Introducing CaterPi!

A Raspberry Pi environmental monitoring system First of all, what is environmental monitoring? Environmental monitoring is an essential part of caring for our collections. By keeping track of the environment within the museum we can make better decisions about how to care for our objects and if problems do arise it should help us identifying READ MORE…

The Battle of Salamanca (Arapiles), 22nd July 1812

The Battle of Salamanca in July 1812 in Western Spain proved to have important consequences for the French Empire in the Iberian Peninsula. The battle which only lasted a day was won by important decision making by Wellesley, who used flanking manoeuvres and his cavalry forces to defeat the French command. The French losses of READ MORE…

The Battle of Fuente De Honor (Fuentes de Oñoro), 5th May 1811

The Battle of Fuente De Honor took place in Spain on the Portuguese border. Similarly to previous battles it was a combined force of British, Spanish and Portuguese troops against Napoleon’s Grand Armèe. Wellington and his forces repelled the almost 50,000 strong French army at their defensive stronghold, reportedly killing at least 2,500 French troops. READ MORE…

The Battle of Toulouse, 10th of April 1814

Toulouse – 10th April 1814 The Battle of Toulouse was one of the last battles of the Napoleonic Wars and signifies the virtual collapse of the French empire. Toulouse was significant to the French and the region in particular as it was the regional capital. It was resolutely defended by the French who held it READ MORE…

Ivor Roberts

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”22″ gal_title=”Object profile: Model ship”] This model of a 15th Century Dutch Admiralty Yacht was made by Ivor Hugh Roberts when he was only 17 years old. It was donated to the museum by Ivor’s father in the 1960s. Ivor was born in Hornsey in 1914, the only child of Hugh and Florence Roberts. READ MORE…

The Battle of Talavera, 27th July 1809

The Battle of Talavera, 75 miles Southwest of Madrid is a primary example of the issues surrounding the box. Following this battle, Wellesley was ennobled as Viscount of Wellington, which would suggest that he performed admirably. However, the allied Anglo-Spanish forces at his disposal suffered more casualties than the French in this fight. Similarly, Wellesley’s READ MORE…

Royal Fire Insurance Mark

Originally, not all houses were covered by fire insurance. To distinguish which properties had paid for fire insurance, a metal plaque was attached and displayed on the front of the building so that fire services knew which houses were insured by them that they should save. Fire Marks and fire insurance as a concept emerged READ MORE…