LAARC VIP11 – The Conclusion

It’s been a busy few months. 18 new volunteers joined us with various backgrounds, life experiences and indeed archaeological knowledge. We threw them altogether, united them via collections care work and 10 weeks later the London Archaeological Archive & Research Centre has vastly improved archives, nicely packed and accessible material, lots of extra shelf space due to the effective reboxing and best of all, a new team of friends whose passion for the history of the London is stronger than ever.

Job Done.

Although of course, our job is never done. The archive is big – officially the largest archaeological archive in the world – so there will always be more collections work that needs doing, more space that needs creating, more artefacts that will be rediscovered and more enjoyment to be had sharing our work with as many people that are interested.

Our plans for 2013 are to continue the work modeled by this year’s fabulous University of the 3rd Age. The 7 strong team, having learnt the necessary skills in their weeks based at the archive, went on to share their knowledge and experience with visitors to the Museum of London. The response was brilliant, with many visitors learning themselves how to pack and preserve archaeology as well as discover new information about the artefacts they were able to hold in their hands.

We want to take this model, combining archaeology, public participation &  learning experiences and start to pop up in various locations across Greater London, to share London’s heritage.  Because London is great, its people are great and its history is great. Who knows what we’ll discover and learn from each other. Exciting times.

Whatever happens you can bet we’ll come across amazing objects, like the four finalists in the Object of VIP11 competition:

There was a record amount of votes and a huge thanks to everyone who participated. And your winner was…

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THE SAXON COMB FROM PUDDING LANE!!!

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to making our 10th anniversary year fantastic. And it’s not over yet. My colleague Glynn still has a couple of posts left in his excellent History of London in 10 Archaeological Objects. Share with the world people, it’s well worth a read.

To mark Disability History Month Curator of Oral History & Contemporary Collecting, Sarah Gudgin, revisits the memories she collected during the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

“2012 was a pivotal moment. 2012 was an opportunity to change the way people felt, and the way people looked at the Paralympics. And the wider implications that it would have for people with disabilities all over the UK and all over the world for years to come.” Ade Adapitan

For most people, the excitement surrounding the success of the London 2012 Games might have finished with the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games. For me, it was just beginning. As part of the Museum of London’s Collecting Strategy for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, I was involved in collecting material culture, costume, objects and new oral histories for inclusion in the Museum’s Oral History archive.

My interviews took me to new places including the Home Office, the House of Lords (which was a bit like being in a film set!) and the Olympic Village a rare opportunity to see the location where the athletes stayed during the Games – and I spoke to a wide range of people involved in many different aspects of the Games.

In addition to the 12 or so interviews which I carried out, I was also able to interview two former Paralympic medal winners, Dame Tanni Grey Thompson and Ade Adepitan who headed Channel 4’s Paralympics coverage with presenter Clare Balding.

Hearing the personal accounts of interviewees’ unique experiences of working on the Games was a fascinating insight into the organisation behind the scenes. Like most people who attended the Games or visited the Olympic Park, I had been impressed and captivated by the performance and dedication of the sportsmen and women and the spectacle of the Games. However, what I also came to appreciate though carrying out these interviews, was the intense planning, preparation, expertise and management which went into delivering the Games.

Many of the interviewees spoke about memorable sporting moments in the Olympics. However what also came through strongly during the interviews were responses to the Paralympic Games and the elite athletes who took part. Interviewees frequently spoke with great enthusiasm about watching Paralympic sport and about the impact that this had had on their perceptions of disability, and in many cases this was an unexpected response.

“It has been a rollercoaster of emotions, every single day, of every single event, challenging your perceptions, not of disabled people, but to what is possible as a human being. What is possible with a pure determination. It was fantastic, moving, inspiration and humbling.” Melba Palhazy

Some interviewees felt that the impact of the Paralympic Games would challenge the way we see disabled people, and they hoped this would have a lasting impact for future generations.

“We are not talking about people who are ill here, but people who’ve got phenomenal potential, who can contribute to society. The fact that they haven’t got a leg, or they sit in a wheelchair, or they are blind, does not mean that they are any less capable of contributing in their way to society. And that’s the power of the Paralympics”. Tony Sainsbury

Tim Jones describes the reaction of school children to meeting Paralympic athlete Richard Whitehead who has prosthetic legs. “It gave us a taste for how the public was going to react to the Paralympics and in particular how the younger generation was going to react to it, and they were going ‘Wow! We want to watch this!’”

