March’s Object of the Month is an ancient bronze oil lamp recently donated to Saffron Walden Museum. Olive oil would have been poured into the lamp through the hole which has a hinged lid. The spout at the front was for the wick. There is a small loop for carrying or hanging the lamp on… Read More »
Object of the Month – February 2019 The European polecat, Mustela putorius, was thought to be extinct in Essex since 1880 thanks to persecution from gamekeepers. The first modern sighting was in 1999 near Wendens Ambo and there are now numerous records from north-west Essex, though only from roadkill specimens.
An update from James Lumbard, Natural Sciences Officer. The Geology Gallery received a lot of attention in the run-up to the festive period thanks in no small part to the help provided by Cali, the latest addition to the natural sciences volunteer team. After a short training session in how to carefully clean specimens using… Read More »
The Holly and the Ivy Holly and Ivy specimens from the herbarium collection of pressed, dried plants mounted on paper sheets. They were collected in 1864 by Joshua Clarke, a Botanist who lived at The Roos farmhouse on Debden Road, Saffron Walden with his brother Joseph. The Holly is from Stansted Mountfitchet and the Ivy was… Read More »
The Piano Hoard Comes Home In 2017, 913 gold sovereign and half-sovereign coins were discovered in Shropshire, hidden inside a piano. So what is the link with Saffron Walden? How have we acquired such a fascinating assemblage of material? The piano was originally supplied by Beaven & Mothersole Piano Tuners, who were based in 27 West… Read More »
Museum Shop Sunday is an International Cultural Shopping Day, taking place on Sunday 25 November. Supported by the Association for Cultural Enterprises, Museum Shop Sunday invites members of the public to experience the inspirational gifts offered by cultural organisations nationwide. Encouraging shopping with a conscience, sales made will contribute to each venue directly and provide a… Read More »
2nd Standard of the Royal British Legion by Jenny Oxley, Collections Officer, Human History. To mark the commemoration of the Centenary of the end of the First World War (1914-1918), November’s Object of the Month is a poignant one. The Royal British Legion is a charity which provides financial, social and emotional care and support to… Read More »
October’s Object of the Month is a Roman wine strainer chosen by Carolyn Wingfield, Curator An Essential Accessory for Wine Drinkers This fragile bronze vessel was described as a “Roman Bronze colander – origin unknown” in the Museum’s registers when it was acquired in 1927. It was among a list of diverse archaeological, historical and ethnographic objects… Read More »
September’s Object of the Month is a collection of fossilised teeth chosen by James Lumbard, Natural Sciences Officer. These fossilised teeth come from the extinct fish Ptychodus (pronounced tie-co-duss) which lived across the Americas, Europe and Asia. They are closely related to modern sharks and rays, but may not have been direct ancestors. Some species… Read More »
August’s Object of the Month is a red squirrel. The mammal was chosen as Object of the Month by Sarah Kenyon, Natural Sciences Officer. This red squirrel was found dead at Saffron Walden, Essex in August 2003. It had been run over by a car in Landscape View. A member of the Uttlesford group of… Read More »
