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

44. Auburn by William Woodhouse

William Woodhouse was a prominent local artist who painted the natural world and the spaces around him. We speak to Paul Thompson to find out more about this fascinating figure.  

43. Chi Rho Lamp

Join us as we chat to Dr Eleri Cousins about this roman object, which is just as important for the community stories that have grown up around it as it is for its historical story. 

42. Ophthalmic Case

Join us as we chat to Dr Karen Wright about medicines of the past and how the uses, and reputation, of different drugs have changed over the years. Find out why someone would put cocaine in their eye, and what the future is for medicines derived from cannabis. 

41. Phoenix Foundry Workers Photograph

We're finding out more about the Phoenix Foundry, which used to stand on Phoenix Street. What did they make? Who owned it? And who worked there? Find out all this and more as we speak to Emma Coffey about this little known industry from the centre of Lancaster. 

40. Backstaff

How would you find your way across the vast open ocean? Could you do it with just some wooden beams stuck together, and a bit of clever maths? We speak to Dr Joe Kinrade about this simple but essential navigation device, find out how it works, and how we have evolved from this to modern GPS being involved in everything from finding our way to making payments to drilling for resources on the ocean floor. 

39. Lancaster Plate

Join us for dinner as we speak to Dr Mike Winstanley about this beautiful object which served up Lancaster on a plate for anyone who wished to buy it. Find out when, how and why plates like this were made. 

38. Greenwood’s Device

A beautiful and still slightly mysterious device is at the centre of this episode. We speak to Dr Maria Walach to find out more about how it was used to predict the tides, and re-visit a figure who has appeared in our podcast before...its creator, Captain William Nelson Greenwood.  

37. John Dalton Portrait

Today we're looking at the history of one of Lancaster's most powerful families, who left their mark on the architecture and names in the City. Join us as we chat to James Houghton about the Daltons. 

36. Neolithic Axe

Come with us back to the stone age to find out about life in Lancashire when it was a very different place. City Museum Site Supervisor Richard Whittaker shows us why this is one of his favourite objects and what it can tell us about the distant past. 

35. Telescope Postcard

Today we're going from Lancaster to the stars. We speak with Dr Julie Wardlow from Lancaster University about the fascinating story behind this telescope, which was once a feature of Williamson Park. 

34. Hag Stone

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. 

33. Seaman’s Sixpence Logbook

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. 

32. Funeral Biscuits Leaflet

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. 

31. Buck Ruxton’s Diary

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. 

30. Edwardian Postcard

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. 

29. 18th Century Fork

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. 

28. Roman Inscription Stone

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. 

27. Execution Document

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. 

26. T.D.Smith Shop Sign

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. 

25. Kludonometric Tide Table

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.