List of Objects

Telling a history of our world through objects

Click on the titles in the blue bar below [Location, Theme, Contributor Type, etc.] and then choose a category to see a list of objects - e.g. click Theme and then click War. (All objects have been classified by their contributor.)

You can also chose to see objects from a particular time period by clicking on the dates in the box below.

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Time Periods

  1. Nazi Germany Mayors' Chainmail Nazi Germany Mayors' Chainmail At the end of the 2nd world war my mother's oldest brother was a Major in the British army (regiment not known). His ... Contributed by Individual
  2. Apprentice's Indenture, 1797 Apprentice's Indenture, 1797 When I inherited a family Bible published in 1797, tucked inside the cover I found an apprentice’s indenture. This had ... Contributed by Individual
  3. Parchment letter of farewell Parchment letter of farewell This parchment letter was given to my grandfather as a very young man about to sail for Canada and a new life just ... Contributed by Individual
  4. An engraved glass vase An engraved glass vase The vase was locally engraved to commemorate the Sacriston Disaster in 1913. Sacriston is a small village in Co Durham, ... Contributed by Individual
  5. An engraved glass vase An engraved glass vase The vase was locally engraved to commemorate the Sacriston Disaster in 1913. Sacriston is a small village in Co Durham, ... Contributed by Individual
  6. Camel Saddle from Suez Camel Saddle from Suez This is a camel saddle which my father, Major Tony Baldwin, brought home with him when he returned from Egypt after ... Contributed by Individual
  7. WW1 Dead Man's Penny WW1 Dead Man's Penny This World War I Bronze Memorial Plaque, commonly known as the Dead Man’s Penny, commemorates the death of my ... Contributed by Individual
  8. The Dorchester Hotel's cutlery The Dorchester Hotel's cutlery Second World War, my dad as Sgt in Scots Guards at Dorchester Hotel in London organising troop movements - subsequently ... Contributed by Individual
  9. Ivory Pen & Letter Opener Ivory Pen & Letter Opener This item used to have a magnifying glass inbuilt. It was passed down to the contributor through her family, but its ... Contributed by Individual
  10. Holiday photo album Holiday photo album I got this at a car-boot sale. It's a family photo albumn of a cruise to Europe. I find it fascinating - the family went ... Contributed by Individual
  11. Silver Teapot Silver Teapot This teapot has come down through the family. I was born in 1921 and we think this is turn of the century. It gets ... Contributed by Individual
  12. Ivory Pieces from Trinidad Ivory Pieces from Trinidad The rectangular piece of ivory is from Trinidad. I was brought up on a dairy farm and one of the lads emigrated to the ... Contributed by Individual
  13. Grandfather's Watch Grandfather's Watch This gold pocket watch belonged to my grandfather (1879 - 1952). We think it's 'half hunter' watch. In the picture he's ... Contributed by Individual
  14. Auntie Mattie's Embroidery Auntie Mattie's Embroidery Auntie Mattie was born in the late 1800s - she was one of nine children and in those days you lived at home until you ... Contributed by Individual
  15. Cast Bronze minature prayer book Cast Bronze minature prayer book The miniture book found metal detecting, has been dated to 15th century, it was found on the pilgrims way near ... Contributed by Individual
  16. Postcard of Algerian woman Postcard of Algerian woman This postcard of a veiled Algerian woman is a memento of a brief visit my husband's father made to Algiers. He was ... Contributed by Individual
  17. grandmother clock grandmother clock The inscription on this clock reads INDEPENDENT ORDER OF RECHABITES PRESENTED TO BRO. WM. JOHNSON BY THE MEMBERS OF ... Contributed by Individual
  18. Cigarette case - Countess Temple 1915 Cigarette case - Countess Temple 1915 Count and Countess Temple owned Newton Park in Bath during the First World War. My grandfather was their doctor and also ... Contributed by Individual
  19. Dinner gong World War 1 propeller Dinner gong World War 1 propeller The dinner gong propeller with engine parts was made by my grandfather from a Darracq World War 1 de Havilland bi plane ... Contributed by Individual
  20. Miss Ethel Scott - Black British athlete Miss Ethel Scott - Black British athlete Photo-montage of pioneering black British athlete Ethel Scott with her competitors badges for the Women's European Games ... Contributed by Individual
  21. Walking stick handle Walking stick handle Selby Abbey was founded in 1069, but the original wooden roof was largely destroyed by a fire in 1906. This walking ... Contributed by Individual
  22. Selby Swing Bridge Cog Wheels Selby Swing Bridge Cog Wheels These are the cog wheels that powered Selby swing bridge from 1792 until their removal in 1970. The swing bridge was the ... Contributed by Individual
  23. Interacting with the World Wide Web Interacting with the World Wide Web This object was designed specifically for the purpose of connecting to the World Wide Web and specifically identifies ... Contributed by Individual
