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

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...