With this years Disability History Month in mind, I returned to the Museum’s collections. It was challenging to find positive representations of disability without reinforcing negative perceptions, connected to the history of the freak-show, or viewing disability in coldly medical terms. Many objects or images collected were connected to war injury, asylum history, or viewed disability through the prism of philanthropy. Selected objects from the Museum’s collections relating to disability can be seen on the Reassessing what we collect website.

More work is needed in museums to develop new ways of representing the lives and experiences of disabled people. However through the new collecting which has taken place as part of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games project, we have, in a small way, been able to redress the balance. The objects, images, costume, ephemera and oral histories collected during the Games reflect the subject of disability more positively. These capture a snapshot of opinion informed and influenced by elite sport performance. The Olympics and Paralympics have created an opportunity to explore other ways of looking at difference, allowing us to ask difficult and searching questions, and perhaps to challenge forms of prejudice.

Object of VIP11 – The Grand Final

All this week, the 16 most interesting artefacts that we’ve come across during our current Volunteer Inclusion Programme have been competing for your votes. We’ve had objects spanning London’s history from Bronze Age hammerheads to Victorian plaster mouldings. The cream of the crop now get to battle it out, in what’s looking to be a very Grand Final indeed:

Monday’s winner was the Decorative Plaster from Alderman’s House, EC2. Audited by Friday volunteer James during week 6, this moulding of a horse’s head forms part of an assemblage of decorative plaster found in a post-medieval rubbish pit. Although quite the find, there is little mention of the objects in the site’s archive records. One sentence describes the plaster as “not nearly so interesting as originally thought”! We didn’t think this fair and clearly you didn’t think so too.

Tuesday’s winner was the Clay Tobacco Pipe from Brentford High Street, TW8. Repacked by Tuesday volunteer Alice during week 5, this early 20^th Century pipe depicts ‘mon petit quinquin’ or ‘little child’, the protagonist of a popular lullaby written in Picard language. The small child is pulling quite a strained face, perhaps because he is having difficulty atop his potty? An 18^th Century pipe kiln was discovered on the site along with hundreds of contemporary pipes. However, this one is unique amongst the assemblage as it is both an import (a few other Dutch pipes were also unearthed) and clearly much later in date, as is obvious from its style. A separate stem would have been inserted into the pipe bowl and as such this pipe would not have been as disposable as its earlier counterparts. How and why it ended up in the early stratigraphy of this site remains a mystery.

Wednesday’s winner was the Roman Slide Key that was audited by Tuesday volunteer Aris during week 3.  It was discovered in 1981 at Pudding Lane, EC3 and is evidence of security conscious Roman Londoners. It would have fitted into a complicated lock mechanism, probably for doors or heavy duty furniture such as chests – although few examples of actual locks survive. Complicated slide keys had different shaped teeth, although the one here seems to be of a more simple design (a ‘Slide’ Type 1). The key would also have been attachable to a belt via the hole in the handle. A wide variety of keys have been unearthed from Roman London of which slide keys are one of the most common types.

And yesterday’s winner….

Was the Antler Comb from Pudding Lane, EC3 that was packed during week 2 by Tuesday volunteer Kim. An unusually long example, it dates to the Late Saxon period (C10^th). Single-sided and composite (riveted), it originally had 92 teeth. Standard decoration has been applied to the connecting plates in the form of a saltire – a heraldic symbol: the form of a diagonal cross. Horizontal lines worn across the teeth may be due to contact with a comb-case. In the later medieval period horn is replaced by wood as a more common material for combs, although ivory is also popular throughout.

So now all that’s left to do is decide which of these should be crowned THE OBJECT OF LAARC VIP11. To choose your winner, click on the word VOTE below:

VOTE

VOTING HAS NOW CLOSED

Voting will remain open until noon Wed 12th Dec, with the winner announced on these pages on Thursday 13th December.

If you’ve enjoyed voting for your favourite objects, please share this page with others and feel free to leave a comment telling us why the object you went for got your vote.

Thanks to everyone who entered our Collections Online Caption Competition last week. We asked you to think of a witty caption for this image from our archive.

