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A recently catalogued collection of 37 handwritten diaries belonging to the composer Sir Granville Ransome Bantock shed insight into his life and music. Those written between 1928 and 1946 are the focus of this blog. Past posts cover the years 1911 – 1919 and 1920 – 1927.   In the later part of his life,...

A recently catalogued collection of 37 handwritten diaries belonging to the composer Sir Granville Ransome Bantock shed insight into his life and music. Those written between 1920 and 1927 are the focus of this blog. Past and future posts cover the years 1911 – 1919 and 1928 – 1946.   Musically, the 1920s represent Granville...

A recently catalogued collection of 37 handwritten diaries belonging to the composer Sir Granville Ransome Bantock, shed insight into his life and music. Those written between 1911 and 1919 are the focus of this blog. Future posts will cover the years 1920 – 1927 and 1928 – 1946, respectively. Though they might at first appear...

The pages of history are filled with the achievements of men and less so women. In no period is this more evident than the late 18th and early 19th centuries, where gender roles were sharply defined and the Victorian notion of seperate spheres for men and women prevailed. Born in Pancras, London on 21st November...

In May 2022, 19 test pits were excavated across Badsey village as part of the Small Pits, Big Ideas project.  Badsey is known to be in an area where there is evidence of early activity, but what could we find out about the medieval village? What is this all about? This community excavation was part of...

In April and July 2022, 21 test pits were excavated across Bewdley, Worcestershire, as part of the Small Pits, Big Ideas project. Bewdley was a bit different to our other big digs, being a town rather than a village with much more development having taken place. Our objective for this dig was to find out more...

In April 2022, 20 test pits were excavated across Wichenford village, to the north west of Worcester, as part of the Small Pits, Big Ideas project. Quite a lot is known about the history of the village through documents we hold in the archives at The Hive, but what material evidence of medieval occupation could we...

Unexplored earthworks that look suspiciously medieval: an exciting start for any excavation! During October 2021, 8 test pits were excavated across the village of White Ladies Aston, just east of Worcester, as part of the Small Pits, Big Ideas project. These, when combined with previous community test pits in the village, reveal a story of...

In June 2022, 15 test pits were excavated across Wolverley, Worcestershire. This community excavation was part of a wider project – Small Pits, Big Ideas – researching rural medieval settlements across the county.  Together, these test pits tell a broader story of the village over time. Today our household rubbish is taken away regularly, but...

In autumn 2021, 13 test pits were excavated across Holt End village in Beoley, Worcestershire. This community excavation was part of a wider project – Small Pits, Big Ideas – researching rural medieval settlements across the county. Together, these test pits tell a broader story of the village over time. Today our household rubbish is...