Category Archives: Art

Penda’s Fen (and the scourge of property speculation)

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Robert J S Briggs

This post will be my first (and quite probably only) venture into film criticism, and is the result of a bit of cajoling by our Irish correspondent Vox Hiberionacum. Expressing whether you think a given piece of film-making is good or bad springs … Continue reading →

Posted in Anglo-Saxon, Art, London, Place-Names, Soapbox, TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Making models, material models – a past and a future?

Posted on June 22, 2014 by Robert J S Briggs

A little while back, I went to see an exhibition my good friend Lucy had helped to mount at Two Temple Place, the extraordinary London home-cum-headquarters of the Transatlantic Victorian magnate, William Waldorf Astor. Consisting of a wealth of pieces loaned from … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Art, Design, History, London | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Contacts and Networks: University of Nottingham Institute for Medieval Research Postgraduate Conference 2014

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Robert J S Briggs

Over the past couple of months, I’ve been working alongside a number of postgraduate research students within the University of Nottingham’s Institute for Medieval Research planning its annual Postgraduate Conference. I think I’m right in saying the conference is in its fifth year, and this time … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Art, Being organised, Conference, Hagiography, History, News, Nottingham, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Seasons greetings from Puttenham (and an unseasonal gift from Joshua Tree)

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Robert J S Briggs

Here I sit on Christmas Eve, presents wrapped (just the rosettes and ribbons to add for a little extra pizzazz), wondering how there’s only seven days left of this year. Latterly, time has not expanded in a fashion that has … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Design, Landscape, Place | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Back home

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Robert J S Briggs

I seem to be forever going to and returning from places of late: Italy (a hugely inspiring trip which I daresay was too tiring to count as a true holiday), Dorset (where I managed to sneak in a spot of trespassing-cum-fieldwork … Continue reading →

Posted in Anglo-Saxon, Archaeology, Art, Dating, Landscape, Portable Antiquities Scheme, Pottery, Puttenham, Trade, Viking | 1 Comment

A weekend at Land’s End

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Robert J S Briggs

The other day, WordPress told me that Surrey Medieval had reached the ripe old age of two. Born on an uncomfortable leatherette sofa in a terraced house in Liverpool (that wasn’t meant to sound so graphic), I suppose if this … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Architecture, Art, Castle, Cornwall, Landscape, Phenomenology, Place-Names, Religion, Sea | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The enduring lure of dressed blocks of stone

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Robert J S Briggs

My first real love in medieval history and archaeology was ecclesiastical architecture. Time has passed and my tastes have shifted, to the point where I found it a little tricky to do justice to my reinterpretation of the early fabric … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Church, graffiti, History, Peper Harow, Place | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Don’t judge a medieval book by its cover

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Robert J S Briggs

What follows is the scratching of an itch that has been bugging me for months, if not years – the risible quality of the cover design of many medieval text books. Granted, it’s hardly a subject of profound importance, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Art, Books, Design, Documents, History, Publishing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Bunker Archaeology

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Robert J S Briggs

I spotted an interesting feature on the BBC website the other day, reproducing a series of images from The Last Stand, a project by photographer Marc Wilson (a larger number of photos from it can be found on Wilson’s website). There’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, internet, Landscape, Photography | Leave a comment

Miracles & Charms

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Robert J S Briggs

I think the Wellcome Collection may be my new favourite place in London. Free entry, wonderful exhibits, killer bookshop, bumped into a good friend who I hadn’t seen in years – what’s not to love? I would recommend you try … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Folklore, London, Mexico, Religion, Ritual, Uncategorized | Leave a comment