Mari Takayanagi
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satisfactory20.bsky.social
Mari Takayanagi
@satisfactory20.bsky.social
3.9K followers 3.1K following 460 posts
Archives, history, heritage. Women and Parliament. #NecessaryWomen. London. COYS https://www.maritakayanagi.com
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satisfactory20.bsky.social
This is a recently discovered 'suffragette chain'! Want to know more? Come and hear me speak on 'The Speakers and the Suffragettes', online and in person at the @histparl.bsky.social seminar at the @ihrlibrary.bsky.social on Tues 28 Oct at 5PM! Free - book here www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...
A black chain partly wrapped in white-ish thread with padlock on a white tablecloth
October 13, 2025 at 2:29 PM
satisfactory20.bsky.social
Glass of wine at my last night at the Gladstone Library
Bean casserole with rice and flatbread on plate, and glass of white wine behind
October 11, 2025 at 7:31 PM
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I was really delighted to speak about #NecessaryWomen to an attentive and enthusiastic audience at @gladlib.bsky.social yesterday! Today it was full tilt research looking at as many files as I could during my last day of archives consultation. Phew!
Chapel, a bright modern room with white walls and wooden chairs, images of bookshelves at front and a presentation screen, with audience gathering for talk Library laminated sign ‘These cushions are for the books! Please do not sit on them. Please ask at the enquiry deal if you would like a people-cushion for your chair’
October 10, 2025 at 5:37 PM
satisfactory20.bsky.social
Last week I climbed Snowdon to find the Gladstone Rock halfway up the Watkin Path, where Gladstone spoke to 2000 people in 1892, aged 83 - today I thought to look up @gladlib.bsky.social what Gladstone said in his diary - 🗃️
Me standing beside a big rock with a granite plaque on it The view down the mountain from the Gladstone rock - green hillside, grass and cloud
October 8, 2025 at 7:52 PM
satisfactory20.bsky.social
My desk this week researching in @gladlib.bsky.social archives - some nice stuff today on Women’s Liberal Federation split over suffrage in 1892, when Catherine Gladstone was President.

Still time to book on my #NecessaryWomen talk on Thursday! www.gladstoneslibrary.org/event/talk-n...
A desk with laptop, file, paper and pencil, lamp, book on book cushion, pile of books. Bookshelves in background Over an image of Mari Takayanagi and her book is text that reads: 'Book your tickets for: Necessary Women: The Untold History of Parliament’s Working Women with Mari Takayanagi, Thursday 9th October 4-5pm, Tickets: £10,
October 7, 2025 at 5:55 PM
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Exhausted after my first day researching in the @gladlib.bsky.social archives! Learning lots about the Gladstone family women. Also being very well-fed…
Laminated sign ‘Desk reserved for viewing Archives and Special Collections’ Big slice of carrot cake with a half strawberry perched atop
October 6, 2025 at 5:59 PM
satisfactory20.bsky.social
@dohertyta.bsky.social spotted in St Asaph’s cathedral yesterday; WW1 Welsh nurses memorial and WW2 memorial inc a Nurse Margaret Owen #HistNursing 🗃️
Brass coloured wall plaque engraved with names and details of 5 Welsh nurses killed during First World War White marble wall plaque engraved with names of 9 men and 1 women killed during Second World War
October 5, 2025 at 9:34 PM
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Also Catherine Gladstone memorialised in marble alongside her husband, though difficult to see her next to the wall
Large white marble memorial depicting William and Catherine Gladstone lying down at rest together
October 5, 2025 at 4:32 PM
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Looking around St Deiniol's Church next door to @gladlib.bsky.social I was pleased to find stained glass windows to Gladstone’s daughters Helen, vice-principal of Newnham Cambridge, and Mary, his political secretary #WomensHistory 🗃️
Pair of stained glass windows depicting saints, Helen Gladstone mentioned at bottom Pair of stained glass windows depicting angels with musical instruments, Mary Gladstone mentioned at bottom
October 5, 2025 at 4:28 PM
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Have already had the afternoon tea so that’s a start!
Three tiers of plates of sandwiches, cakes and scones, with pot of tea on side and me sitting behind
October 5, 2025 at 8:38 AM
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Archivists Assemble @gladlib.bsky.social! Great to see @heritageadrian.bsky.social here by sheer coincidence
Adrian and me standing outside Gladstone’s Library, a monumental stone building with green lawn
October 5, 2025 at 8:31 AM
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I have arrived at @gladlib.bsky.social ! Very much looking forward to spending the next week here thanks to the Daisy Ronco Scholarship. If you’re in the area on Thursday come and hear my #NecessaryWomen talk!
Me standing in front of a majestic stone building with green lawn Over an image of Mari Takayanagi and her book is text that reads: 'Book your tickets for: Necessary Women: The Untold History of Parliament’s Working Women with Mari Takayanagi, Thursday 9th October 4-5pm, Tickets: £10,
October 4, 2025 at 6:07 PM
satisfactory20.bsky.social
I loved doing the Voodoo NÖ challenge last time!
