100 Years, 100 Objects: Stories from the Collections of Lancaster City Museums

Witches, ghouls, ghosts and goblins join us for this podcast as we chat to Alys Rouncefield about a simple object which has a magical history, a hag stone. 

We talk to Andrew White about what a Georgian sailor could do to help protect himself in the event of accident or injury at sea. We dive into the history of this early insurance scheme and find out a little more about life onboard ship. 

We look at the Victorian custom of funeral biscuits and what it can tell us about how they related to death. Dr Amy Gadoud from Lancaster University joins us to talk about palliative care and how our modern relationship with the end of life has changed. 

We talk to Mel Cookson-Carter, Museum Manager at Lancaster Maritime Museum, about one of the darkest stories in Lancaster's history, the murder of Isabella Ruxton and Mary Rogerson in 1935. We discuss the case and how we relate to the museum objects that come from such sad stories. 

We chat to Professor Julia Gillen about the social media of the Edwardian age. Millions of people used postcards to send images and messages multiple times a day in what became referred to as a 'craze'. We delve into the story behind this fascinating card, and others like it. 

A simple, everyday object, with a much more complex history than you might think. Join us as we chat to Jack Knight about forks, food and table manners in Georgian Britain. 

We're marching back to Roman Lancaster again as we chat with Dr Eleri Cousins about an intriguing Roman inscription which tells us as much through what it doesn't say, as through what is does. 

We look into the darker side of Lancaster's past with Dr Colin Penny, Museum Manager at Lancaster Castle, as we focus on a document which details the expenses for an execution at Lancaster Castle in 1834. 

Come in and browse our wares as we talk to Dr Mike Winstanley about T.D.Smith, one of the most iconic grocers in Lancaster's History. Find out everything you ever wanted to know about the ups and downs of Victorian shop keeping. 

Join us as we speak to Professor Michaela Benson about the mysterious world of Kludonometrics. We chat about its fascinating inventor, Captain William Greenwood, and the people that he took to a new life in New Zealand as a ship's captain.