so I get it straight in my head,… Continue reading Stop trashing our collections!