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Behind The Scenes Blog

Almost everyday is different at Colchester + Ipswich Museums.  To help showcase the variety of skills we need, our staff are revealing what they get up to…

Latest Blogs

A composite of four images of a lichen covered rock. Each image is bordered by a black outline. On the left is a large image taking up three quarters of the composite, has a large flat surfaced grey rock covered in patched of yellow and orange lichen on a white background. On the right quarter of the image are three magnified images of different parts of the lichen. The top right image shows magnified grey and brown fruiting bodies on a patch oof pale yellow-grey crust like lichen. The centre right image is a magnified view of the rock with the top left and bottom right corners partially covered in yellow lichen growth and the grey rock in between dotted with dark brown fruiting bodies with pale edges. The bottom right image is a magnified view of the yellow lichen, some of the yellow oval growth have a dull orange-brown centre.

Liking Lichens

By Karen Banton, Assistant Collections and Learning Curator * Click on the photos below to visit our Collections Online database and discover more about that object. * During lockdown, one of the things I’ve had the chance to do, thanks to our John Ellerman...
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A painted view of a country road. A red brick house is on the right in the middle ground and two figures a stood in front of it

John Moore of Ipswich

'A painter of land and sea' by Emma Roodhouse, Collections and Learning Curator * Click on the photos below to visit our Collections Online database and discover more about Moore. * “Visitors to the gallery always look for a collection of happy sea pieces and his...
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The two sides of a gold coin. On one side is a profile on a mans head, on the other is a man on horseback

LGBT History Month

Ben Paites, Collections and Learning Curator * Click on the photos below to visit our Collections Online database and discover more about that object. * Sexuality and gender identity have not always been the same as we understand them in the modern day. Throughout...
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A stone with a light blue surface and darker background. The shape of a fly has been carved into it

Stories In Stone

By Glynn Davis, Senior Collections and Learning Curator  * Click on the photos below to visit our Collections Online database and discover more about that object. * Colchester Museums care for a fascinating collection of Roman intaglios. These small gems are carved...
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A painting of a river. Cows are grazing on the left hand bank and standing in the shallows. On the right there are boats in the distance. Bridges and trees can be seen in the background. The painting is surrounded by an ornate gold frame

Changing hands

By Liz Tregenza, Collections and Learning Curator  In this blog post I'm going to concentrate on the people who previously owned Walton Bridges, and the significance of J.M.W. Turner’s art for those who collected it. Provenance is greatly important for works of art,...
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Joseph Mallord William Turner, R.A., Walton Bridges, oil on canvas, 92.7 x 123.8cm - Courtesy of Sotheby's

Botanising Turner

​Guest blog by Dr David Waterhouse, Senior Curator of Natural History at Norfolk Museums Service Many of us have heard of forensic entomology – where the succession of various insects and other invertebrates found on corpses are used to figure out time and date of...
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A painting of a white cottage. Beside the building is a large tree and an expanse of water. In the sky are large white clouds

Creating Constable

John Constable (1776-1837) - Willy Lott’s House, Flatford, 1816, oil on canvas   Family, Friends and Artists in East AngliaEmma Roodhouse, Collections and Learning Curator 2021 is a significant year for the artist, John Constable 1776-1837, being the 200th anniversary...
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Francis and Cecily Manners detail

A Tale of Two Portraits

Patricia Palmer, Visitor Experience Volunteer Each object and artefact in Ipswich Museum and Christchurch Mansion holds its own history and value, and it is hard to select a favourite. I have a soft spot for the bear; his eyes catch the light making them twinkle and...
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Why I Volunteer

Hello, my name is Laura Jones and I have been volunteering with Ipswich Museums for over two years now. During my time here I have taken part in a number of different projects, volunteering alongside professional staff who have taught me so much in return. I have...
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Christchurch Mansion

Mansion Guiding

Gillian Barnett, Christchurch Mansion Volunteer Guide It was 1990 when I first discovered Christchurch Mansion. Having moved to Suffolk from a Garden City in Hertfordshire I found the medieval buildings in Ipswich and their associated history fascinating. The Mansion...
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