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

This episode takes us into one of the least-understood centuries in the history of the Northwest. We talk to Carolyn Dalton, Museums Development Manager, about this beautiful but enigmatic silver mount which is part of a jigsaw of rare finds that are all we have to piece together the early medieval history of this area. 

Come with us on a journey down one of Lancaster's most notorious streets, China Lane. Find out if it really deserved this reputation, and who the real people were behind this street which was given such a bad reputation by local newspapers.

In this episode we find out more about this fascinating object which was only recent discovered by a local metal detectorist. A silver seal matrix, which depicts an enslaved African person. We find out more about this object and the sort of people in Lancaster and the surrounding area that might have owned it. 

We speak to Bill Froggatt from the Canal and River Trust to find out more about the history of Lancaster Canal, starting with this fascinating notebook from 1792, which lists the names of the people who bought shares in the new canal venture. 

Dive into the history of one of Morecambe's most iconic buildings with us in this episode as we talk to Barry and Lesley Guise about the Super Swimming Stadium, home of the Aqua Loonies, Aqua Lovelies, and Miss Great Britain between the the 1930s and 1970s. 

In today's episode we're following an object from Russia to Lancaster, and finally to the fields of Bentham. Emma Holborn tells us about this tiny lead flax seal which can shine a light on one of the biggest imports to Georgian Lancaster. 

Come on board with us in this episode where we look at the logbook from the ship Chatsworth with Dr John Worthington. We delve into the health of the sailors on board and take a look at some of the diseases and parasites they would have to deal with in 1783.

Today's episode delves into the little-known history of the enslaved people in small communities around the Lancaster and Morecambe area. Professor Alan Rice tells us about once such person who lived in Heysham in the 1760s and escaped from slavery.  

We're off to the theatre in today's episode. Join us to find out more about one of Lancaster's most prominent Georgian buildings as we speak to Adrian Taylor from the Grand Theatre and learn about the history both on and off stage. 

We're tracing a dangerous journey across the sands of Morecambe Bay in this episode to find out why people took this treacherous route for hundreds of years. Antoni Konieczny tells us about this beautiful painting and some of the sad stories behind this perilous journey. 

A photograph from 1930s Morecambe leads to a discussion about sun tanning and health. We talk to Professor Sarah Allinson to find out more about the risks of sun exposure and how attitudes have changed towards tanning since this photograph was taken. 

Come back with us to 1906, and walk with the working people of Lancaster as we chat to Professor Imogen Tyler about this postcard which shows a labour demonstration in Dalton Square. Find out about unions, working conditions, and Williamson's 'War on Workers'. 

We're viewing history through the photographers lens in this episode as we talk to Dr Patricia Prieto-Blanco about photographer Sam Thompson. We discuss his love for photography, the people he photographed, and his relationship with fishermen like William Townley. 

Today's object is a snapshot of northern comedy, a portrait of Victoria Wood. We delve into the life and magic of this will known and much-loved local figure. 

We're hunting down the history of stone age Lancashire to find out how people in pre-history used the materials around them to created this tiny but beautiful arrowhead, and how these objects survive to give a glimpse into lives lived thousands of years ago. 

In this episode we talk with Melinda Elder to clear up a case of mistaken identity. Join us to find out more about the life of Thomas Hutton Rawlinson, a Georgian merchant from a prominent local family. 

We're pursuing a national pastime in this episode, talking about the weather! We chat to Dr Emma Eastoe from Lancaster University to find out more about the weather station which used to house this sunshine recorder in Morecambe and how measuring the weather today is crucial for adapting to the future. 

In this episode we speak to Ann Morgan about Dodshon Foster, one of Lancaster's most prolific slave traders, but also perhaps surprisingly, a Quaker. We look at the history of one man to explore how commerce, morality, and religion intersected in Georgian Lancaster. 

We're digging up information on a coin that travelled far across Viking Europe to end up in a hoard in Warton. Join us as we talk to archaeologist Dr Tom Horne to find out about Vikings, trading, and buried treasure. 

We delve into the world of medieval religion in today's episode where we look at this medieval crucifix to find out what it might have meant to the person who once owned it, and how religion in Lancaster has changed over the centuries. 

This episode should prove to be electrifying! We speak to Professor Gordon Walker about this ceremonial padlock which was used at the opening of the Caton Road Generating Station in a time when Lancaster produced its own power at a site which still has ramifications for how we get our electricity today. 

We're doing our hair Viking style in this episode. Join us as we speak with Adam Parsons of Oxford Archaeology to get the low down on the cutting edge styles of the 10th Century, when a comb was just a tool, but a fashion accessory. 

Dress up in style and get out your top hat for this episode, where we talk to Christine Workman and Emma Holborn about the little-known hat making industry that thrived in the village of Wray for decades. 

A fascinating and beautiful object takes us into the Caton Road Internment Camp during the First World War in this episode. We talk to Professor Corinna Peniston-Bird from Lancaster University to find out more about the camp and its inmates, whose stories are often forgotten. 

We chat to Dr Alejandra Zarate Potes from Lancaster University about a little gem in our collection, or should that be germ? This fascinating nursing notebook used by a student at the Storey Institute around 1902 can tell us a story about how medical knowledge evolved, and a golden age of discovery that helped save thousands of lives.