The menhir of Champ du Rocher at Puy Durand in Avrillé (Vendée) is unusual as it is a massive slab on which the broad faces are wider (4.8m) than it is tall (3.9m); the narrow edges are 1.9m. It was originally part of a group of three. Card by Amiaud in Sables-d’Olonne c.1905.
"Bexhill's Civil Defence Test.
Above: Auxiliary firemen at work on "bombed house" on the beach. Below left: Treating a casualty."
"Penstock trouble during high tide resulted in extensive flooding of Egerton Park on Tuesday. The ducks enjoying their enlarged play-pond."
#Bexhill Observer 8.4.1939.
Unidentified artist
Maned three-toed sloth [Bradypus torquatus] 1626 Commissioned by Cassiano dal Pozzo, d. 1657.
Sloths can't actually stand like this. So this is based on a picture or dead specimen. (Royal Collection Trust, HM CIII)
Page and map from "The Last Voyage" by Annie Lady Brassey, published posthumously in 1889. Kudat, Malaysia 8.4.1887.
Sunbeam #Kudat #Malaysia 8.4.1887. "Our regret at not having been able to stop at Gaya was increased when we heard from Dr Lamb that the Assistant Resident, Mr Little, had just returned from a successful ascent of Kina Balu... & brought down a wonder collection of plants & flowers." #Brassey #1880s
You really do have everything, don't you?
We're not jealous at all, just feeling slightly outdone 😜
Pages from "The Last Voyage" by Annie Lady Brassey, published posthumously in 1889. Kudat, Malaysia 8.4.1887.
Sunbeam #Kudat #Malaysia 8.4.1887. "Then we took a few photographs, including one of a house on piles, and another of a long Borneo house, in which many families live under one roof, with separate entrances for each family. Afterwards we strolled up the hill towards the Residency." #Brassey #1880s
Impressive flowerbed.
View from the bench - editing at Harlow Carr.
Just occasionally I get to do something fun before the day starts, on this case being given a ride on a genie to take a look at a dinosaur cast
Its #WordWednesday
Today's Kentish word, taken from our online dictionary is
Anvil-clouds
n.pl. White clouds shaped somewhat like a blacksmith's anvil, said to denote rain.
A Dictionary of the Kentish Dialect and Provincialisms (1888), pg 4
#LondonIrish event @thelondonarchives.bsky.social next week. Jonah Miller will be revealing an 1851 case of police brutality in an Irish neighbourhood in London, as well as the coverup and (Chartist-led) campaign for justice that followed.
See you there!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-police...
If you want to know more about torcs, you can find all sorts on my (free to access!) website at www.bigbookoftorcs.com
#Archaeology 🏺
MS 278 medieval document, written in Latin. The parchment it's written on is cream in colour. The majority of the text is in black ink, but there are some words in red ink and there is an illuminated initial I
Another page from MS 278 - a medieval document, written in Latin. The parchment it's written on is cream in colour. The majority of the text is in black ink, but there are some words in red ink and there is an illuminated initial I
These are the original college statutes, as written by Magdalen’s founder, William Waynflete (c.1395–1486). They cover the workings of every aspect of college life, including the employment of servants.
People attending talks at DinoCon 2025. Photos by Alfred Barwick.
David Krentz speaking on stage at DinoCon 2025. Photo by Alfred Barwick.
Darren Naish signing books at DinoCon 2025. Photos by Alfred Barwick.
People attending palaeoart workshop at DinoCon 2025. Photo by Alfred Barwick.
Are you interested in #dinosaurs, or in prehistoric animals, fossils, palaeoart, and the natural world in general? You really must attend #DinoCon 2026, happening July 25th-26th at Hilton Birmingham Metropole - a huge event with tons happening. Here are scenes from DinoCon 2025...
