• EVENTS & EXHIBITIONS
WHAT TO SEE AND WHERE TO VISIT IN THE WIDER WORLD OF HISTORY
EXHIBITION
150 Years of the Royal School of Needlework: Crown to Catwalk
PAID ENTRY
Fashion and Textile Museum, London, until 4 September, fashiontextilemuseum.org
Founded in 1872, the defining principles of the Royal School of Needlework (RSN) were initially to revive the art of hand embroidery and to provide employment for educated women who had fallen on hard times. A century and a half later, the RSN’s rich history is being celebrated in a new exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum.
The RSN is located at Hampton Court Palace, and its long association with the royal family – Queen Victoria was its first patron, her third daughter, Princess Helena, its first president – is reflected in such exhibition highlights as the Robe of Estate of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and the coronation mantle of Edward VII. In its early years, the RSN was also connected to the Arts and Crafts movement, which is represented in the exhibition with motifs designed by the likes of William Morris and Walter Crane.
As well as showcasing beautiful creations, the retrospective examines the RSN’s work in the community, such as when the school taught embroidery to veterans of World War I as a form of therapy.
EXHIBITION
Breaking the News
PAID ENTRY
British Library, London, until 21 August, bl.uk
What role does news play in society? Can it ever be truly objective? And why are we so drawn to crime stories and sensationalism? Those are just some of the questions underpinning a recently opened exhibition at the British Library, curated in partnership with the media marketing body Newsworks.
Entitled Breaking the News, the interactive exhibition examines the ethics of newsgathering and reporting over the past five centuries, spanning the earliest printed news pamphlets to the rise of social media.
Artefacts on display include the earliest surviving piece of printed news in Britain, dated 1513; the first edition of John Milton’s pamphlet on freedom of speech, Areopagitica, published in 1644; and a radio script from 6 June 1944, when news of the D-Day landings was announced to the public.
EXHIBITION
A British Museum Spotlight Loan: Troy – Beauty and Heroism
FREE ENTRY
The McManus Art Gallery & Museum, Dundee, 19 May – 14 August, mcmanus.co.uk
Visitors to Dundee’s McManus Art Gallery & Museum will be able to delve into the myths and legends surrounding Troy in a new exhibition opening this summer.
Focusing on beauty and heroism, the free display will showcase a selection of artefacts on loan from the British Museum, including an Etruscan urn decorated with images of Helen’s abduction by Paris (pictured below), as well as an Athenian amphora (jar) featuring scenes of brutality meted out by the warrior Achilles.
The exhibition will also feature paintings by the likes of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–82), revealing how later artists have been captivated by the story of the Trojan War.
EXHIBITION
Battlefields and Baroque
PAID ENTRY
Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, until 19 June, blenheimpalace.com
When John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (pictured) emerged triumphant during the early years of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–15), Queen Anne rewarded him with a lavish new home, Blenheim Palace, named after the battle in which he secured one of his most stunning victories.
To mark the 300th anniversary of Churchill’s death, Blenheim is hosting a new immersive exhibition, giving visitors a sense of what it would have been like to step into the general’s shoes. As well as being able to view a recreated court feast and architectural plans from the period (below), visitors are also treated to a look at costumes from The Favourite – the award-winning 2018 film centred on the romantic relationship between Queen Anne and Churchill’s wife, Sarah.
MUSEUM OPENING
Queer Britain
FREE ENTRY
London, open from 5 May, queerbritain.org.uk
The UK’s first dedicated LGBTQ+ museum will be opening its doors to the public for the first time this May. Originally established as a charity in 2018, Queer Britain – now located at a physical site in King’s Cross – intends to shine a light on the history and culture of LGBTQ+ people in the UK and beyond, and is designed as an inclusive space for all.
The museum will initially open with a temporary display entitled Welcome to Queer Britain, curated by Matthew Storey from Historic Royal Palaces, with the first full exhibition at the site due to be announced soon. The museum will be free to visit, and will boast four galleries, a workshop, and an education space.