Japanned Chinoiserie cabinet – Christchurch Mansion

Thought furniture was boring? Nonsense! Come and listen to episode 2 of Past Matters and learn about secret compartments and boudoir calendars in this interview with Bob Entwhistle, Conservation Officer at Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich.

Past Matters S1Ep1: Renaissance parade sallet – The Wallace Collection

Can weapons be art? How can you do armour – something worn to be admired from a 360 degree angle – justice in a museum? And did you know there were armour-making dynasties in renaissance Europe?

Past Matters introduction

Museums, galleries and historic houses are treasure troves of items from the past. But how easy is it at these sites to unknowingly just walk straight past an object with an incredible story to tell?

Picture perfect

The demand for pet portraiture keeps growing, especially in this social media age. Ploy Radford, consultant at communications agency PLMR, examines this niche in the pet market and looks at how the artists and photographers can ensure their work stands out…

How music helps connect people living with dementia

A new campaign aims to show how listening and playing music can help patients be happier, healthier and more harmonious…

Let’s take this outside

From litter picking to considering the cosmos, teachers have been telling us what learning beyond the classroom looks like for their students…

In need of a Christmassy day out? You need to make a day trip to Waddesdon Manor

I had been fantasising about hopping over to Bavaria and seeing all the castles on the Romantic Road and Christmas markets in medieval villages in the snow. But if like me you’re a little bit broke due to fatal combination of an unfortunate online shopping habit and moving into an unfurnished flat, there is a more affordable way to get your fairy tale Christmas kick a little closer to home. Go check out Waddesdon Manor.