I recently wrote an article that was published in ARC magazine in December and have the pleasure of sharing it with you below: Revealing a hidden gem Giants of industry, commerce, politics, arts and literature have graced the grand winding staircase to the stately library and many of them left papers relating to their triumphs … Read more

Roll up, roll up!! We have another open day on Sunday 11th September and tickets are selling out fast. Due to this exciting event taking place shortly, I thought I would write a little teaser piece on one of the archives that will be on display, Miss Mabel Rich’s scrapbook. This is no ordinary scrapbook, … Read more

The Curious Cuttings of Charles Hutton Lear This week in the archives we have been sorting through a collection of drawings, paintings, prints and letters produced by or relating to the accomplished Liverpool-based artist Charles Hutton Lear (1818-1903).  The collection is eclectic and ranges from folders stuffed full of ephemera (including receipts and library tickets) … Read more

The archives have been very busy this past month. We have been working on our new database which has enabled us to start cataloguing our collections. We have started with the Athenaeum’s own collection including minute books, accounts and building plans. It doesn’t mean we haven’t been finding any special and unique treasures though! In … Read more

Sir Francis Walsingham’s Letter-Book. This month we discovered a 17th century copy of the letter-book of Sir Francis Walsingham taking us through the years 1569-73 and 1581. It includes copies of not only letters from Walsingham but also letters to him from key Elizabethan figures such as William Cecil (otherwise known as Lord Burghley) and … Read more

We have been busy within the archives in the past couple of weeks culminating in the open day on Saturday. What a brilliant day! In the lead up to the day we had many discussions on the amount and type of archives we should get out and how to display them. Luckily I had help … Read more

One September evening in 1731 a young girl in search of water stumbled out of a forest and into the outskirts of the village of Songi, near Champagne, France.  As she wandered towards the centre of the settlement the country people slammed doors and windows at the sight of her, whispering of the devil.  Reluctant … Read more

We have unearthed some more strange and unusual treasures from Robert Gladstone’s collection. A large amount of parchment slips written in Latin and relating to the late 16th century found in a shoebox! What are they? Luckily I had Dr Hollinshead and Mrs P Cox to help me solve the mystery. It seems they are … Read more