Lying down on a grassy lawn by an old stone house on Isle of Skye in 2022 in honour of Voods Voodoo NÖ medal
October 3, 2025 at 8:39 AM
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Dropped in to see display on Medieval Jewish Cemetery at St Giles Cripplegate - had no idea it was right under the Barbican! Thanks to organisers inc @medievaljews.bsky.social On until 16 Sep www.thejewishsquaremile.org/exhibition
Display board in the exhibition showing a small part of the church ceiling and pillars. Display board from the exhibition titled ‘The Role of Women’ with a picture of a female statue with many arms doing different things.
September 12, 2025 at 5:22 PM
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Pleased I managed to get to @antiquaries.bsky.social #MagnaCarta2525 exhibition this week and see the Meeting Room transformed into a lush green space, evoking the Charter of the Forest! On until 19 Sep
A room filled with artificial greenery, trees and green lighting, with exhibition cases and interpretation along the way A long handwritten parchment document unrolled in an exhibition cases- the 1225 Magna Carta and Charter of the Forest
September 12, 2025 at 5:13 PM
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I was delighted to be on this panel, sharing some of my #NecessaryWomen research on Parliament’s earliest women librarians and archivist, plus new research on Ada Forward, first woman in the House of Lords bindery!
Copy of ‘Necessary Women - the Untold Story of Parliament’s working women’ on a bookshelf
September 5, 2025 at 3:20 PM
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I am staying with a friend who has two dogs, endless distractions
A shaggy shepherd type dog standing in a room with wooden floor, staring at a bacon sandwich (mine) on plate in foreground
August 27, 2025 at 7:50 AM
satisfactory20.bsky.social
Loved ‘Heiress’ John Singer Sargent exhibition at Kenwood House today. Amazed to learn 102 American women married into the British peerage 1870-1914! Inc Nancy Astor of course, and Mary Chamberlain, wife of Joe. On until 5 Oct www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/whats-...
Large society portrait of a young Nancy Astor with big hair in a white dress Large society portrait of Mary Chamberlain, dark hair wearing blue and white dress
August 19, 2025 at 4:09 PM
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So sad to find that Son is literally in the shop window this morning. He will always be a legend #coys
Son wearing a grey tracksuit with a black rucksack, pictured in an advertisement for luggage on a wall (taken in Rockefeller Centre New York in January) V poor quality pic showing Son advertising Tumi luggage, a photo in a shop window (taken in Royal Exchange, London, a few years ago)
August 2, 2025 at 10:15 AM
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Joyce Butler exhibition a wonderful opportunity to see archive documents of a little-known postwar woman MP. Soon to be catalogued and made more widely accessible
Display case of documents about peace campaigns Letter on headed paper of the Six Point Group Letter congratulating Joyce Butler on equal pay campaign Standing Committee debate on Anti-Discrimination Bill 1975 with caption showing it belonged to Maureen Colquhoun
July 25, 2025 at 4:14 PM
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Great to visit the Joyce Butler exhibition curated by @teadevotee.bsky.social at Bruce Castle Museum today! On until June 2026 so plenty of time to plan your visit
Sign hung on a railing advertising ‘Joyce Butler: The National Women’s MP’ exhibition Bruce Castle Museum and Archive, an imposing brick building with a grand central clock tower The exhibition- a room with lots of graphic panels and tabletop display cases with documents inside. And a large colourful banner Close up of banner, marking 100 years of the Co-operative Party, with purple border and a group of people including Joyce Butler
July 25, 2025 at 4:07 PM
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Listen through to the very end of this fab podcast from @histparl.bsky.social oral history project - there are audience vox pops, and mine is the very last voice! It was great to hear clips and get the MPs reflections live in the room 🗃️
Modern room with a speaker (Lord Norton) at a lectern, panel members sitting behind a table and large screens saying ‘Tales from the green benches - live podcast’
July 15, 2025 at 6:12 PM
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Proud to be celebrating completing my first piece of freelance work - dusting off my palaeography skills to transcribe some 18th/19thC wills! Find me here www.maritakayanagi.com 🗃️
Small empty bottle and full glass of rosado cava
July 14, 2025 at 8:43 PM
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Oh Melinda! Thinking of you x
Lavender flowers, a sea of purple with #BonusBee
July 12, 2025 at 8:33 PM
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I was very pleased to be back at Parliament for this @alcs.co.uk event this evening - had interesting conversation about writing and AI with @glovelace.bsky.social and others
View of river and London Eye from terrace with copy of Necessary Women and glass of wine in foreground Marquee full of people with a speaker (Lord Clement Jones) standing on podium behind lectern
July 8, 2025 at 8:25 PM