Collections care: hazardous edition

#museums

That being said, if anyone asks me to do that again in January, the answer is a resounding no!

All in all, it was an incredibly worthwhile experience. It really put into perspective the respect we should hold for those who had to deal with conditions like this for real.

It also sheds light on how certain bits of kit are absolutely essential and how to keep clean in such conditions.

When in camp, we still dealt with the challenges of the extreme cold, but at least we had a hut between us and the sky. We took part in drills, lectures a church parade and finally a pay parade before our 2½ days in 1915 were up!

I was the corporal in charge of number 1 section. It was a test of endurance through our 26 hour trench phase. I had to make sure that our duties were carried out (sandbagging and sentry duties) and that the welfare of my section was looked after. I slept for less than 2 hours in this phase.

Temperatures were well below freezing for the majority of the event, adding to the drain on energy that the motions of army life already have on individuals.

We were recreating conditions faced by the 2nd West Riding Regiment (Duke of Wellingtons) 110 years ago.

Last weekend I took part in an emersive WW1 event at the Great War Huts, set in very early 1915.

It was an experience made up of 3 phases, 2 in camp, 1 in the trenches. It was one of the most brutal and tiring experiences I have ever taken part in in the Living History hobby.

It was particularly well received.

We were given the honour of taking the Spanish surrender at the end of the event as well (extra photos because it is a fantastic colour)!

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Thought I'd jump on the bandwagon.

This is me at De Slag om Grolle in the Netherlands, wearing clothing I'd made myself (grey doublet and breeches), the *most* flamboyantly lined Dutch Coat and carrying a reproduction of the colour... (1/2)

In the notes, he details that the ministers delivered no public sermons and either fled or went into hiding to avoid persecution.

You can see this notebook on display (albeit not showing this page) in the Four Seasons of Faith exhibition in the Museum of Edinburgh.

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Interesting one for you today!

This is a notebook used by the Minister of Greyfriars between 1745 and 1760. In it he kept notes on sermons, marriages, and sacraments in the kirk.

There is a particularly interesting page which reacts to the Jacobites taking over the city.

(1/3)

However, conservation cleaning can still be satisfying! It was clearly a very nice object when it was made
I also had the fun of labelling this object, meaning lots of little tags (as seen in the second picture)(2/2)

#museums #conservation #edinburgh

There's a difference between restoration and conservation cleaning.

If I was to restore this token board that was used by the Inverleith Yacht Club, I would remove a tangible aspect of its history. In this case, it is clear that the tokens up to around number 16 have been more heavily used. (1/2)

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Had a pleasant evening at the private viewing of the Museum of Edinburgh's Four Seasons in Faith: Worship in Edinburgh Throughout the Year exhibition.

"To be proclaimed by trumpet and tuck of drum without delay"

Another throwback to the start of 2024 when I was working with some documents with Museums and Galleries Edinburgh. This one is a proclamation signed by Cromwell himself and was read out in Edinburgh on the 14th Sept 1650.