All posts by administrator

Muhammad Ali and South Shields

Did you know that boxing legend Muhammad Ali (1942-2016) came to South Shields in the summer of 1977? Ali was the World Heavyweight Champion at the time so, as you can imagine, his Tyneside visit drew huge crowds. Many came… Read more

Africans on Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site

Written by Bill Griffiths, Head of Programmes & Collections and Alex Croom, Keeper of Archaeology. During the Roman period Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site was an incredibly diverse place, with soldiers, and civilians from right across the Roman Empire based… Read more

Facing the truth: A closer look at Nahem Shoa’s painting ‘Head of Desiree’

Written by Rachel Booker, Communications Officer, Laing Art Gallery and Shipley Art Gallery In the Laing Art Gallery’s collection display, 100 Years of Collecting, Nahem Shoa’s striking oil painting Head of Desiree hangs on the back wall of the gallery. At 121cm… Read more

The Forgotten War

To commemorate VJ Day, Conservation Officer Ana Flynn shares the story of her grandpa Harry Gregory and the long, long road home from Burma. For most, the Second World War ended on 8 May 1945 with VE Day. For my… Read more

Recalling the opening of Segedunum Roman Fort to the public 20 years ago

Segedunum Roman Fort, Baths and Museum opened its doors to the public for the first time in June 2000. In June 2020, we were set to celebrate the Fort’s 20th anniversary in the venue, but as the coronavirus pandemic had… Read more