Shropshire Museums and Archives

Getting hands-on with collections in the Archaeology Lab

In 2021, Shropshire Museums and Archives was awarded £90,000 from the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund for a project to use a review of archaeology collections to help reduce loneliness and isolation. The funding enabled them to open a publicly accessible volunteer hub for people to get hands-on with their history through meaningful collections work.

Over a period of two years, 60 volunteers donated their time to the lab on a regular and ad hoc basis. Each volunteer received training in collections management systems, photography and identification, and they have accessioned nearly 2,300 objects, many of them flint tools from the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age.

The work completed with this collection has now provided a more detailed understanding of Stone Age Shropshire and the life and legacy of prolific Shropshire archaeologist Lily F Chitty.

In addition, the museum held archaeology events at Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery and went out to community events to provide handling sessions and lectures to highlight the collection and volunteering opportunities. This led to new collaborative connections with local community and interest groups.

The success of the project has been its flexible approach, which incorporated both volunteering opportunities and outreach events. The museum has engaged with a new audience of people who were unaware about the collection, all while completing much needed curatorial work. Many of the volunteers and event attendees expressed their joy from working with material and being able to get hands-on with their history.

At the end of the funding period, the Archaeology Lab will become a volunteering and self-recording hub for Shropshire. In collaboration with various heritage institutions, this space will be used to conduct collections work for the Shropshire Museums, finds recording sessions with the Shropshire and Herefordshire Finds Liaison Officer, and will be available for the public to pop their heads in to see what work is being done.