I love haematite (also spelled hematite). This iron oxide mineral is the original mirror, having a highly polishable metallic lustre (while also dull and earthy in rough form), usually greyish-brown to silverish-grey to nearly black, and an inner core of blood red, hence the name. Haematite crystallises in the trigonal crystal system, the same as… Continue reading Heamatite in quartz
Tag: Cornwall
Where am I in the gemstone pipeline?
This is a reproduction of a reflective piece of writing I completed for my Gem-A Foundation in Gemmology in February 2022. Image above: Examining the strong dichroic (two-colour) pleochroism of a green tourmaline crystal using Gem-A’s London dichroscope with a flatlight (credit: Tehmina Goskar). What is the gemstone pipeline? The gemstone pipeline considers all of… Continue reading Where am I in the gemstone pipeline?
What are rural museums anyway?
On 13 June #museumhour debated rural museums, or museums in rural regions. It didn’t take long for the farm jokes to start. The debate was guest-hosted by Cornwall Museums Partnership and Highland Museums Partnership and mainly involved questions about the challenges of working in museums in rural places and the benefits they provide to their communities.… Continue reading What are rural museums anyway?
Authority, authenticity and interpretation at Tintagel
Summary This week my opinion article “Cornwall, Authenticity and the Dark Ages: Controversy at Tintagel Castle” was published by History & Policy. Following my visit to Tintagel on 30 April, it is an attempt to bring perspective to the key issues that have caused considerable upset and concern amongst Cornish communities, medieval historians and English Heritage. The… Continue reading Authority, authenticity and interpretation at Tintagel
Museums Association visits Cornwall
On 12 May the Museums Association visited Cornwall for the annual Members Meeting in the South West. I’d like to extend my appreciation to MA colleagues for making the long journey from London but also emphasise the importance of such visits to show it is a fully inclusive and diverse-led organisation that is interested in views from… Continue reading Museums Association visits Cornwall
English Heritage are in the Dark Ages at Tintagel
Tintogel, more famous for his antiquity than rewardable for his present estate, abutteth likewise on the sea; yet the ruins argue it to have been once no unworthy dwelling for the Cornish princes. Richard Carew’s Survey of Cornwall, 1602 Not long before Shakespeare released Hamlet, Richard Carew had already published his Survey of Cornwall–a masterpiece of Elizabethan-era… Continue reading English Heritage are in the Dark Ages at Tintagel
Diversity in the Nation
The phrase “increasing diversity” occurs regularly in discussions about culture but what do we mean? What does diversity look like? Is diversity in the context of equality the same as diversity in the context of inclusion? Diversity is on every major cultural agenda. I have been taking a keen interest in how diversity is represented and expressed by museums and other heritage… Continue reading Diversity in the Nation
The Tintagel Controversy
“Disneyfication, Myth, Britain, Vandalism and Medieval Civilisation have been made uncomfortable bed-fellows.” In recent weeks the ancient site of Tintagel in North Cornwall has been the subject of controversy. The conflict is between the re-interpretation of the site by English Heritage and Cornish groups and individuals who say that the Cornish history of this major… Continue reading The Tintagel Controversy
Made in metal: Writing the industrial background of Graham Sutherland’s war art
Earlier in the year I spent some weeks in the summer researching and writing a survey of the links between Cornwall and South Wales, particularly those evidenced in the metal industries of copper, iron and steel, and tin. It resulted in a wonderfully illustrated book called Graham Sutherland: From Darkness Into Light. War Paintings and… Continue reading Made in metal: Writing the industrial background of Graham Sutherland’s war art
Exhibitions development at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall
In July 2013 I was contracted by the National Maritime Museum Cornwall to provide maternity cover for their exhibitions development role, and in particular to develop new shows for their small but multi-layered Quarterdeck gallery. The first exhibition I was charged with installing From the Loft Floor (Sep 2013-Jan 2014). This show of reportage drawings by Anna Cattermole… Continue reading Exhibitions development at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall