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The model of the Titanic at Meresyside Maritime Museum. Image courtesy of the Liverpool Daily Post & Echo. I think the best film about the Titanic disaster is 'A Night to Remember' which I firs...
What caption do you think fits? Unless you are from Mars, you are probably aware that Valentines Day is coming up and to mark it I've chosen perhaps a slightly anti-romantic image for this month'...
The second story taken from the archives this week about World Museum, is from 1888. I'm not sure how our curators would feel about sending cabinets of precious specimens out to schools today, but...
'A view of Liverpool' by Henry Freeman James from Merseyside Maritime Museum I find the subject of slavery deeply disturbing and the more we find out about its workings, the greater the sense of...
Copyright Stephen Shakeshaft Thanks to everyone who took part in our latest caption competition. This month's judge - and the photographer who took the photo - Stephen Shakeshaft said he was deli...
Dr Clem Fisher and the Dodo skeleton I’m not a great pigeon fancier but I do have a soft spot for the biggest of this breed – the long-dead Dodo. Depending on what you believe, the flightless bir...
Last week I spent an afternoon filming with the BBC Inside Out North West team, working on a programme being aired on BBC One this evening. The Robert-Lege Tide Prediction Machine (1908). Part of...
I don't know about you, but I think it's always good to start the new year by having a bit of a spruce up - whether it's spring cleaning or a bit of a make over! We're used to giving important obj...
Yasmin, one of our youth v volunteers has the honour of being the first volunteer to receive her v50 Award certificate in 2010. The certificate recognises the completion of 50 hours of voluntee...
Exhibitions team work on display of objects I know we have all heard enough about the cold weather but may I just explain how much I hate the snow. Not only does it reduce me to walking at a snai...
'An East Indiaman taking a pilot off Dover' from Merseyside Maritime Museum's collections. Image courtesy of the Liverpool Daily Post & Echo. I like to use spices when cooking but only sparingly...
Please note that due to the adverse weather conditions and for the safety of our staff and visitors, National Museums Liverpool's venues will be closing at 3pm again today. Apologies for the i...
Handling technician Paula at the Walker Even while it has been snowing outside this week, our staff have been working away behind the scenes inside the Walker Art Gallery to prepare the next exhi...
Copyright Stephen Shakeshaft Happy New Year everyone! As it's a brand new year here's a brand new caption competition to wake your brains up and get you all thinking. This time we've chosen a se...
For the first of our series of 'On this day in history' blogs to comemorate 150 years of the World Museum, we are looking to the memories of ex-staff member, Eric Greenwood. Here he recalls an imp...
The museum before it was bombed in the Second World War. I know I'm a day early, but 2010 will mean a pretty important anniversary for us here at National Museums Liverpool. It will be the 150th ...
"Going out with an albatross? Get your hearing tested! I said I was going down to Albert Dock" The winner of this month's caption competition, and the new owner of a signed copy of Alan Scarth's ...
Wilson's cooking apparatus poster. Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo I enjoy cooking and this weekend helped prepare a traditional Christmas meal for six at Lowlands, the Victorian man...
Rehearsals for the X-mas Factor show This Saturday our Youth Theatre will present a Christmas tale unlike any you've seen before. Youth Arts Officer Sean Murray, who has been working with the g...
This is a bit last minute, but a reminder to watch the skies tonight for the annual Geminids shower. You should be able to see the meteors between around 8 and 10pm in the UK. It should be a good ...
Our new Equality and Diversity policy is available to read or download from our main site.
Ruth Ball stands in front of her display 'Glass, Metal & Fire'including the two recent additions A few weeks ago I blogged about the installation of a new display of enamelled art by Ruth Ball. S...
This month's image is of two gulls sitting atop the Museum of Liverpool. All you have to do is come up with a suitably amusing caption and post your suggestion as a comment on this blog post. Yo...
Crowds see off the Lucania. Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo. It is unlikely that we will ever see the likes of this ship again because she was very much a product of the age which in...
It's time to open your online advent calendar! The shops and streets may have been full of Christmas decorations for weeks, but I never feel right mentioning it until December. Now that the...
Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo. I am particularly moved by this story which graphically demonstrates the caring nature of people placed in extreme danger. We cannot comprehend what ...
Our runners-up certificate You might remember that we asked you to vote for our Engaging Refugees and Asylum Seekers programme in the DSC Social Change Awards. Unfortunately we didn't win, but we...
'Queen of the Thornbacks' Rachel Ball stands in World Museum aquarium If I could be described as anything it certainly wouldn’t have the words ‘Queen of..’ used as a prefix, it would probably ...
Presenter, Paul Martin, and I at the Albert Dock My appearance on the popular BBC 2 afternoon auction show Flog It! was broadcast on Wednesday – recorded on the Albert Dock with presenter Paul Ma...
Over the past few days you will have seen news reports on the Australian government's apology for its role in the British child migration programme (you can see the PM's apology on the BBC website...
The sheet reads: The Liverpool Journal of Commerce is now enlarged and contains later and more comprehensive shipping and commercial news than any other paper. Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post a...
Nottingham Contemporary art gallery - home to the Walker's Hockney painting for the next few months Here's a behind-the-scenes look at one of the aspects of the work that our staff are involved i...
Copyright Stephen Shakeshaft It's competition time again and this month's picture comes courtesy of the rather wonderful exhibition Liverpool People by Stephen Shakeshaft, which is at the Nationa...
Sarah Jane Parsons in Bridlington, 1950. Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo. Homesickness is like seasickness – you only feel better once you’ve stopped travelling. I have suffered from...
Our intrepid explorers prepare to enter the pyramid tomb The public fascination with Ancient Egypt never seems to wane, as the opening of Howard Carter’s house as a museum in Egypt testifies. Th...
Penguins are almost go at the warehouse. 'Look At Me' is front left. Image courtesy of Helen Burnley. Those of you who live locally might already have heard about the imminent arrival of over 100...
The Singh Twins next to Ranbindra's painting 'Oh Come All Ye Re-eds' Is football a new religion? Can being a female artist be an advantage in some cultures? These are just some of the subjects co...
Emigrants on the Guion Liner, Wisconsin. Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo. The nearest I’ve got to emigrating is briefly wanting to flee to the Isle of Man - in the summer it matches ...
I thought my school days were over, but last week I was very excited to be able to join our class of Little Liverpool Designers on their very first school trip! I had a lovely morning spent with...
National Museums Liverpool's handling team carefully slide the painting on to special lifting equipment. Observant visitors to the Walker Art Gallery may have noticed Echo and Narcissus has been ...
It's widely accepted by my friends and family that I am not a morning person. The most my brain can cope with before 9.30am is managing to remember my sandwich for lunch, and until this morning I ...
Model of RMS Mauretania Throughout our lives chance can play a decisive part – perhaps I am tempting fate but I believe you can change the course of events. I do not subscribe to the theory that ...
We're pleased to report that we've been shortlisted for yet another award, and again we need your help to win. The nomination is for our Engaging Refugees and Asylum Seekers programme and recogn...
An Illustrated London News image showing a Cunard ship leaving Liverpool in 1881 My great aunt married as a very young teenager in Malta (this was 100 years ago). The child bride later settled ...
Yesterday at the Liverpool Food and Drink Festival we ran a prize draw to win a three course lunch for four people and afternoon tea for two to celebrate the recent launch of the Maritime Dining R...
Money can't buy love but who cares when you can go out any buy the latest line of Beatle merchandise. Beatlemania is back and this time it means business - big business! Remastered versions of ea...
Billy Nugent, from the Walker Art Gallery, discusses Heritage Open Day events with BBC Radio Merseyside One of the things I love most about Liverpool is that despite it being a relatively small ...
This weekend our wonderful group of Discovery Volunteers each received their v50 Award Certificate, having completed 50 hours volunteer work at World Museum Liverpool during the summer. Our f...
