Our Collections Officer (Human History), Jenny Oxley has a real passion for vintage fashion, check out her latest blog, charting the changes in the female fashion silhouette between 1790 and 1900 – Corsets and Crinolines – illustrated through the museum’s collections. Follow this link for the PDF version The Shape of Women – Part 1:… Read More »
In Essex and south east England, almost every pebble on the beach and in gardens is flint. It’s a hard rock found in the Chalk, a soft, white, limestone layer that is up to 200m (600 ft) thick in north Essex and Cambridgeshire. In north west Essex, this chalk is between 90 million and 66… Read More »
May’s ‘Object of the Month’ features a selection of Hawk-moths. They have been chosen by Sarah Kenyon, one of the Natural Sciences Officers at Saffron Walden Museum, from moths preserved in a wooden cabinet of British moths. It belonged to George Stacey Gibson of Saffron Walden who collected the insects before 1883. Display of Hawk-moths… Read More »
Saffron Walden Museum may be closed temporarily to the public due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but staff are still busy working behind the scenes, creating online resources for those home schooling and self-isolating. Regular posts on the museum social media platforms and monthly e-newsletter continue to entertain and inform. A new blog has been developed… Read More »
Cattle right-side calcaneus (heel bone) The calcaneus in humans is the heel bone, and is the first point of contact with the floor when we walk. However, cattle are ‘nail-walkers’ – walking on the very tips of their toes with the rest of the foot held off the ground. This means the first joint from… Read More »
We are living through a pandemic which has changed every aspect of the world as we know it. The Covid-19 outbreak has propelled us into history books yet to be written as our lives have been reshaped beyond anything we could have imagined mere weeks ago. There is a great deal that we can do… Read More »
In these unprecedented times it’s more important than ever that we all stay in touch. In addition to our regular E-News update, our website and social media platforms, we’ve introduced a new blog for the Museum. It is being setup to share our learning resources more effectively whilst we are closed to the public. CHECK OUT… Read More »
Adoration of the Shepherds pen & ink with chalk drawing by Gaspare Diziani (in Museum’s collections) April’s Object of the Month has been chosen by Jenny Oxley, Collections Officer (Human History). It is a pen and ink drawing with additions in chalk by Italian artist Gaspare Diziani (b.1689 d.1767) called the Adoration of the Shepherds. … Read More »
Saffron Walden Museum is closed to the public from Wednesday 18th March until further notice, and all Museum events and activities are postponed. This is a precautionary measure against corona virus. See our website and social media updates to follow our work behind closed doors.
1826 Gold Street Maltings, Shrove Tuesday (see also fire in the same location in 1941 1835 Workhouse, High Street, Saffron Walden In the run up to Christmas, a serious fire broke out at the workhouse, located at the top of the High Street (opposite what is now the war memorial). Initially it threatened to spread… Read More »