Penguins at London Zoo © Henry Grant

We had so many fantastic entries and it was a tough task for our Digital Curator, Ellie Miles to pick a winner. In the end, the winning tickets will be sent to @mindthepuddle for this brilliant caption:

“…apparently they’re called giraffes”

Look out for this week’s caption competition tomorrow…

Object of LAARC VIP11 – Round 4

We’ve had a record amount of votes over the competition so far and I hope you’ve all been enjoying selecting your favourite objects from our daily contests. Our finalists so far are the Plaster Horse Head from Monday, the Clay Tobacco Pipe from Tuesday and yesterday’s winner:

There’s some amazing objects to choose from today, but which will get enough votes to become the final finalist. It’s time for Round 4:

To start, one of the oldest objects in this competition, an Antler Mattock from Beddington Sewage Farm. Audited by Thursday volunteers Josephine & Emily during week 9, this prehistoric objects dates to the Early Bronze Age (c.3500 BC). To the specialists out there that study such things it is known as a base-axe type 1. Antler was a common (and easily acquired) material used to make tools by Prehistoric peoples. Most well-known are those used as ‘soft’ hammers in flint knapping, to produce a range of sharpened tools – the most common surviving material from prehistory. Our antler mattock was found in a ditch, (was it originally used to excavate it?) and accounts for the interpretation of this early London landscape as a managed field system.

Second today is a Roman Probe, also from Beddington, though an earlier excavation. Its either a scoop-probe (cyathiscomele) or spatula-probe (spathomele) and functioned as both a medical and cosmetic instrument. One end is missing – the potential spoon or scoop – used to extract cosmetics from containers, whilst the probe on the opposite end would have been used to apply them. Alternatively it could also act as a small cautery. Although these objects are reasonably common across Britain, it raises interesting questions about identity and ‘Romanisation’ at this outer Londinium villa site. The object was audited by Friday volunteer Zey, during week 8.

The next object was packed during week 2 by Tuesday volunteer Kim. This Antler Comb from Pudding Lane, EC3.  is an unusually long example dating to the Late Saxon period (C10^th). Single-sided and composite (riveted), it originally had 92 teeth. Standard decoration has been applied to the connecting plates in the form of a saltire – a heraldic symbol: the form of a diagonal cross. Horizontal lines worn across the teeth may be due to contact with a comb-case. In the later medieval period horn is replaced by wood as a more common material for combs, although ivory is also popular throughout.

The last object was audited by Tuesday volunteers Sunny & Sue during week 7. From High Street Brentford, this ‘Griffin’ Bottle Seal is a decorative piece of glass with the seal (or ‘prunt’) dating it as a post-medieval (1650-1850) wine bottle. Seals are fairly common – the pad of glass was imprinted with a device when hot, and reveals the owner of a tavern through initials or tavern sign. This one has been interpreted as a griffin – perhaps the Griffin pub was a ‘local’ in Brentford, or maybe the wine came from further afield. Unfortunately no encyclopaedic catalogue exits for London bottle seals, so no comparative example has been discovered.

And that’s your lot. Which would you like to see return tomorrow to compete in the Grand Final? Click on the word VOTE below to make your selection:

VOTE

Voting has now closed. Click here to vote in the Grand Final.

Object of VIP11 – Round 3

Things are heating up as our Eleventh Volunteer Inclusion Project’s object competition moves into its third day. Yesterday saw the highest number of votes we’ve ever had and most of them went to…

THE CLAY PIPE WITH THE LITTLE LAD ON THE LOO!

This now joins Monday’s plaster horse head and will compete in the Grand Final this Friday. Ready for Round 3?

Your first option was audited by Tuesday volunteer Aris during week 3. This Roman Slide Key was discovered in 1981 at Pudding Lane, EC3 and is evidence of security conscious Roman Londoners. It would have fitted into a complicated lock mechanism, probably for doors or heavy duty furniture such as chests – although few examples of actual locks survive. Complicated slide keys had different shaped teeth, although the one here seems to be of a more simple design (a ‘Slide’ Type 1). The key would also have been attachable to a belt via the hole in the handle. A wide variety of keys have been unearthed from Roman London of which slide keys are one of the most common types.

Your second choice are Medieval Strap Loops from Cross Keys Court, EC2 which were audited by Friday volunteer Emma during week 4. They are a series of strap loops still joined from the mould, dating to c.1270-1350. The rivets of the metal frames would probably have been cut shorter once separated. Strap loops were used to hold down loose parts of straps – a simple dress accessory, the ‘rivet from’ going back to the Viking period. The strap loops are made of gunmetal (an alloy of copper, tin and zinc) – ‘inferior’ metals had been banned by the London Guilder’s Charter in 1321 and relaxed in the later 14^th Century.

Object number 3 was also audited during week 4, by Wedneday’s U3A volunteer Trish. It’s a Ceramic Buckle/Strap Mould from the same site as the one above, Cross Keys Court (though not the mould that made the strap loop above). It may only have been used once and hundreds of these objects could be produced at any one time, the mould being made of layers. Such moulds are rare, in comparison to their products, and provide an insight into medieval industry. Waterfront sites produce a proliferation of leather and metal finds that can be dated from sealed assemblages; however this is a rare inland sight that has produced some meaningful artefacts.