A ship's crew is inspected for disease. Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo. I admit to being wary of catching infections and take the precaution of washing my hands whenever possible. O...
If the answer is 'yes' and you enjoyed your visit then you might want to vote for the restaurant in the Liverpool Food and Drink Awards. The awards are part of the official Food and Drink Festival...
Image courtest Liverpool Daily Post and Echo. I always relish the anticipation of travelling – it is enjoyable to plan your journey and visualise what you will see and do. It is wonderful that ma...
Frankie Vaughan. Copyright Liverpool Daily Post and Echo Here's another photograph that didn't quite make it into the upcoming exhibition 'Liverpool people by Stephen Shakeshaft'. Over the course...
A hogshead barrel at Merseyside Maritime Museum. Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo. The Beatles’ song 'Being for the benefit of Mr Kite' is particularly evocative for me because of the...
We're competition crazy round here at the moment, and here's our latest offering - the caption competition! You probably already know the sketch. We show you an image (in this case a painting from...
As you may know, this weekend sees the Slavery Remembrance Day festival - there's more on the background to the event on our main website. A good number of the weekend's events are supported with ...
You have until Monday to enter our competition and win a luxury weekend away in London. This fabulous prize is being offered to tie in with the Royal Academy's exhibition, J.W. Waterhouse: The ...
Cpt Henry Saalmans OBE. Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo I prefer the cold to the heat – at least you can usually escape into the warmth when temperatures plunge. It is more difficult...
Sister Marina, Walton Prison. Copyright Liverpool Daily Post and Echo. There's just over a month to go now until the exhibition 'Liverpool people by Stephen Shakeshaft' opens at the National Cons...
When they handling team say they're moving houses they usually mean literally! As I've mentioned many times before, there's never a dull moment for the handling and transport team. Since I last r...
'The Scapegoat' If you caught this week's episode of 'Desperate Romantics' you'll already know that some of our Pre-Raphaelite paintings featured pretty heavily. There was the Lady Lever's The S...
Send us your memories about Liverpool! Here at the Walker Art Gallery, in partnership with the University of Liverpool, we are launching an exciting new programme of adult and family events inspi...
Rain or shine, getting out on the River Mersey is always a fun trip and Curator of Botany, Geraldine Reid, has taken part in one of this year's Mersey Ferry Discovery Cruises. Here she is to tell ...
The Hawkhurst Gang. The text beneath the image reads: Galley and Chater falling off their Horse at Woodash, draggs thier Heads on the Ground, while the Horse kicks them as he goes; the Smugglers st...
The International Slavery Museum The momentum is really building now for the International Slavery Museum and our bid to win Best Heritage Project in the National Lottery Awards - which we stil...
With holiday season well and truly upon us, some of our curators are putting their minds to memories of past holidays, and need your help researching those with a local angle. We are inviting s...
Further to my previous post about International Slavery Museum getting to the final of the National Lottery awards, the Lottery have commissioned this promotional video about the museum and why it...
Model of the SS Gallia. Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo One of my older relatives used to joke that you should not bathe too often because hot water removes the skin’s natural oils. ...
Liverpool Customs House. Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo. Great vanished buildings always hold a certain mystique and the Liverpool Custom House was one I would have loved t...
Night At The Museum 2 poster This week sees our final monthly draw to win pairs of tickets to your local ODEON cinema. All you have to do to enter is sign up for our e-newsletter. Everyo...
It was a depressingly long time ago that I was an A-level student. The only highlight of these two years of study was when the local Bargain Booze was raided causing delightful disruption...
Something got Mick started... A young Mick Hucknall outside Pickwick's club. Copyright Francesco Mellina With the Summer Pops in full swing a huge variety of international musicians hav...
The National Museums Liverpool strategic plan, covering 2009 to 2011, is now available to download, either from here or from the corporate information section of our main site. In it ther...
'The Scapegoat' by William Holman Hunt We like a bit of TV glamour here at National Museums Liverpool, so we're pretty excited that one of our paintings is going to be featured on a ...
The Mauretania II about to launch My ancestor Henry Guy was one of many Liverpool shipwrights in 18th century Liverpool where life was often short and hard. Henry, of Peters Alley, died ...
Here's a special report from Isobel, who spent last week helping out behind the scenes at World Museum Liverpool for her work experience placement. "When asked to choose a work e...
Bughouse Demonstrator, Rebekah Beresford, tells us about the latest addition to the Bughouse... Well, this is my first post to the blog and through my future blog posts I hope ...
Sarah and Louise enjoy a rest in the Big Art gallery! Here's a photo of a double celebration in the volunteers team. On the left is Sarah, who you may remember received her first v50 ...
Guests at the New Radicals private view New Radicals From Sickert to Freud opened this weekend at the Walker Art Gallery. The photograph above was taken at the private view whe...
The Beat Goes On >at World Museum, celebrates a wealth of Liverpool music across the ages right from the 40s until today, and not one decade has gone by when a Liverpool act hasn’t ...
Tracey Emin, In You, 2009. Embroidered cotton. 13 9/16 x 16 1/8 in. (34.5 x 41 cm) © the artist. Photo: Stephen White. Courtesy White Cube. She might ignite controversy wherever she goes...
Square teapots were adopted by major shipping companies such as Cunard My perfect cup of tea is made from loose leaves spooned carefully into a warm teapot ...
Curator Jessica Feather and Exhibitions Officer Lucy Johnson get a closer look at Audrey. It is a dream situation to be in the same room as Mick Jagger and Marilyn Monroe and although th...
We were very excited this morning as staff returned triumphant from The Mersey Partnership’s Annual Tourism Awards with some great news. National Museums Liverpool won Tourism Exper...
Next Saturday 27 June, we’re teaming up with the Liverpool Parks Friends Forum to put on a special event at Merseyside Maritime Museum for anyone out there who has a passion for our city’...
'Smugglers unloading barrels in a rocky cove entrance' by Thomas Luny Two of my ancestors, John Guy (1731 – 1792) and his younger brother Peter (1736 – 1791), were Customs officers in Li...
Here at the press office it can get pretty busy at times, so we are very grateful for the generous help of our volunteers. Matthew Linden has been with us for several months so we felt it...
Press Assistant Alison Cornmell has been looking after the publicity for the exhibition Sound and Vision at the National Conservation Centre. Last week she took a special visitor around t...
A posh pie and a hazlenut latte please! We're very pleased that the tearoom at Sudley House has now reopened! After its recent refurbishment there is now an extensive new menu, an ext...
A daring performance by our talented Youth Theatre After a 12 month break for maternity leave I'm feeling a little rusty, so I've been enjoying the opportunity to reacquaint myself with ...
Night At The Museum 2 poster Those nice people at ODEON Cinemas have given us some even nicer prizes to help mark the opening of the second Night At The Museum movie - Battle of the S...
The High Victorian room at the Walker Here's the last review of our venues written by visiting art historian Eleanor Beyer from the British Museum's conservation and science departmen...
Mr Major Sumner, a representative of The Ngarrindjeri Yesterday I was able to witness a ceremony to mark the returning of Australian indigenous human remains that had been in our collect...
Here's the latest report from art historian Eleanor Beyer. Eleanor usually works in the British Museum's conservation and science department but has been visiting the paper conservation ...
Plaque of Sir Alfred Jones It’s strange to think that bananas were once considered an exotic luxury in Britain. My grandmother Lillian Potter, who was born in 1885, remembered them bei...
Boxhead recreating his pose from one of Francesco Mellina's photographs Yesterday evening the National Conservation Centre resounded with the sights and sounds of the 1980s to celebrate ...
Ryoanji Zen garden Konichiwa Well I am back at work after my break in Japan, as interesting and exciting a destination as I have ever visited. It really is a mix of the old and the...
I spent Monday with a film crew from the popular BBC 2 show Flog It! – not at an auction but perusing some of our fabulous collections. We focused on the Li...
Here's another special report from art historian - and roving reporter - Eleanor Beyer. As you may remember from Eleanor's last review, she works in the British Museum's conservation...
Just looking at this plan of a slave ship hold almost makes me break out into a cold sweat. As regular readers of this blog will know, I have a strong aversion to crowded enclosed ...
I'm never quite sure how to mark St George’s Day. I’m a vegetarian and perhaps predisposed to feel some sympathy for the dragon – a creature which is celebrated rather t...
Men at work in the Museum of Liverpool The latest batch of Museum of Liverpool construction snaps has been added to the museum's set on Flickr. They include this one of scaffolding ag...
Press officer, Ed Casson, tells us about a fascinating soundtrack that has been created to accompany one of our most popular paintings... 'And When Did You Last See Your Father?', William...
At the end of March, we held a launch party to celebrate the release of 'Something Wild… at the Walker Art Gallery' - the very first storybook that National Museums Liverpool has publishe...
It seems that Eros, the Greek god of love, has been working his magic again, as Liverpool.com have just named Café Eros in the National Conservation Centre at the top of their list of f...
Black achievers plaque unveiling Hello there Well before anyone sends me an accusatory email I will admit I am not the world's best blogger! Strange really considering I constantly ...
The Cretic on display in the museum. Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo. Great oaks from little acorns grow is a real truism and one that particularly applies to ships. I ...
Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo. Teamwork is vitally important in human endeavours but teamwork is nothing without leadership – and I think this is especially so in wartime....
It's Science Week so, as you'd expect, the folk in World Museum have had lots of free activities for budding scientists. Here's a pic of visitors making and painting plaster casts of fo...
Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo. At one time I had a yen to be a commercial artist but decided, at the age of 12, to become a reporter instead. Public artworks that ma...
This week's snaps from the Museum of Liverpool building site have a definite smell of spring about them; sunshine, blue sky and crocuses. Pity this weekend's weather forecast is so lous...
A street trader at St George's Dock, Liverpool in 1895. Courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo. When I was young, slavery was rarely mentioned either at home or in school – it was rat...
The temptation to go overboard with footballing puns is almost overwhelming but I'll give it a go. Only A Game?, the UEFA football exhibition currently at World Museum Liverpool, ...
'George Always I' © Maggi Hambling (2007/2008), courtesy of The Ivy The late George Melly had a long association with Liverpool's art galleries. This dates back to before the war when as...
Do not adjust your sets! A different view of the now familiar museum building reflected in the dock As you will have seen if you've been down to Liverpool's waterfront recently, the s...
Miss Francatelli's apron I have an open mind about psychic happenings and the alleged auras that surround people and things. A simple apron from a distant time has a profound effect on m...
The Malancha with her guns at her stern I love studying photographs, drawings and plans of the mighty Dreadnought battleships that dominated navies about 100 years ago. I admire the high...
To celebrate the opening of our new Fashion V Sport exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery, I've put together a Flickr gallery of some of the cool and stylish outfits worn by some of our...
Detail of a photograph of the Valentine display in the window of Woolworths in London Road, Liverpool, 1937, from the Stewart Bale collection Last summer Anne Gleave, curator of photogra...
Environment can help nurture talent and I think this is particularly true of Liverpool with its amazing architecture and maritime setting. One of the great vanished buildings of the cit...
Lots more snaps in our Flickr set including this one of the sun on the south window. The build continues to progress really well. The vertical limestone cladding is nearing complet...
At the end of February, Earth will receive a visitor named Lulin. This is not an alien, but a comet that astronomers say may have never visited this corner of the solar system before and ...
Des in his workshop at the Maritime Des Newton, who has died after a long illness aged 67, was one of the world’s leading ship bottlers and I, Stephen Guy, admired him for his astonishin...
Did we get a visit from Darwin himself today? Our Treasure House Theatre Coordinator, Jo Connor, gave us all the details to clear up the mystery... Darwin lives!: Paul Netterfield with th...
