Queen Victoria described how she 'would venture to warn against too great an intimacy with artists as it is very seductive and a little dangerous'. But she was a monarch that relied on the art and visual culture of the nineteenth century. Utilising painting, prints, and the new technology of photography, she got intimate with artists, … Continue reading Very seductive and a little dangerous: Celebrating Queen Victoria’s 200th Birthday

Some of you may remember the recent controversy over an advertising campaign produced by chocolate manufacturer, Cadbury. The campaign, based upon the 'Freddo Treasures' chocolates, suggested people could go hunting for hidden treasure in the countryside around them. The problem? They didn't consult with legislative bodies, police, or the archaeological or heritage communities. Here's a … Continue reading Taking the (chocolate) biscuit: Cadbury advertising campaign gets it wrong

In 1902, the writer Rudyard Kipling published Sussex, a poem highlighting the close, natural, and interdependent relationship between humans and the landscape, and I quote ‘So to the land our hearts we give,/ Till the sure magic strike / And Memory, Use, and Love make live / Us and our fields alike’. Greatly influenced by … Continue reading ‘So to the land our hearts we give’: Exploring Sussex in Art

In today's blog post, I share the text and images for my talk on Eric Ravilious, which I gave at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery.  In his book The Old Ways the traveller and writer Robert Macfarlane describes the artist Eric Ravilious’ depictions of the Sussex landscape as ‘dreamy watercolours of the prehistoric tracks of … Continue reading Always Slightly Somewhere Else: Ravilious in Sussex

Today, 7 March, is World Book Day! The day is a celebration of reading, originally established by UNESCO, that is designed to get people interested in books. It's primarily aimed at children and young people, but it's an opportunity for everyone to celebrate the joy of reading - and perhaps find something new to read! … Continue reading World Book Day 2019

In this blog post I include the text for my recent Pavilion Tale, which took place at the Royal Pavilion on 7 February. In this talk, and this blog post, I used the Nelson Lamp at the Royal Pavilion to investigate part of Britain's vibrant naval history. Using the Nelson Lamp on display in the … Continue reading England Expects: The Nelson Lamp at the Royal Pavilion

Following an extremely popular talk I gave on Eric Ravilious, hearing of the announcement of Art Fund plans to extend its discounted rate for young people, and reading Fiona Reynolds' article that investigates the part we all have to play in our shared heritage, I take a look at ways you can get involved in … Continue reading Get Stuck In! How to Get Involved in the Heritage Sector

Recently, I went to see the fabulous Edward Burne-Jones exhibition at Tate Britain. In today's blog post I write about some of the background to the exhibition, and offer some of my thoughts about the exhibition. The exhibition is a celebration of the artist's work across different mediums: from oil painting and book illustration to piano … Continue reading ‘My pictures are for the people’: Burne-Jones at Tate Britain

Recently, I announced the dates and times of a number of upcoming events, which I am either running or speaking at. For easy reference, I've listed them in this blog post. TalksSaturday 19 January 2019: 'A world's-width from Kamakura: Travelling to Japan through the Stereoscope', London Nineteenth Century Graduate Conference, at the Institute of English … Continue reading Upcoming events

In today's blog post I take a quick look back at a very busy year, and look forward to an equally busy and exciting year ahead in 2019. What a year 2018 was! After finishing a term of teaching at the University of Sussex, at the beginning of 2018 I had just started a new … Continue reading May the New Year Shine: 2018 in Review, and welcome to 2019!