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Newcastle Uni Special Collections & Archives
@ncllibspeccoll.bsky.social
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Newcastle University Special Collections & Archives is an Accredited Archive Service, home to Newcastle University's archive and rare book collections.

Find out more: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/library/special-collections/
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Happy New Year!We're back in the office & our Reading Room is open, 10-4pm Mon-Fri. Check out our website www.ncl.ac.uk/library/special-collections/ for information on the services that we offer. Here we have 'John Bull's Happy New Year!! Gulp it down, Johnny' from our Broadsides collection (1/9/17)
January 6, 2026 at 1:57 PM
ncllibspeccoll.bsky.social
#MerryChristmas from Newcastle University Special Collections & Archives!

This #Christmas break, enjoy a festive blog on the public reading of A Christmas Carol and how Dickens’ classic has been celebrated over time
blogs.ncl.ac.uk/speccoll/202...

#ArchiveAdventCalendar @arascot.bsky.social
December 25, 2025 at 10:00 AM
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Dear #Santa...

This touching 1917 letter to Father Christmas was written by 7-year-old Geoffrey Washington Trevelyan on #ChristmasEve at Rounton Grange. He asks Santa to decorate the tree & bring presents for the children blogs.ncl.ac.uk/speccoll/201...

#ArchiveAdventCalendar @arascot.bsky.social
December 24, 2025 at 12:30 PM
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What did Christmas look like in the 1800s? Explore Thomas Sopwith’s diaries for intimate, candlelit scenes of family, church services, presents, and Victorian festive traditions. A warm read this season!

Find out more: blogs.ncl.ac.uk/speccoll/202... #Christmas
December 23, 2025 at 1:30 PM
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A true #WinterWonderland

These 1925 photographs capture the Richmond and Trevelyan families enjoying ice skating in a frozen landscape. A beautiful glimpse of winter leisure and family life from a century ago collectionscaptured.ncl.ac.uk/digital/coll...

#ArchiveAdventCalendar @arascot.bsky.social
December 23, 2025 at 12:30 PM
ncllibspeccoll.bsky.social
📢 Notice: Our Special Collections Reading Room closes today at 4pm and reopens 10am on Mon 5 Jan 2026.

You can still browse our collection guides online while we’re closed specialcollections.ncl.ac.uk

#ChristmasClosure
Collections Guide - Newcastle University Special Collections and Archives
Browse all our unique and distinctive collections, including searching by keyword and subject.
specialcollections.ncl.ac.uk
December 22, 2025 at 2:12 PM
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#Naughtyornice? Our Alnwick Union Workhouse archive holds a revealing report, evidence & witness statements linked to charges of corruption against the workhouse master. collectionscaptured.ncl.ac.uk/digital/coll...
#ArchiveAdventCalendar @arascot.bsky.social
December 22, 2025 at 1:45 PM
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Who has started the annual tradition of prepping for Christmas Dinner yet?

Here's an article from our archive of Newcastle's student newspaper The Courier from December 2011, giving readers advice on the 'perfect' ingredients for the annual meal.

#ArchiveAdventCalendar #FestiveTraditions
Page from the Courier newspaper including elements of a Christmas Dinner and a guide on their preperations.
December 21, 2025 at 11:24 AM
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For aspiring 17th Century cooks Gervase Markham’s The English Housewife provided recipes for a festive menu.

This blog looks at some of the recipes from the book. blogs.ncl.ac.uk/speccoll/202...

A key element in prepping food 17th Century style was definitely a #WarmFire! #ArciveAdventCalendar
December 20, 2025 at 12:00 PM
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As the final days of the year approach we're feeling increasingly in the party spirit in our office. We're admiring this very grand scene for a party setting from the front page of this January 1888 copy of The Illustrated London News.

#ArchiveAdventCalendar #ChristmasParty
[19thCColl ILL 030]
Front cover of a copy of the Illustrated London News with a full page illustration of a grand ballroom. A Christmas tree is at the rear of the room with a long table in the foreground containing gifts. Various people are stood around the room in formal dress.
December 19, 2025 at 2:19 PM
ncllibspeccoll.bsky.social
Unfortunately all the real #ArchiveElves were hiding today but we did find some helpful ilustrations of elves in Fairyland: Pictures from the Elf-World, for today's #ArchiveAdventCalendar theme.

The book is part of our Marcus Crouch collection of children's books. Ref. crouch 398.4 DOY
Front cover of Fairyland Pictures from the Elf-World by Richard Doyle Colour illustration of an elfen land. Colour illustration of an elf with an audience of coulourful birds in a clearing.
December 18, 2025 at 3:05 PM
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An elegant fig tree from Elizabeth Blackwell’s Herbal. Rich greens and warm tones give this 18th-century illustration a festive feel—proof that nature always knows its #ChristmasColours.