This may be the closest I will get to a piece of Chanel clothing, but our curators of decorative arts are used to getting their hands on clothes from big names such as Vivienne Westwoo...
The metal rings in the huge walls took on a menacing aspect when my father pointed to them with the chilling words: “The slaves were chained to those before being sold”. This was the Gore...
A picture of the Lincoln Memorial from my trip to Washington DC last year Hello there. Well unless you have been living on another planet recently who could not have been gripped by...
Volunteer Tom Hawley came along with me to a talk by our Antiquities Curator, Carolyn Routledge, and has written this blog to tell you all about it. You also can see the photos of Caro...
The royal party were unaware of the lengths people had gone to for a good view How far would you go to get a good view of an important event? Curator of photographic archives Anne Gleave...
If you were then Emma Walmsley from the learning team at Merseyside Maritime Museum would like to hear from you. Emma is currently preparing a new WREN roleplayer character who she is hop...
I have always enjoyed looking out for famous people going about their everyday lives. Among my coups were screen goddess Bette Davis sightseeing in Liverpool’s Castle Street and Brief Enc...
The customs display in the Magical History Tour exhibition. Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo When I was growing up in Liverpool in the 1950s and 60s it was quite a common sig...
The rush to enter the competition started back in the 1960s... 'Street sign, Liverpool 1966' Philip Jones Griffiths/Magnum Photos. Courtesy of the Philip Jones Griffiths Foundation An...
Geek chic: my new glasses and scarf. As David Bowie would say; "fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion" - it's a funny old thing. For spring/summer 2009 newspapers and magazines are saying 'there are no tr...
Image courtesy of Liverpool City Council - Transition: The People's Celebration. Thousands sing chorus to George Harrison's 'Here Comes The Sun' In the lead up...
Arthur 'Jo' Dashwood-Howard and cat I’ve always believed that practice makes perfect and I’m sure time spent making things at sea for pleasure made countless crew members very happy. I p...
The 1911 census records for England and Wales have been made public, two years earlier than the 100 year embargo. The returns contain more information than previous years including length...
You may have seen on the news that the Prime Minister, the Rt Honourable Gordon Brown MP was in town yesterday for the first ever Cabinet meeting in Liverpool, which took place at the BT ...
The final units go into the south-facing window While many of us were embroiled in the orgy of excess that is the modern Christmas, certain hardy souls were installing the final glazing ...
The Athenia There’s a lot to be said for having old heads on young shoulders but I think the terrible tragedy of the Athenia underlines the error of giving major responsibilities to inex...
Billy Fury thanks you for voting for The Beat Goes On! Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo. I know you will be truly excited about finding out the result of our poll to find ...
There was an interesting profile piece in the Sunday Mail this week about England manager Fabio Capello. Reading between the lines, you get the distinct impression that football and cu...
It's new year's eve tomorrow and we've got a host of new stars to look forward to in January 2009. No, I don't mean the start of Celebrity Big Brother, I'm talking about the night sky and...
Jack on a cruise earthenware plaque from 1780 Let me say from the start that I have never been a great one for celebrating New Year. To me there seems to be a lot of phoney emotion aroun...
Hello there Well what a momentous year for the museum it has been. Where shall I start? Well how about the fact we have had over 500,000 visitors since we opened, which makes us one...
A 1950s liner's souvenir shop. Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo Christmas is, for me, best spent at home but to many people a festive cruise is their of bliss. You don’t hav...
Here's a great photo from the Stewart Bale collection. It may look like crowds of Christmas shoppers but it actually shows the very first cars to go into the Queensway Mersey Tunnel on ...
A five dollar bank note from the wreck site of the Titanic Movie news is buzzing with anticipation now that Kate Winslett and Leonardo di Caprio are due to be reunited on screen in the f...
Curator Georgina Young installing the display The stone cladding on the Museum of Liverpool building is almost complete. On the wall facing the river this morning there was only a small ...
Yes everyone, it's that time again! The end of the year and time to vote on which exhibition you think was the best from our venues in 2008. Cast your minds back to the dramatic shots of ...
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