Pick of the Collections: Weekly podcast segment for Eton College Radio
Pick of the Collections: Podcast
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Sara Spillett, Conservation Housekeeper Who are you and what do you do? My name is Sara, I am the Conservation Housekeeper and I work across the Eton College Collections. What does a normal day at work at Eton look like for you? Every day is different, it’s what I love the most about my job. ... Continue Reading →
Stories in the Stones: a response to an architectural trail of Eton
Hidden Nature: the Stories in the Stones was created as an event for the Heritage Open Day festival and for Windsor Festival and Fringe. It is something we hope the public will be able to continue to enjoy whilst the museums and galleries themselves are closed. You can explore the trail virtually or in person,... Continue Reading →
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Rebecca Tessier, Collections Cataloguer and Museums Officer Who are you and what do you do? Rebecca Tessier, Collections Cataloguer and Museums Officer. I am also Keeper of the Museum of Eton Life. I do all sorts of things! As Collections Cataloguer I work on cataloguing projects across the department, focusing on the object-based collections. This... Continue Reading →
Married to a She-Wolf: Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou
The Verey Gallery at Eton recently hosted the Eton Choirbook and provided the relevant history surrounding it. One of the display cabinets encased an Illumination (below) which included an image of the founder of Eton College, Henry Vl, aged 23 and his bride Margaret of Anjou, only 15 years of age. Detail of a leaf... Continue Reading →
So, what is the Moa?
Right so, imagine a cross between an Ostrich and an Emu, make it bigger and hey presto you have a Moa! This is not scientifically what a Moa (Order: Dirnornithiformes) is, however genetic studies have found that its closest relatives are small South American birds called the Tinamous (Order: Tinamiformes)[1],[2], despite the fact Moas used... Continue Reading →
The Museum of Eton Life launches new website exploring the lives of Old Etonians
The Old Etonian display is one of the most popular exhibits in the Museum of Eton Life. It captivates our visitors, stimulates discussion and broadens understanding of the breadth and impact of old Etonian activities across centuries. In 2018 the physical display was refurbished, with one important part of the exhibit to follow: findoes.etoncollege.com, a... Continue Reading →
Eton Fives
Eton Fives court PA-53-146-2013 Eton fives is a unique form of the handball sport because of the architecture of the court. The boys did this in the space between the buttresses of College Chapel and found that the ridges and the intrusive buttress made for a distinctive game. It was so popular that in 1847... Continue Reading →
Programme for the FA Cup Final between Old Etonians and Blackburn Rovers, 25 March 1882
1882 FA Cup Final programme https://catalogue.etoncollege.com/misc-oefc-03-02 One of the more rare items of sports memorabilia in the collections is the earliest known FA Cup final programme. Dating from 1882, it records the match of the Old Etonians versus Blackburn Rovers, when the Etonians would win the FA Cup for the second and last time. The... Continue Reading →
Origins of the Wall Game
No-one knows the origins of the wall game, or when it first began to be played at Eton. There are references to a similar game being played in the 1750s, but the first written rules only date from 1849. [ECR 60/6/3/1] However, this reference from the minute book of the Provost and Fellows records the... Continue Reading →
The ‘Bear’ Necessities!
These three teeth tell us a lot of information about the lifestyle and habitats these bears lived through. The tooth on the left is from a Cave Bear (Ursus Spelaeus). This bear was aptly named due to its fossilised remains being found primarily in caves. This bear represents one of the most frequently found remains... Continue Reading →
