Over the last several months Creative Island has been running a Brave Island Work Experience Placement, to help deliver a new project: Curators’ Choice.
Jazz Truman visited museums and heritage partners across the Island to ask curators about an artefact of their choice. Questions or prompts like the ‘curators’ favourite item in the museum’s collection, a fascinating story, or something linked to the Island.
The aim of Curators Choice is to shine a light on untold Island stories, making heritage more accessible and engaging for new audiences. We’ll then be sharing those stories via our newsletter, this web page and as a mini-documentary style series on our social media platforms. Below, you’ll find more information on each of the chosen artefacts in alphabetical order. Massive thank you to each of the Museum’s who participated!
Brading Roman Villa
Sarah Girling introduces us to an interesting Bone Dice Shaker, potentially made from a animal femur, showing us the playful side of the Romans that lived on the Island.
Click here to watch the video.
Bus & Coach Museum
Richard Newman from the Isle of Wight Bus & Coach Museum shares the wonderful stories behind their 1920’s Daimler Bus, currently being restored in the Museum’s workshop!
Click here to watch the video.
Carisbrooke Castle
Kate Tiley from Carisbrooke Castle Museum shows us a wonderful jacket from the 1800’s made by Redfern & Son’s, a local tailors which went on to have fashion houses in Paris, London & New York!
Click here to watch the video.
Classic Boat Museum
Victoria Preston from the Classic Boat Museum shows us ‘Britannia’, a boat designed for John Fairfax to row across the Atlantic Ocean, Solo… in 1969!
Click here to watch the video.
Calbourne Water Mill
Sally Chaucer shares the wonderful stories behind Calbourne Water Mill, how it came to be and all about what it has provided for the Island.
Click here to watch the video.
Dimbola Museum & Galleries
Brian Hinton from Dimbola Museum & Galleries shares the wonderful stories of Julia Margaret Cameron and introduces a wet plate collodion camera, the same type of camera as she would have used.
Click here to watch the video.
Dinosaur Isle
Alex Peaker from Dinosaur Isle Museum presents us with a set of fossil shells collected by Alfred, Lord Tennyson and tells the story of the global impact that the Island has in the study of fossils.
Click here to watch the video.
IW Glass Museum
Anton Doroszenko, the founder of the Isle Of Wight Glass Museum shows us the piece that started the entire collection, back in 2008!
Click here to watch the video.
Newport Roman Villa
Rachel Tait from Newport Roman Villa talks to us about a beautiful copper figurine of a long-nosed hound, and tells us the wider story of the Romans on the Island.
Click here to watch the video.
Shipwreck Centre & Maritime Museum
Ian Vallance from the Shipwreck Centre & Maritime Museum tells us about the horrible shipwreck of the HMS Eurydice, now known as the Island’s Ghost Ship due to many mysterious sightings since the time of its wreck!
Click here to watch the video.
Sir Max Aitken Museum
Lorraine Ireland introduces us to the centrepiece of the collection at the Sir Max Aitken Museum, the 51ft long Gaff from racing Yacht ‘Britannia’
Click here to watch the video.
Ventnor Heritage Centre
Paul Kingswell from Ventnor Heritage Centre shares the meaning behind ‘Death Pennies’, and the story of John Thomas Snooke, who is commemorated on this particular Plaque.
Click here to watch the video.
Wight Aviation Museum
Perry Clifton from Wight Aviation Museum, introduces the spectacular life of William Wilbur Davis through a hand crafted tool designed to make vents on aircraft.
Click here to watch the video.
