Learning blog

Tower and Abbey photography display

Sutherland — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:59:34 +0000

A new display of photographs showing the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey has recently gone on display at St. Margaret’s Church on the Westminster Abbey estate. The photographs were taken by students at Westminster Adult Education Service in a project inspired by the 60th anniversary of The Queen’s coronation. Students learnt about the Crown Jewels and the coronation service, visited the Tower and the Abbey, and some students even traced the journey of the historic coronation procession which until the late 17th century used to start at the Tower and finish at the Abbey. The students’ photos are really good – they are all very creative and very professional! They will be on display in St. Margaret’s Church until the end of June, and entry is free – pop along and have a look!

Judenplatz

Susie — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:55:20 +0000

Rachel Whiteread’s monument to the 65,000 Austrian Jews killed by the Nazi regime stands in Judenplatz, the centre of the Jewish ghetto in mediaeval Vienna. The Museum Judenplatz – the house in the centre of the photo – celebrates the community that thrived in this area until the expulsion of the Jews in 1421. Underneath Whiteread’s memorial, the remains of the original synagogue have been excavated and can be accessed through the museum.

Richard III Uncovered

Rosemary — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:20:28 +0000

The disappearance of the two young princes in the Tower has cast a long shadow over the reputation of King Richard III for centuries, with the question of whether he was responsible for the deaths of his own nephews still being hotly debated today. The recent momentous discovery of Richard III’s bones by University of Leicester archaeologists has turned our attention once again to this controversial figure. It was therefore with great excitement that we hosted acclaimed academic and Richard III expert Professor Michael Hicks from University of Winchester and Lead Archaeologist Richard Buckley, to discuss the character of Richard III and the discovery of his body.
To hear the talk please visit our iTunesU channel or download the podcasts directly from here:

Discovering Richard III – Richard Buckley

Understanding Richard III – Michael Hicks

Education session at Schonbrunn

Susie — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:06:11 +0000

Today I was lucky enough to shadow two learning programmes here in Vienna. This morning I toured Schloss Schonbrunn with my colleague Isabella Barta and a group of 8-9 year olds from the American International School. The group were full of questions about life in the palace in the time of Maria Theresia and her descendants. They especially enjoyed taking a peek into the cramped passageways that allowed palace servants to stoke the ceramic heaters in the grand rooms without interrupting (or being seen by) their imperial inhabitants!

This afternoon Isabella arranged for me to take part in a workshop run by her friend Barbara Lenz at the Belvedere. This was a pilot session for a new partnership project with the team from the National Parks Authority, who run programmes in the protected areas along the Danube. The programme is called ‘More than H2O’ and encourages pupils to look at water in art and nature. Barbara led students on a tour of selected paintings in the collection at the Belvedere depicting water in many forms, before a workshop examining river life under the microscope and creating posters for an online exhibition.

The Belvedere was the summer palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy. After yesterday’s dramatic thunderstorm, the weather this afternoon was perfect for photography. My photos can be found on our Flickr photostream.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53589066@N03/sets/72157633307042587/

http://www.belvedere.at/en

Kensington Palace sleepover

Sarah — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:52:34 +0000

Last week Kensington hosted its first ever kids sleepover as part of Museums at Night 2013.

We welcomed 60 excited children and adults to Princess Victoria’s birthday party. The preparations began by making crowns, learning about Victorian etiquette and practising the Duke of Kent’s Waltz. We were later joined by Princess Victoria herself, and of course her best friend Dash, for feasting, torch lit tours and dancing in the State Apartments.

A huge well done to everyone who was involved in making it a night to remember.

Chocolate painting workshop

Susie — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:24:06 +0000

Here’s a photo from a recent workshop at the Hofmobiliendepot in Vienna. Children were painting with chocolate, creating images of Archduke Maximilian who became Emperor of Mexico. Chocolate from Mexico was a popular imported commodity in Vienna. The Hofmobiliendepot is currently the venue for a temporary exhibition on Maximilian’s imperial dream.

Roses at Schonbrunn

Susie — Sat, 18 May 2013 18:31:57 +0000

The roses lining the front entrance of Schonbrunn Palace are coming in to bloom. The yellow roses complement the colour of the building, and their scent is fabulous.

‘Fit to Rule’ community activities at Kensington

Sutherland — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:24:52 +0000

Today we held the first of three days of activities for older people from the local community around Kensington Palace, inspired by Lucy Worsley’s BBC TV series ‘Fit to Rule: How royal illness changed history’.

Groups took part in a range of different activities – from learning about some of the ways that the health of kings and queens has affected the nation over the last 500 years, through talks, storytelling and film clips, to hands on activities including tasting and smelling to bring to life the diet and health remedies of the 18th century. We also collected lots of people’s home remedies on our ‘prescriptions for the past’.

The activities were designed to help people make their own personal connections with history, gain new perspectives on social and royal history, and learn about health in the past.

We’re looking forward to all the other groups coming to sessions later this week!

Schloss Hof

Susie — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:40:19 +0000

Today I spent a wonderful day at Schloss Hof, a stunningly beautiful palace and estate between Vienna and Bratislava. The palace, gardens and farm estate together form a rare survival and have been rescued from almost total dereliction. The buildings have been extensively restored and original contents returned from public and private collections. The gardens have been created anew from the evidence of contemporary plans and Canaletto’s paintings. Schloss Hof was the hunting estate of Prince Eugene of Savoy, who also owned the Belvedere Palace in Vienna. Empress Maria Theresa was a later owner, and liked to escape here from the formality of court life in the city.

Wien Museum

Susie — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:34:56 +0000

Yesterday I visited the Wien Museum, the museum of the city of Vienna. With so many museums and historic sites in the city this is one that is not at the top of the tourist schedule, but it’s well worth a visit for an overview of the development of the city. It’s a manageable size for a half day visit and packed with wonderful objects beautifully but simply displayed. I was fascinated by the many historic maps and models of the city which helped me understand the growth of the city from Roman times to the nineteenth century. One of my favourite items was this early nineteenth century glass beaker, made locally and depicting Schonbrunn Palace. A selection of other highlights – including the most beautiful iron safe you will ever see - are now on Flickr.

http://www.wienmuseum.at/index.php?id=122

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53589066@N03/sets/72157633307042587/