Guildford Museum Blog
Whether you are a museum geek, historian, local explorer or just browsing the web - read our blog and discover more about all things museum related. We'll be telling you all about what we get up to; from work behind the scenes to setting up exhibitions, meeting interesting people, highlighting amazing objects and keeping you up to date with our projects.
Collecting Guildford's Games
Published August 2021
Georgian Guildford Banks
Malcolm Watson, one of Guildford Museum's volunteers, takes a look at banknotes and the start of banking in Guildford.
Mint condition - coins from our collection
Some research into banks in Georgian Guildford got me thinking about the importance of money to the town. Two periods are particularly interesting, separated by 600 years or so. I will cover the first of these here, looking at coins and the Guildford mint.
John Russell's scrapbook - part two: secrets and discoveries
With the help of scholar and researcher, Dr Timothy Underhill, our Curatorial Assistant, Gemma Haigh, has been discovering more about a scrapbook in our collection that contains drawings by Guildford artist, John Russell RA. Part two of this blog post will explore the discoveries we have made about the object and share some of its many secrets.
John Russell's scrapbook - part one: sketches and drawings
With the help of scholar and researcher, Dr Timothy Underhill, our Curatorial Assistant, Gemma Haigh, has been discovering more about a scrapbook in our collection that contains drawings by Guildford artist, John Russell RA. Part one of this blog post explores Russell's drawings and sketches from the scrapbook.
Fifty years of friendship
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Friends of Guildford House, Lynn Szygenda, our Exhibitions and Audience Development Manager, looks at the vital role the Friends have played in Guildford House Gallery's development.
Guildford Markets - what were they like in Elizabethan times?
As a result of coronavirus, are you taking your food a little less for granted? It would seem we are realising just how important the people who grow and supply our food are. Guildford is fortunate to have a twice-weekly general food market, in North Street, and the monthly Farmers' Market in the High Street. In our May blog post, Guildford Museum Friend and Town Guide Nick Bale looks back at the markets that existed in Guildford over four hundred years ago.
A work experience week at Guildford Museum
Student Ada Rogers joined the Heritage Services team for an eventful work experience week. Find out more about her encounters with a mummified rat, discovering mystery objects from the museum archives and travelling back in time in the Victorian Schoolroom...
Guildford Museum - this is what we've been up to!
Our museum remains temporarily closed for maintenance work, but this month we catch up with our colleague Mark Graham, the Guildford Borough Council Building surveyor, who is leading this project. We asked Mark all about the challenges and surprises that have resulted from working on the project.
Herbs, flowers, lotions and potions
Syrian refugees are bringing us closer to medicines, perfumes and cosmetics once made at Guildford House.
God bless the sweet babe: Guildford Museum's embroidered baby caps
As Guildford Museum's Collections Manager, I love researching the stories behind our collection of baby caps, which date from the late 1600s to the early 1900s. This first part of a two-part blog post looks at just a few of the 100 caps in our collection and the amazing work that went into making them.
A day in the life of The Victorian Schoolroom
We have an amazing team that delivers Victorian Schoolroom and Playroom sessions for Key Stage 1 and 2, and occasionally older students.