Drop in next Saturday for a free screening of a short documentary about African migration through the Indian Ocean World to the Pacific Ocean, highlighting African music as a vibrant legacy through the genres of manja, kaffrinha & baila in Sri Lanka. 11am, followed by Director's Q&A.
bit.ly/4rGQhyC
Front page of Transactions article: 'Louis XIV’s Attitude to the Chinese Rites Controversy', by Sean Heath. Full abstract: 'Although Louis XIV’s sponsorship of a French Jesuit presence in China is well known, his attitude to the major dispute over the Chinese rites which engulfed the mission has been barely explored. This article shows that, as the Chinese Rites Controversy reached its peak in Paris and Rome in the years around 1700, Louis XIV’s response was surprisingly inconsistent, reflecting the fact that the two groups of missionaries whose work in east Asia he had supported – the Missions étrangères de Paris (MEP) and the French Jesuits – were pitted against one another. Furthermore, the king’s somewhat contradictory interventions were due to the opposing directions in which his chief advisers on ecclesiastical matters pushed him: his confessor La Chaise towards support of the Jesuits, and his wife Madame de Maintenon and Archbishop Noailles of Paris towards helping the MEP. In the end, Louis decided not to wield his influence in Rome in favour of one side or the other, but to leave the decision to the Holy See while prohibiting publication on the ‘Chinese affair’ in France. In doing so, the article offers an exploration of ecclesiastical policy in the making under the Sun King.'
New article in 'Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'.
'Louis XIV’s Attitude to the Chinese Rites Controversy': bit.ly/47NYgmk
Dr Sean Heath offers an exploration of ecclesiastical policy in the making under the Sun King. Sean's article is now freely available Open Access #Skystorians 1/2
News | Architects announced for National Gallery’s new modern art wing
Kengo Kuma and Associates with BDP and MICA appointed following an international competition
This striking postcard is on sale in our gift shop, but where can you see this over 1,770 year-old mask within the museum? Watch to find out!
It's that time again! We'll be threading our #Archive30 responses from here ...
Check long grass, bramble patches and hedges for hedgehog nests before mowing or strimming to avoid harming wildlife.
Please check for Hedgehog nests before strimming! They like to nest in long grass, under hedges and amongst overgrown vegetation, so they are at risk of accidental injury or death if these areas are strimmed. 🦔
A mound on a small Norwegian island contains a pre-Viking-era ship burial that matches the Sutton Hoo graves in England in age www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2026/04/a...
📰 "A Powerful Place of Pictland": new book sheds light on the major Pictish power centre of Rhynie, confirming early medieval Northern Scotland was politically sophisticated and connected to the wider world.
🏺 #ArchaeologyNews via BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
A poseable cardboard figure of a munition worker. In the background is a template for making a soldier and some colouring pencils are in the background.
A cardboard poseable figure of a munition worker with The Devil's Porridge Museum's Mossband Clock in the background.
We're all set for some Wartime Crafts! 🤩
Remember if you're visiting us today you can pop into our education room to make your own poseable wartime character to take home with you. This is included in your admission into The Devil's Porridge Museum.
In local woods today it was getting towards an equal mix of Wood Anemones and Bluebells.
They looked lovely in dappled sunlight.
TEN post-doc openings at the Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity. Yes, you read that right. TEN.
UK school teachers - we have bursaries of up to £100 for you to attend a Latin language summer school. DEADLINE 31 MAY.
See link for application form.
www.romansociety.org/Grants-Prize...
Award-winning actress and producer Mary Pickford was born #OnThisDay in 1892. She wore this Adrian and Mitchell Leisen designed two-piece green velvet gown, with gold brocade on the skirt, as Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew (1929). Sold by Heritage Auctions. #film #costume
In addition to being my second-favorite Jordanian small city, Karak Castle (the one from Kingdom of Heaven) is genuinely one of the coolest places in Jordan if you're looking for something to do besides Petra
Essentially a still-complete hilltop castle that you can explore completely unsupervised
A turquoise embellished silk dress with matching bolero designed for Queen Elizabeth and worn to her sister Margaret’s wedding in 1960. It was designed by Norman Hartnell
A photograph of the Queen wearing the turquoise Norman Hartnell ensemble sitting on a red velvet sofa
A photograph of the title page of my article in Tatler magazine showing the Queen at different stages of her life
Packing for London and tomorrow I am heading to the press view of Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style at the King’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace. Excited to see the work of some of those who feature in Dressing the Queen! #RCT #FashionHistory 🗃️🪡
Yes indeed they do. :-)
