

100 Years 100 Objects
Stories from the collections of Lancaster City Museums
Join us twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays for stories from the collections of Lancaster City Museums.
Members of our museum team, academics, and members of community groups have selected their 100 favourite objects from our collection of over 60,000. They join Collections Registrar Rachel Roberts and Museum Assistant Millie Welbourne to discuss what is so special about our collections. Join us as our objects take us back in time and forward to the future, and from Lancashire to outer space. In each episode discover the fascinating local history stories behind our objects and explore what they can tell us about the past, present and beyond.
For more information on our museums and collections go to our museums website.
Episodes

4 days ago
76. Canal Subscription Notebook
4 days ago
4 days ago
We speak to Bill Froggatt from the Canal and River Trust to find out more about the history of Lancaster Canal, starting with this fascinating notebook from 1792, which lists the names of the people who bought shares in the new canal venture.

6 days ago
75. Super Swimming Stadium Model
6 days ago
6 days ago
Dive into the history of one of Morecambe's most iconic buildings with us in this episode as we talk to Barry and Lesley Guise about the Super Swimming Stadium, home of the Aqua Loonies, Aqua Lovelies, and Miss Great Britain between the the 1930s and 1970s.

Thursday Sep 14, 2023
74. Lead Flax Seal
Thursday Sep 14, 2023
Thursday Sep 14, 2023
In today's episode we're following an object from Russia to Lancaster, and finally to the fields of Bentham. Emma Holborn tells us about this tiny lead flax seal which can shine a light on one of the biggest imports to Georgian Lancaster.

Tuesday Sep 12, 2023
73. Chatsworth Logbook
Tuesday Sep 12, 2023
Tuesday Sep 12, 2023
Come on board with us in this episode where we look at the logbook from the ship Chatsworth with Dr John Worthington. We delve into the health of the sailors on board and take a look at some of the diseases and parasites they would have to deal with in 1783.

Thursday Sep 07, 2023
72. Watercolour of Heysham and Ibo Boy
Thursday Sep 07, 2023
Thursday Sep 07, 2023
Today's episode delves into the little-known history of the enslaved people in small communities around the Lancaster and Morecambe area. Professor Alan Rice tells us about once such person who lived in Heysham in the 1760s and escaped from slavery.

Tuesday Sep 05, 2023
71. Grand Theatre Photograph
Tuesday Sep 05, 2023
Tuesday Sep 05, 2023
We're off to the theatre in today's episode. Join us to find out more about one of Lancaster's most prominent Georgian buildings as we speak to Adrian Taylor from the Grand Theatre and learn about the history both on and off stage.

Thursday Aug 31, 2023
70. Market People Crossing Lancaster Sands by David Cox
Thursday Aug 31, 2023
Thursday Aug 31, 2023
We're tracing a dangerous journey across the sands of Morecambe Bay in this episode to find out why people took this treacherous route for hundreds of years. Antoni Konieczny tells us about this beautiful painting and some of the sad stories behind this perilous journey.

Tuesday Aug 29, 2023
69. Sun Gods Photograph
Tuesday Aug 29, 2023
Tuesday Aug 29, 2023
A photograph from 1930s Morecambe leads to a discussion about sun tanning and health. We talk to Professor Sarah Allinson to find out more about the risks of sun exposure and how attitudes have changed towards tanning since this photograph was taken.

Thursday Aug 24, 2023
68. Labour Demonstration Postcard
Thursday Aug 24, 2023
Thursday Aug 24, 2023
Come back with us to 1906, and walk with the working people of Lancaster as we chat to Professor Imogen Tyler about this postcard which shows a labour demonstration in Dalton Square. Find out about unions, working conditions, and Williamson's 'War on Workers'.

Tuesday Aug 22, 2023
67. Sam Thompson Photograph of William Townley
Tuesday Aug 22, 2023
Tuesday Aug 22, 2023
We're viewing history through the photographers lens in this episode as we talk to Dr Patricia Prieto-Blanco about photographer Sam Thompson. We discuss his love for photography, the people he photographed, and his relationship with fishermen like William Townley.

Thursday Aug 17, 2023
66. Victoria Wood Photograph
Thursday Aug 17, 2023
Thursday Aug 17, 2023
Today's object is a snapshot of northern comedy, a portrait of Victoria Wood. We delve into the life and magic of this will known and much-loved local figure.

Tuesday Aug 15, 2023
65. Leaf-Shaped Arrowhead
Tuesday Aug 15, 2023
Tuesday Aug 15, 2023
We're hunting down the history of stone age Lancashire to find out how people in pre-history used the materials around them to created this tiny but beautiful arrowhead, and how these objects survive to give a glimpse into lives lived thousands of years ago.

Thursday Aug 10, 2023
64. Thomas Hutton Rawlinson Portrait
Thursday Aug 10, 2023
Thursday Aug 10, 2023
In this episode we talk with Melinda Elder to clear up a case of mistaken identity. Join us to find out more about the life of Thomas Hutton Rawlinson, a Georgian merchant from a prominent local family.

Tuesday Aug 08, 2023
63. Sunshine Recorder
Tuesday Aug 08, 2023
Tuesday Aug 08, 2023
We're pursuing a national pastime in this episode, talking about the weather! We chat to Dr Emma Eastoe from Lancaster University to find out more about the weather station which used to house this sunshine recorder in Morecambe and how measuring the weather today is crucial for adapting to the future.

Thursday Aug 03, 2023
62. Dodshon Foster’s Diary
Thursday Aug 03, 2023
Thursday Aug 03, 2023
In this episode we speak to Ann Morgan about Dodshon Foster, one of Lancaster's most prolific slave traders, but also perhaps surprisingly, a Quaker. We look at the history of one man to explore how commerce, morality, and religion intersected in Georgian Lancaster.

Tuesday Aug 01, 2023
61. Warton Hoard Dirham
Tuesday Aug 01, 2023
Tuesday Aug 01, 2023
We're digging up information on a coin that travelled far across Viking Europe to end up in a hoard in Warton. Join us as we talk to archaeologist Dr Tom Horne to find out about Vikings, trading, and buried treasure.

Thursday Jul 27, 2023
60. Medieval Crucifix
Thursday Jul 27, 2023
Thursday Jul 27, 2023
We delve into the world of medieval religion in today's episode where we look at this medieval crucifix to find out what it might have meant to the person who once owned it, and how religion in Lancaster has changed over the centuries.

Tuesday Jul 25, 2023
59. Power Station Padlock
Tuesday Jul 25, 2023
Tuesday Jul 25, 2023
This episode should prove to be electrifying! We speak to Professor Gordon Walker about this ceremonial padlock which was used at the opening of the Caton Road Generating Station in a time when Lancaster produced its own power at a site which still has ramifications for how we get our electricity today.

Thursday Jul 20, 2023
58. 10th Century Comb
Thursday Jul 20, 2023
Thursday Jul 20, 2023
We're doing our hair Viking style in this episode. Join us as we speak with Adam Parsons of Oxford Archaeology to get the low down on the cutting edge styles of the 10th Century, when a comb was just a tool, but a fashion accessory.

Tuesday Jul 18, 2023
57. Felt Hat
Tuesday Jul 18, 2023
Tuesday Jul 18, 2023
Dress up in style and get out your top hat for this episode, where we talk to Christine Workman and Emma Holborn about the little-known hat making industry that thrived in the village of Wray for decades.