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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 colour photograph of a mammoth tooth. The tooth is lying on it's side and the surface appears rough with lots of vertical grooves. A reference number has been written on one side.

Ice Age Fossils

Ancient Weather "Forecasters" of the Past By Dr. Simon Jackson, Collections and Learning Curator, Ipswich Museums New research is investigating and reconstructing the unknown climates and environments of the past. Today, we feature University of Helsinki mammal...
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An artwork from the Colchester Oyster Feast on 25th October 1900. Along the bottom, text reads: An Oyster Feast Beneath the Waters of the Colne. The illustrated scene shows figures with human bodies and oysters for heads. Some are feasting, dancing and playing instruments, another is dressed as a waiter

The Colchester Oyster Feast

By Liz Tregenza, Collections and Learning Curator * Click on the photos below to visit our Collections Online database and discover more about that object. *   Colchester is renowned for its ‘Colchester Native’ oysters. The oyster fishery is officially opened for...
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A colour photograph showing a pair of white hands holding a silicone putty gun and squeezing a blue paste onto a section of fossil

Unlocking Hidden Secrets of Fossil Teeth

21st Century Investigation Meets “Ice Age” Fossils By Dr. Simon Jackson, Collections and Learning Curator, Ipswich Museums Modern scientific techniques are helping us to unlock the secrets of fossil teeth, and to provide new insights into these creatures’ lost worlds....
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A composite image made up of two colour photographs. On the left are lots of different colour threads. On the right is a strip of car with a series of colour threads knotted through holes, with reference numbers against each colour

Hollytrees Cushion Project Update

By Megan Fowler, Visitor Information Assistant Earlier this year, we announced that Colchester Museums and the Visitor Information Centre were joining forces to create some very special new window seat cushions for Hollytrees Museum. The existing cushions within the...
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Photo of a pinned Helophilus pendulus, a species of hovefly known as ‘the footballer’ or the ‘sun fly’. It collection information is visible, showing is was collected in Colchester on the 19th October 1998 while visiting Ivy flowers.

Hovering Around Colchester

By Karen Baton, Assistant Collections and Learning Curator  * Click on the photos below to visit our Collections Online database and discover more. *  Why Look At Hoverflies?Insect collections provide a record of past biodiversity and can help scientists find out...
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A painted portrait of a man wearing a dark jacket.

Scraps of Nature

Self portrait c.1800, oil on canvas IPSMG:R.1906.23    By Emma Roodhouse, Collections and Learning Curator  * Click on the photos below to visit our Collections Online database and discover more. * ​ ‘The subjects which he selected were such as did credit to his...
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A colour photograph of two creamy-yellow European painted top shells. The shells are cone shaped with a wide base. One is right side up with its tip pointing towards the camera, the other is laying on its side with the underside and mouth of the shell visible.

Washed Ashore

By Karen Baton, Assistant Collections and Learning Curator  * Click on the photos below to visit our Collections Online database and discover more. *   As restrictions loosen, we’re all starting to think about what we might be doing or where we might be going...
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A colour photograph showing a large cylindrical container, a small glass container with a wide base and narrow neck, and a small brown bowl

Decoding the Roman Dead: A Bit Of Background

By Glynn Davis, Senior Collections and Learning Curator and Lead Curator for the ‘Decoding the Roman Dead’ exhibition * Click on the photos below to visit our Collections Online database and discover more. *   Decoding the Roman Dead is an exhibition that...
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A group of five ceramic jars of different sizes and shapes. They are all pale or white and decorated with intricate blue designs and Latin words in capital letters

Historical Cures: Colchester’s Apothecary Jars

By Liz Tregenza, Collections and Learning Curator * Click on the photos below to visit our Collections Online database and discover more about that object. *   Today we are used to our medicines, pills and ointments coming in packets, or glass or plastic bottles....
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A black square set against a white background. Inside the square is the text: Black History Month Colchester

Black History Month

All objects have a story to tell. Some stories are well known and easy to hear, but others are forgotten about, ignored or difficult to share. Behind the labels for the objects in museums are untold stories, which we are seeking to reveal. We recognise that our...
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