The Unlocking Collections project at Warwickshire Museum Service is funded by Arts Council England. It is an 18 month project, running until March 2025. It focuses on our ‘Founding Collection’, which is our name for items acquired by the Warwickshire Natural History and Archaeological Society (WNHAS) during the 19th century. It is an exciting project, looking to uncover the context of the objects amassed during the 19th century and explore stories of the ‘who’ and the ‘why’ of antiquarian collecting traditions in Warwickshire.
The WNHAS was established in 1836, a time of rising interest in the natural sciences for the professional and middle classes of England. The new sciences were underpinned by classification schemes, revealing a true order and proper scientific understanding of nature. Archaeological investigations and Antiquarian collecting saw a growing collection of material culture from across the world, including Greece, Egypt, and India, mainly reflecting Britain’s growing influence and Empire.
A ‘grand order’ presented
The society’s main aim was to collect specimen examples from across the natural sciences, and to present this ‘grand order’ through displays and demonstrations at their museum in Warwick Market Hall. The collections focused on geological specimens from across Warwickshire and further afield. The natural sciences make up the largest proportion of the founding collection, but we also have archaeological material and a small collection of ethnographic objects.
Many specimens were collected by committee members, but we know little about these individuals, their interests, and reasons for collecting. Scientific books, journals and monographs were also acquired, and exchanged with other like-minded societies across the country. Today, many elements of this founding collection remain in the care of Warwickshire Museum. Much is known of its scientific value, but social-historical context of collecting, such as 19th century British colonialism are the themes that the Unlocking Collections project is seeking to explore.
We hope the project will achieve the following outcomes:
- Improved documentation of the Founding Collection and a digital bank of images.
- A series of workshops and bespoke co-created ‘behind the scenes’ tours at the Museum Collections Centre to explore potential narratives within the Founding Collection with local audience groups, to discuss collecting past and present and to inspire creative thinking around the new perspectives on our collection.
- A co-curated exhibition in Market Hall Museum presenting objects from the founding collection, the collectors, and their new narratives.
- Online resources and exhibitions which complement the physical elements of the project.
New volunteers will be recruited as part of the project which will support us immensely.
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