  24. Double-headed serpent Double-headed serpent Aztec turquoise mosaic of a double-headed serpent, probably worn on the chest for ceremonial occasions Contributed by The British Museum
  25. Holy Bible given as a gift in Iraq, 1916 Holy Bible given as a gift in Iraq, 1916 The Holy Bible was purchased on 22 September 1916 as a gift to my Great Uncle Charles John Barton, serving with the ... Contributed by Individual
  26. Great War Cigarette Tin Great War Cigarette Tin This 1st World War army issue Players cigarette tin belonged to my grandfather, I don’t know how he acquired it and all ... Contributed by Individual
  27. A small 'stone' bird A small 'stone' bird My father was in Indian Army on NW Frontier. He found this bird whch he has mounted and carved the following words: H M ... Contributed by Individual
  28. WW2 Radar CV56 Magnetron WW2 Radar CV56 Magnetron This Magnetron was the heart of the type 271Q naval radar use to detect U boats in the battle of the Atlantic. The ... Contributed by Individual
  29. Straw Splitter - for straw plaiting Straw Splitter - for straw plaiting This little wooden implement comes from Luton, England. Children would collect straw and segment the pieces through the ... Contributed by Individual
  30. Myford lathe Myford lathe This lathe was made by Myford of Nottingham, a firm which still exists. It dates from a period where the UK still made ... Contributed by Individual
  31. Piano Roll Piano Roll The piano roll stores information about a piece of music, played on a piano, which enables it to be reproduced with ... Contributed by Individual
  32. Plasticine Plasticine William Harbutt from Bath invented the modelling clay in 1897 to enable his sculpture students to correct their work. ... Contributed by Individual
  33. Apartheid Pass Book Apartheid Pass Book This book would have stipulated where a Black South African was allowed to work, and travel during the Apartheid era in ... Contributed by Individual
  34. Carved relief from Nineveh Carved relief from Nineveh At the end of the 8th century BC the Assyrian King Sennacherib chose Nineveh as his capital and built what he called the ... Contributed by Museum
  35. 136 Squadron RAF Lapel Badge 136 Squadron RAF Lapel Badge History of No. 136 Squadron. Motto: Nihil fortius. - 'Nothing is stronger' Badge: Upon the side of a stem of tree ... Contributed by Individual
  36. WW2 Military Compass WW2 Military Compass This is the hand compass issued to my Father when he joined the army in 1939 and which he used to escape to and ... Contributed by Individual
  37. Tunbridge ware work table, about 1850 Tunbridge ware work table, about 1850 A tessellated mosaic Tunbridge ware work table, made by Edmund Nye in about 1850. Contributed by Museum
  38. Brass of Armour of Sir Alexander Newton Brass of Armour of Sir Alexander Newton This is the brass depicting Sir Alexander Newton - a knight of the 17th Century. By this time the armour was less for ... Contributed by Individual
  39. The Treadle Sewing Machine The Treadle Sewing Machine Pictured is my Singer treadle sewing machine dating to about 1901, previously my mother’s and my grandmother’s. Many ... Contributed by Individual
  40. Shuttle used in Lancashire cotton mill Shuttle used in Lancashire cotton mill Innovations in textiles were one of the main sources of the industrial revolution - among them John kay's flying ... Contributed by Individual
  41. Murphy Radio Murphy Radio This is a battered old Murphy radio that must have been made some time in the 1940s or 1950s, but was still the main ... Contributed by Individual
  42. Painting of a Guernsey Cow by D Corbet Painting of a Guernsey Cow by D Corbet This painting of a Prizewinning Guernsey Steer by Denys Corbet, a well known local painter and poet of the Victorian and ... Contributed by Individual
  43. Baby Shoes Baby Shoes During the 2nd World War when my father was fighting in Belgium, he was billeted with a family in Aywaille and our ... Contributed by Individual
  44. Oil sketch portrait by Marjorie Brend Oil sketch portrait by Marjorie Brend This depicts (L to R) my grandmother, Maud Ellen Dennis, my grandfather, Thomas Victor Wheeler, unknown maid, and my ... Contributed by Individual
  45. Painting of a Turkana tribesman Painting of a Turkana tribesman This watercolour painting of a Turkana tribesman was given to my father in the 1940s. It is one of a number of ... Contributed by Individual
  46. Ghanaian stool Ghanaian stool My mother acquired this wooden stool in the early 1940s during the Second World War. She had sailed in convoy from ... Contributed by Individual
  47. Beaded belt from Kenya Beaded belt from Kenya This belt was made for me when I was a child growing up in Kenya in the 1950s. It was made by my ayah (nanny) Maria who ... Contributed by Individual
  48. Capitol stock certificate Capitol stock certificate This certificate represents the boom of raw materiel and petroleum production in the western United States during the ... Contributed by Individual
  49. engraved Hamilton pocket watch engraved Hamilton pocket watch This is one of the last remnants of a family that has all but died out in the passing of time. Contributed by Individual
  50. A tiny metal spade A tiny metal spade This was used by my grandmother in around 1912-1916 when she worked as a bondager at Ancroft farm in North ... Contributed by Individual