Category: research
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BOW STREET SOCIETY’S LONDON: OMNIBUSES, February 2026
Bow Street Society fans know that if you want to find your way around its London, the person you need to speak to is the Society’s driver and veteran cabman Mr Samuel Snyder. What did real-life travellers in late-1890s London rely upon to get around, though? In this month’s blog, I take a look at…
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150 YEARS OF THE CRIME MUSEUM, October 2025
An Interview with Dr Clare Smith Regular readers of the blog will know that museums and archives are some of my favourite places to visit, and curators and archivists are some of my favourite people to talk to. Therefore, I’m absolutely delighted to be welcoming Dr Clare Smith back to the blog this month. We…
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VICTORIAN URBAN LEGENDS: Spring-Heeled Jack, September 2025
For as long as I can remember I’ve been fascinated by urban legends and folklore. In fact, many years ago, I created a series of collages depicting the Bloody Mary legend for my A-Level art exhibition. Urban legends can tell us as much about ourselves and human nature as the fantastical creatures and yarns they’re…
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COFFEE WITH AN ARCHIVIST: David Luck, Bethlem: Museum of the Mind, January 2025
I’m thrilled to bring you a new Coffee with a Curator feature for 2025. Previous instalments have featured chats with curators, archivists, historians, and heritage managers from a variety of organisations including police museums, housing associations, and virtual museums. This time, I’m delighted to welcome David Luck, archivist at Bethlem: Museum of the Mind to chat about the…
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BOW STREET SOCIETY LOCATIONS YOU CAN ACTUALLY VISIT, June 2024
As readers of the Bow Street Society books will know, I enjoy featuring real-life locations within the fictional stories. Also, that as far as possible, I source floor plans of these locations to ensure the descriptions are as accurate as possible. Although the series is far from over, lots of real-life locations have already been…
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LONDON’S BURNING, November 2024
A Brief History of Fire Fighting in the Metropolis For many in England, November 5th is a night of bonfires and fireworks to mark Guy Fawkes Night and the historical gunpowder plot to destroy parliament. As the rhyme goes: remember, remember, the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder treason…
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GETTING SHIPWRECKED, February 2024
C19th Phrases for Drinking & Drunkenness February may be the month of pancakes and love for some, but for others it marks the end of Dry January and a return to celebrating (almost) anything with a tipple or two (it’s Friday!) Most of us know drunkenness was a major social problem in the nineteenth century.…
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COFFEE WITH AN OPERATIONS MANAGER: Alexander Geddes, Peterhead Prison Museum, March 2023
The Coffee with a Curator interviews has proven popular amongst my readers since the first back in 2020 when I chatted to Dr Clare Smith of the Metropolitan Police Heritage Collection. Therefore, it’s only fitting for me to bring you another fascinating conversation from the world of museums and archives. This month, I had the absolute delight…