The following blog post was kindly written for us by our student volunteer Sarah MacDiarmid.
During my current master’s course in Museum Studies at the University of Glasgow, I was given the invaluable opportunity of carrying out a work placement at the North Ayrshire Heritage Centre with a fellow student, Honor. The project we are undertaking is called ‘What’s in the box?’ which entails cataloguing the objects held in the centre’s collections room. As the name suggests we are uncovering the contents of these boxes as we go – which may be the most exciting part.
We have been working through the social history section of the collection which has meant that we have come across a wide variety of different objects. From Victorian footwarmers to old telephones to egg cosies. As we were going through the boxes, I found myself gravitating towards the objects that I could imagine playing an important role in someone’s daily life. Envisioning what they could have been used for and what they may have meant to someone evoked strong emotion within me. This is one of the main reasons I have a passion for museums – they are a way to continue to appreciate these objects and allow their story to live on. I have always been fascinated by the idea of stories and history itself being present within physical items. The more we uncover and research about each object, the clearer these stories become.
We have been working closely with the accession records, allowing us to see the original doners of each object to the museum. These records are filled with local names and addresses from the 1980s right up until today. The original owners of these objects being the ancestors of the local people in Saltcoats, Ardrossan, and other local areas, adds a new layer to the stories we can curate. This has highlighted to me the strong sense of community that is present in local museums like this one and how engrained within the community of North Ayrshire this centre is. My placement here has therefore allowed me to further understand the importance of community heritage and its indispensable place within the wider museum sector.
It also became apparent that my collection of favourite objects I have come across shared one main overarching theme. Objects such as a thread spool stand, a travel sewing case, and a washing line rope. All these items not only share their property of being everyday objects but are specific to the work of women. The importance of objects like these can often be overlooked and have been repeatedly set aside throughout history. Whilst working closely with these objects, it is impossible to not be confronted with their inherent value and the important role they played in so many lives. They highlight human advancements in fashion, textiles, technology, cooking, and so much more. The objects I have selected below are some examples of these.
This thread stand from the Victorian period was my favourite item from the over 300 objects we catalogued. Still containing the original thread spools, it is easy to visualise what this item was used to make or to envision it sitting on a table in the corner of a busy room. Including visible elements that have been integrated into modern use, whilst still being so evidently from its original time.
This mould from the 1800s could have been used for both butter and shortbread. You can see the carving of a thistle on the bottom which would have been used to mark the butter, adding some Scottish decoration.
1900s and was donated from Ardrossan. These handy tools were used prominently in the Victorian Era to tie up small buttons on clothing and shoes that were too difficult to complete by hand. Before zip fasteners were invented, these were essential for many people in daily life. From this object, modern advancement in textiles and clothing can be seen.
Handling these objects first hand and having the opportunity to research them further has been a fascinating journey. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here at the North Ayrshire Heritage Centre and have gained a vast range of experience that I can only hope to continue to utilise in my future career.