Threads of Empire: Rule & Resistance in Colonial India

Seventy years after India gained independence, our latest exhibition reveals the acts of resistance that shaped the British Empire in India. From 13th April, the Weston Gallery, Nottingham Lakeside Arts will host an exhibition showcasing the history of tense negotiation, resistance and rebellion that lay behind the emergence of India as the ‘Jewel in the …

Launch of the iBook ‘Parchment, Paper & Pixels’

On 28 February Professor Jeremy Gregory, Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Arts, formally launched our first iBook ‘Parchment, Paper and Pixels: Highlights from Manuscripts and Special Collections at The University of Nottingham’. The iBook showcases some of the treasures held in Manuscripts and Special Collections, with a range of short articles illustrated with images, …

Bookish Bingo

Do you know your local literary heroes? Do you like prizes? As part of World Book Day, we’re running a competition for three people to win a library tote bag filled with a waterbottle, notebook, pencil, postcards, keyring and lolly. All you have to do is match eight local authors (1-8) to eight locations (A-H) …

Lady Chatterley’s Lover wears Paul Smith

The D. H. Lawrence Collection acquired  a jacket by designer Sir Paul Smith last month. It is a timeless classic for all seasons, but is unlikely to be gracing the catwalk at London Fashion Week this week. We believe it is a stunning addition to what is designated as an outstanding collection of national and …

Robert Boyle, the Biggleswade Bigamist

With dark eyes, broad shoulders and a black suit with a gold-embroidered waistcoat, former soldier Robert Boyle cut a dashing figure. He used his confidence and charm to win the hearts of young ladies wherever he went – and then ruined them. Bigamist Five days into her marriage, Susannah Boyle was confronted with the reality …

The Advantage of Volunteering

This is a guest post by Isobel Sheene, BA English and History student. It’s the age-old problem: you can’t get a job without experience, but how do you get experience without a job? Never fear – if you’re interested in a career in heritage, we have the answer: volunteering. I’m a student who recently completed …

You May Now Turn Over Your Papers

Term begins this week and many students will be plunged straight into exams. We’ve had a look through the University Archives to find out what the students of yesteryear faced when they turned over their papers. Music, 1939 Prior to 1948, University College Nottingham had no power to confer degrees. All qualifications (and therefore, examinations) were …

Manuscripts & Special Collections Achieves National Accreditation

The New Year is off to a good start for Manuscripts and Special Collections, which is delighted to have been awarded Archive Service Accreditation by The National Archives. Mark Dorrington, Keeper of Manuscripts & Special Collections, explains what this means.     Accreditation is the UK quality standard which recognises good performance in all areas of archive …

Come Hail or High Water

Swimming, sunbathing or sweating through a heatwave, or sledging, skating or getting stuck in the snow – extremes of weather provide people with strong memories of past events. Now, our new exhibition at the Weston Gallery, Nottingham Lakeside Arts, will showcase three years of research into these reactions. Many of the historical records and original archival documents …

Singing from a different Hymn sheet

‘While Shepherds Watched their Flocks by Night’ is one of the best-known Christmas carols. It is based on the Annunciation to the shepherds, as described in the Gospel of St Luke. An angel appeared to the shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem and told them of the birth of Jesus in a scene that has …