The last option today is from Roman Road, E3 and was audited by Thursday volunteer Ben during week 8. No guesses as to the type of archaeology unearthed at Roman Rd, however, this object is 20^th Century and has been identified as a Cosmetic Burner, by both our current and former Archive Managers (who both have a passion for glass albeit at different ends of the archaeological spectrum). The vessel, known as ‘The Lamp’ would have been used to melt wax which would then have been used as a cosmetic – probably to fix hair. As it was audited during N/M-ovember, we’re suggesting that perhaps this burner would have assisted with gentlemanly moustache waxing…

So which of these do you think should join the others in the Grand Final. To choose your favourite click the word VOTE below:

VOTE

Voting has now closed. Voting for Round 4 is currently open

Voting will close at noon tomorrow when the winner will be announced and Round 4 will commence. Thanks for joining in!

Object of LAARC VIP11 – Round 2

Yesterday, we kicked off our competition to decide which object is the best from the current Volunteer Inclusion Programme. Loads of you voted in Round 1 and it certainly wasn’t a one horse race… but that being said your first winner is…

THE PLASTER HORSE FROM ALDERMAN’S HOUSE

And so we have our first finalist for Friday’s Grand Final. Today’s contenders then:

First we have another bit of plaster, though this time Roman and excavated at Cornhill, EC3 in 1981. Repacked in week 6 by Tuesday volunteer Harry, this chunk comprises of a border and panel section. Wall plaster can be decorated in a large variety of colours and a paint ‘splash’ effect can be seen on the bottom half that attempts to imitate more expensive marble veneer. The plaster was found beneath a later metalled Roman road, perhaps used as ballast from a nearby demolished building – a very busy area of Londinium as it was located adjacent to the basilica.

Next we’ve a Stone Hammerhead from Beddington excavations in 1981. Audited by Friday volunteer Susannah during week 9, this perforated tool is unusual as although a Bronze Age object, it was actually found in a Roman context included in the villa’s ‘yard’ surface. Prehistoric objects were sometimes curated by the later Romans perhaps for ‘ritual’ purposes, such as the placing of flint axes – believed to be Jupiter’s thunderbolts – in villa rafters as anti-lightening devices (an example of which was found at this site). Unfortunately our hammerhead doesn’t appear have any such reuse attached to it, but is a prime example of how objects without their ‘archaeological context’ can be misleading.

Third up is a Wooden ‘Paddle’ that was audited by Thursday volunteer Imran during week 5. It comes from Baynard’s Castle, EC4 and is somewhat of a mystery post-medieval object, having been loosely identified as a ‘paddle’. It is also a rare survival, being made of wood. The site’s archive records do not assist and on the original context sheet this object is recorded as an ‘oar’. However, its size suggests it was probably not used for propelling a waterborne vessel. Perhaps a different type of paddle was meant? Suggestions on a postcard to LAARC please…

Lastly, is a Clay Tobacco Pipe from Brentford High Street, TW8. Repacked by Tuesday volunteer Alice during week 5, this early 20^th Century pipe depicts ‘mon petit quinquin’ or ‘little child’, the protagonist of a popular French lullaby. The small child is pulling quite a strained face, perhaps because he is having difficulty atop his potty? An 18^th Century pipe kiln was discovered on the site along with hundreds of contemporary pipes. However, this one is unique amongst the assemblage as it is both an import (a few other Dutch pipes were also unearthed) and clearly much later in date, as is obvious from its style. A separate stem would have been inserted into the pipe bowl and as such this pipe would not have been as disposable as its earlier counterparts. How and why it ended up in the early stratigraphy of this site is a mystery.

So which do you think is the best of these four and deserves a place in Friday’s Grand Final? Click on the word VOTE below to have your say:

VOTING HAS NOW CLOSED.

Thanks for joining in and feel free to leave a comment below as to why you chose the object you went for.

Voting will end at noon tomorrow when voting will open for Round 3.

Object of LAARC VIP11 – Round 1

One of the favourite aspects of our Volunteer Inclusion Programme is that we come across loads of beautiful artefacts spanning London’s history. And during our current project we’ve encountered some beauties. What we then like to do is get them battling it out, with you, The Great Blog Reading Public, helping to decide which is the very best. No real reason to do this apart from fun. So let’s get started:

First up is this Decorative Plaster from Alderman’s House, EC2. Audited by Friday volunteer James during week 6, this moulding of a horse’s head forms part of an assemblage of decorative plaster found in a post-medieval rubbish pit. Although quite the find, there is little mention of the objects in the site’s archive records. One sentence describes the plaster as “not nearly so interesting as originally thought”! We don’t know what type of building this originally adorned in the area, but we think it’s incredibly interesting, especially as an archaeological survival!

