Graduate intern Jenny Coulton tells us what she’s been up to recently…
Hello there! Many of you may have read the previous graduate intern posts by my predecessor Beth. As she moves on to the next adventure, I hope I can fill her shoes and keep you updated on what it’s been like to start working in an archive.
Continue reading “Graduate intern update: Jenny”
Every month we’ll showcase here an item from our Heritage Collections.
The funeral of Queen Elizabeth II was a dignified and solemn occasion observed by millions around the world. In marked contrast the funeral procession of Queen Caroline of Brunswick (1768-1821), slighted consort of George IV (1762-1830), was a disorderly and violent affair. The queen, exiled and reviled by the Prince of Wales and then king in favour of his mistresses, had in the years of their estrangement become a figurehead for opposition Whigs and radicals pushing for parliamentary reform, a position she clearly revelled in. Her return from Europe after the accession of her husband caused riots but her support reached its peak in the parliamentary trial brought by Lord Liverpool’s Tory government. Her decision to attempt to attend the coronation – George IV had been careful not to issue her with a ticket – proved a step too far for popular public opinion and having been physically barred from several entrances to Westminster Abbey she was jeered by the crowd. She died within the month.
Continue reading “Item of the month: A disastrous royal funeral, 1821”
I’m Susan Hull, Graduate Intern in Book Conservation at Palace Green Library. I have been working with Katie Brew, Assistant Conservator, investigating the materials we use for long term storage of our collections.
Recently we received items packaged in unidentified materials. This is a cause of concern; the rate of deterioration of an archival object can increase by way of the substances surrounding it, including packaging. Unsuitable packaging can expose paper archives to volatile substances, which migrate to the object and ultimately contribute to its degradation.
To assess the materials suitability for long term storage, we contacted Archaeological Conservator Vicky Garlick who runs Oddy testing in the Dawson building, for the students of the Conservation of Archaeological and Museum Objects MA.
Continue reading “Oddy Testing in Conservation”
Graduate intern Beth Hall updates us on what she’s been up to recently…
Hello! It’s Beth, back again with a long-awaited intern update. I’m glad to have the opportunity to sit myself down and reflect on these last few hectic and varied months. It’s been a busy year so far – just how I like it!
On the International Day of Mathematics, a post by Dr Elizabeth Biggs (Trinity College Dublin/TNA Postdoctoral Research Fellow) Dr Danielle Westerhof (Rare Books Librarian) and Gemma Lewis (Castle Curator).
How many of us who have lived, worked or explored Durham Castle have ever heard about the man who built the Tunstall Gallery and Chapel?
Cuthbert Tunstall (1474-1559), bishop of Durham from 1530 until his death, was a survivor.
Continue reading “Bishop Tunstall: The man who survived the Tudors by calculating the odds”
A post by Assistant Curator Katie Brew
I have recently been fortunate to attend a five day Romanesque binding course with experienced bookbinder and conservator Arthur Green. It was a largely practical course, attended to gain a deeper understanding of this particular binding style and its construction – to improve my own skills and directly inform the conservation of the early medieval bindings we have here in Special Collections.
Continue reading “Romanesque bindings”
Summer intern Iris Leussink looks back on two months spent working at Palace Green Library
For a lot of people in Durham, Palace Green Library is a bit of a mystery. Some of my friends, even those who have studied and lived in here for four years, have never set foot in the building. Before I started, I had only been here once to see a rare book for my History dissertation. So I’m writing this blog post to give you an idea of what an internship at an archive might look like in practice.
Continue reading “The Lambton Archive – a summer internship”
A guest post by Liz Mytton, the first of our artist-facilitators in our #CreativeCosins summer workshop programme
“If the pandemic has taught me anything, it’s the value of moving freely. To travel, to shake hands and embrace. In the early months of lockdown last year, I remember driving to my shift (I was a part-time NHS worker at the time) and on observing the empty streets during what would have normally been rush hour, I felt like a character in some apocalyptic thriller – everyone had disappeared.
Continue reading “Libraries are not just for reading”
In the next of our series introducing members of staff, #DULibIntroducing welcomes University Library and Collections graduate interns Beth Hall and Elisabeth Prestgard. Beth and Elisabeth will be keeping us up to date with what they are up to over the coming months via the blog.
Continue reading “#DULibIntroducing Beth Hall and Elisabeth Prestgard”
Over the last year, History PhD student Lily Chadwick has been cataloguing the correspondence of Bishop John Cosin, founder of Cosin’s Library on Palace Green in the centre of Durham. Reading through his letters, she caught a glimpse of his personality.
Cataloguing the correspondence of Bishop John Cosin over the course of the last eight months has provided considerable insight into the personality and mind of one of Durham’s most imposing figures. Certainly, there are limitations to the source material, which mean that we cannot draw definitive conclusions about Cosin as a person.
Continue reading “Intelligent, demanding, and meticulous: getting to know Bishop John Cosin”
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