Posts by venue: Social History

Newcastle and the River Tyne in 1895: Bridges and Ships

This magnificent panorama shows Newcastle in 1895, at the height of the city’s industrial development. Hundreds of ships left the Tyne every month for destinations in Britain, Europe and America. Newcastle dominated the British coal trade and its shipyards built… Read more

A teaspoon of history: the evolution of British cookery books

I am so excited for our upcoming event, Time Kitchen (Wed. Feb 22nd) to nibble delicious historic dishes and learn more about ancient recipes! This event has inspired me to look into the history of cookery books, and the recipes in our… Read more

A Victorian Christmas

Discovery Museum is all decked out for Christmas, and it inspired me to look into some of our most common Christmas traditions and where (and when!)  they came from. In Britain, our Christmas traditions are so closely linked with the… Read more

My Top 10 Pincushions (part 2) – A Guest Blog by Zoe-Marie Dobbs

Read part 1 for an introduction and numbers 10-6 From the Elizabethan Age until the 19th Century, the pincushion was seen as an essential element of a woman’s boudoir with a beautiful, decorative cushion needed to house her large collection… Read more

My Top 10 Pincushions (part 1) – A Guest Blog by Zoe-Marie Dobbs

My name is Zoe-Marie Dobbs and I am a volunteer with Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums. For the past few weeks, I have been photographing and researching the collection of pincushions in the costume store at the Discovery Museum. The pincushions… Read more