Research

Colchester + Ipswich Museums support research because it helps us to understand and use our collections better. Further information about how we work with researchers can be found in our Research Policy.

Here, staff and visitors reveal what they’ve been getting up to…

Latest Articles

A colour photograph showing part of a woolly rhino skull resting on two rectangular blocks. The skull is a creamy colour with reddish areas and would be rough to touch. The bottom edge of the skull has teeth protruding from it. There is a recess on the right hand side for the nostril.

Animal diversity of the Ice Age

Ipswich Museum’s new published type and figured catalogue By Dr. Simon Jackson, Collections and Learning Curator, Ipswich Museums This February we have published online most of our collection of type and figured fossil specimens, which are amongst our most important....

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...

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....

A watercolour painting showing a large, red brick building in the middle distance on the left hand side of the frame. To the right hand side is a lake, with two swans. In the immediate foreground are leafy green trees on either side and in the centre are three cows. Sheep are sat by the trees to the left. Three churches and the rooves of other buildings are visible behind a line of trees.

Landscape Research Group

By Emma Roodhouse, Collections and Learning Curator What do maps, well-being and the climate crisis have to do with landscape art? These are just the sorts of questions that the Landscape Research Group seeks to explore. This research group is dedicated to British...

A picture of rubber sealed clip lid jars containing specimen tubes with preserved spiders and specimen labels. The jars are filled with a clear, ethanol based, preservative spirit. There are five clearly visible jars, with two stacked on top of another two. More jars are visible indicating that another double stacked row of jars is present behind the one in the foreground and to either side of the main image focus.

Documenting at a Distance

By Karen Banton, Assistant Collections and Learning Curator One of the challenges of lockdowns and restricted access to the museum has been continuing the documentation work of our John Ellerman Foundation projects. But it hasn’t stopped us being able to get more of...

4 views piece of bone carved into a phallus

Roman Magic

The Camulodunum Case Study by Adam Parker, PhD student at the Open University * Click on the photos below to visit our Collections Online database and discover more about that object. * The ancient world was a dangerous place where misfortune and bad luck were...

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...

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...

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...

Takeaways from China

The following is taken from an ICON article written by Conservator, Robert Entwistle Over the past 4 years Colchester + Ipswich Museums have had partnerships with 2 Chinese Museums, Xuzhou and Nanjing to put on exhibitions in Colchester Castle. I was lucky enough to...

Research

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