#ArchivesAdventCalendar @arascot.bsky.social
December 17, 2025 at 1:58 PM
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#Bells for today’s @arascot.bsky.social
#ArchiveAdventCalendar! This broadside records a local fundraising drive to buy 2 bells for Morpeth’s Old Gate Steeple (1832)—subscriptions taken by a bookseller, a chemist, & a printer. Community spirit in print! collectionscaptured.ncl.ac.uk/digital/coll...
December 16, 2025 at 3:39 PM
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We may not have any colourful #Christmas #wrappingpaper in the archive…but we do have gold paperclips and acid free tape - making do, archivist-style.

@arascot.bsky.social #ArchiveAdventCalendar
December 15, 2025 at 1:56 PM
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Poinsettias are popular plants often used at this time of year to decorate and brighten up our indoor spaces, so here's an illustration of such a bright flower to brighten up your feeds on this December Sunday morning, curtesy of our 19thC Collection.

#ArchiveAdventCalendar #Decoration
December 14, 2025 at 9:28 AM
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For many in Newcastle the Grainger Market will be a Christmas shopping desination this weekend, as it has been for 190 years. These illustrations from our Local Illustrations Collection show the very recognisable market during the 19th Century.

#ArchiveAdventCalendar #Shopping
[Ref ILL/11/204-206]
Illustration of the Grainger Market interior. Illustration showing a plan of the Grainger Market in Newcastle. Illustration of the interior of the Grainger Market.
December 13, 2025 at 11:15 AM
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Our Brand New Exhibition "Padua to Edinburgh: Cultures of Art and Medicine in European Anatomical Drawings" is now open on Level 2 of the Philip Robinson Library.

Curated by Robinson Bequest Student Hannah Reynolds, the exhibition traces the story of anatomical illustration through time.
December 13, 2025 at 10:01 AM
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As we're well into Christmas party season, here are several photos from our Trevelyan Family Photograph Albums of the Trevelyans posing for their 1924 festive photographs in their festive outfits (some more festive than others!).

#ArchiveAdventCalendar #FestiveClothes

[Ref. CPT/PA/10]
Photograph of George and Nora, both wearing cloaks. Nora is in a trolley pulled by George and carrying a sak of gifts with her. A line of Treveylan family children in height order. A photograph of Florence, Hugh and Nora. A family portrait of all the Trevelyan family members present.
December 12, 2025 at 11:31 AM
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A brightly lit Christmas tree can often be found lighting up the #darknights of winter.

So, here's a photo of the Newcastle University Christmas tree lights being officially switched on last night for today's #ArchiveAdventCalendar theme.
Photograph of the University of Newcastle Christmas tree light swiching on ceremony, featuring a brightly lit tree, photographed in front of the Architecture Building in the Quadrangle.
December 11, 2025 at 11:27 AM
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This #ChristmasCards from John & Pauline Dower, sent in their 2nd year of marriage, to Pauline’s parents, Charles Philips & Lady Mary Trevelyan of @WallingtonNt. The Dowers would go on to help shape England & Wales’ National Parks #ArchiveAdventCalendar @arascot.bsky.social
December 10, 2025 at 1:15 PM
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Planning xmas dinner #FestiveFood?Try this C17th turkey sauce recipe:"Take fair water, and set it over the fire, then slice good store of Onions, and put into it, and also Pepper and Salt, and good store of the gravy..." blogs.ncl.ac.uk/speccoll/2023/12/12/a-humble-feast-for-christmas @ara_scotland
December 8, 2025 at 2:11 PM
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For today's #ArchiveAdventCalendar #Star theme we've found this hand made poster for a family play 'starring' the Treveylan and Richmond families in one of our Trevelyan family photo albums.

Find all our digitised Trevelyan albums on our Digital Showcase: digitalshowcase.ncl.ac.uk/showcases/tr...
December 7, 2025 at 11:30 AM
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For the final #ExploreYourArchive Week theme of #YourArchive these photos show the formal opening of our Reading Room in 1997.

The room may still be in the same place, but lots has changed, including the bookcases!

Find out more about us on our website: www.ncl.ac.uk/library/spec...
December 7, 2025 at 10:01 AM
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For today's #ArchiveAdventCalendar theme of #WinterSports here's a scene of what certainly looks like a competitive snow ball throwing competition on the lawn outside the Student's Union, from our University Archive.

[Ref. NUA/264918/03]
December 6, 2025 at 2:31 PM
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Looking ahead to next year for today's #ExploreYourArchive #Anniversaries theme, 2026 marks 100 years since the death of Gertrude Bell.

Her archive of photographs and letters of her travels and life in the Middle East are still used globally today.

Explore the archive here: gertrudebell.ncl.ac.uk
Photograph of Gertrude Bell's grave in Baghdad.
December 6, 2025 at 10:15 AM