The next contender is a Roman Coin from Pudding Lane EC3. Made from copper this is known as an as, one of the lowest denomination in the Roman Empire. This one has actually been cast (versus struck) and as such is a contemporary copy. Coin forgery was punishable by death in the Roman period, but copies of Claudian asses (which this is) may have been ‘semi-official’ as there was a lack of small change during the latter part of his reign.  Copying of these coins has been associated with the Roman army with large groups having been excavated from Roman Southwark. This object was audited by Thursday volunteer Elaine during week 3.

The third choice is again from Pudding Lane and is a Roman Brick that was audited by Thursday volunteer Lance during week 2. This type of brick is known as a pila – stacked to form ‘pillars’ used to create hypocaust systems – the equivalent of modern ‘under-floor heating’. The tile is stamped P(rocuratores) P(provinciae) Br(itanniae) LON(dini) which translates as: ‘Procurators of the Province of  Britain at London’. Procurators acted as imperial administrators for the emperor and would be responsible for public finances & property. Although hundreds of these have been found in London, what’s unusual for this site is that the bricks date to the 2^nd Century but have been reused in a late 4^th Century bath building. A case of late Roman recycling where they may have been taken from the old Roman Governor’s Palace nearby.

The final option is another roman object, though this Annular Bead was discovered at Beddington Sewage Farm in 1985. It is dark blue (Roman glass’ natural colour is blue-green) with yellow linear spiral decoration. Although Roman, it has been suggested that it shows pre-Roman influence, that is, indigenous British influence. As such this little bead is probably early in date and perhaps an example of Roman acculturation by indigenous Iron Age Britons. It was packed & recorded by Friday volunteers Viv & Kiyoko during week 7

So which one do you think is the best from today’s crop? To cast your vote click here:

VOTE

Voting for Round 1 has now ended.

Voting closes at noon tomorrow when Round 1’s winner will be announced and you can get to decide on Round 2’s objects.

LAARC VIP11 – Week 9

Some archaeological sites have names that have me thanking my lucky stars I’m not a digger anymore. The one we’ve been working on at the archive this week is pretty off-putting – Beddington Sewage Farm, down in the deep south of London in Sutton. Clearly I’m in the wrong though because the archaeologists started there in 1981, went back in 1982 and then continued to do so from 1984-87. Why? Because it’s only one of the best sites ever investigated in London!

The evidence from the dig revealed that people have been living there since the 3rd Century BCE and whilst going through its archive, we’ve been privileged to handle and pack Bronze Age items such as this mattock made of antler:

This stone hammer head:

And this copper awl using for piercing holes:

The Romans then built a large villa complex there and we start to come across amazing objects from everyday 2nd Century life. Incredible copper brooches with enamel decoration:

Handles with moustached men (a final nod to Movember):

And what about this ceramic lamp:

Amazingly, unlike many Roman sites, the area seems to have had no further activity after the 5th Century until the modern era. For a full report of what was found, check out MOLA’s publication.

It always saddens me when we get close to the end of each Volunteer Inclusion Project at LAARC. Our volunteers do so much to help create more accessible archives and extra storage space. Our University of the 3rd Age team has also been brilliant as they continue to share their new found knowledge with museum visitors:

Their final afternoon will be the coming Wednesday from 1-4pm so if you get the chance pop along to the Museum of London foyer to meet them.

And if you can’t make it to the museum, don’t worry because next week you can interact with our project from the comfort of your own home. Each week we’ve been rediscovering some of the treasures that have been dug up in the early 1980s, many of which we’ve been posting on these blogs. But next week the top 16 will be fighting it out to try and win your vote to decide which has been the best from the project. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s on its way:

The OBJECT OF VIP11 Competition!

Every day next week they’ll be a new competition so be sure to visit these pages and join in. There’s some amazing artefacts to look forward to…

Thanks to everyone who entered our Collections Online Caption Competition last week. We asked you to think of a witty caption for this image from our archive.

A City Shower: 18th century © Museum of London

Collections Online Project Assistant Ellie Miles judged the entries. The winning caption is:

“WHOA! I mean no… no it doesn’t look big…”

Well done to @jon_shimmin. Look out for this week’s caption competition today.