Tag Archives for advocacy

Where are the Women? Uncovering Hidden Connections to Calke Abbey’s Natural History Collection

Written by Julie Griffith, Property Experience Curator, Calke Abbey, National Trust.

Exploring the stories of Selina (1822-1905), Georgiana (1824-1910) and Matilda (1831-1899) Lovell, uncovers three curious and accomplished women. With interests in botany and conchology and stretching from Derbyshire to Australia, their story is of both individual achievement and natural history connecting sisters across the globe.

With existing narratives around Calke Abbey’s natural history collection overwhelmingly male focussed, recent research into the three Lovell sisters aims to bring women’s stories and connections to natural history into the spotlight at this country house property.

Selina Lovell (1822-1905). Credit: National Trust/David Midgelow
Georgiana Lovell (1824-1910). Credit: National Trust/Ian Buxton, David Midgelow and Brian Birch
Matilda Lovell (1831-1899). AI created image

Who were the Lovell sisters?

The Lovell sisters were closely related to the Harpur Crewe family of Calke Abbey through their mother, Selina Crewe (d.1838), a daughter of Sir Henry, Calke’s 7th Baronet and Nanny, Lady Crewe. Their father, Vice-Admiral William Stanhope Lovell (c.1788-1859) was a distinguished naval officer and veteran of the Battle of Trafalgar.

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NatSCA Digital Digest – October 2026

Compiled by Milo Phillips, Digitisation Co-ordinator at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Welcome to the October edition of NatSCA Digital Digest.

A monthly blog series featuring the latest on where to go, what to see and do in the natural history sector including jobs, exhibitions, conferences, and training opportunities. We are keen to hear from you if you have any top tips and recommendations for our next Digest, please drop an email to blog@natsca.org.

Sector News

MIDS Standard Public Review Now Open

The MIDS Task Group is pleased to announce that the public review of the Minimum Information about a Digital Specimen (MIDS) standard is now open.

MIDS gives collections a shared, measurable definition of what it means for a specimen to be “digitized”. It helps institutions prioritize digitization work, track progress consistently, and publish specimen data that are fit for research and reuse. MIDS complements existing standards such as Darwin Core and ABCD rather than replacing them.

The review begins on 5 October 2026 and will remain open until 4 December 2026. You can participate via the TDWG site here.

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The Dead Plants Society – A Case Study for Fundraising for Natural Science Collections

Written by Clare Brown, Leeds Museums and Galleries.

#fundraising #naturalsciencecollections #howtogetfunding #howtofundmyproject #fundingnaturalscience #botanyfunding #fundingforplantcollections etc

A long time ago, longer than I care to think about, I ran a herbarium coffee morning every week at Portsmouth Museums and Records Office. A group of us – staff and volunteers – got together, catalogued plants and had a coffee-and-biscuit break at about 11. The volunteers involved talked about their love of plants and their love of a good chinwag every week. For some it was their only regular social event. It was incredibly wholesome, inclusive, friendly and productive, and I have wanted to replicate it for ages.

© Leeds Museums and Galleries/Space 2

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NatSCA Digital Digest – September 2026

Compiled by Olivia Beavers, Assistant Curator of Vertebrate Zoology at World Museum, National Museums Liverpool.

Welcome to the September edition of NatSCA Digital Digest.

A monthly blog series featuring the latest on where to go, what to see and do in the natural history sector including jobs, exhibitions, conferences, and training opportunities. We are keen to hear from you if you have any top tips and recommendations for our next Digest, please drop an email to blog@natsca.org.

Sector News

Spare a thought for colleagues at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia

On September 1st the Academy announced that their museum will be closing at the end of September, shocking visitors around the world and staff across the museum. The main reasons cited for its closure seem to be financial stress and federal funding cuts. Although the museum building is closing on September 30th, it seems that plans are being put in place to protect the 19 million specimens in the collections. Whilst we wait to learn more, you can read the latest statement here.

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From Dioramas to The Red List: Conserving Felbrigg Hall’s Taxidermy Birds for a New Conservation Story.

Written by Louise Green, Project Manager and Collections & House Manager, Felbrigg Hall, National Trust, and Martha Infray, Regional Conservator, National Trust.

Introduction

The Bird Corridor at Felbrigg Hall, Norfolk, houses a nationally significant natural history collection. Consisting of taxidermy bird dioramas collected by Thomas Wyndham Cremer (1834-1894), the displays document many of the resident and migratory bird species historically found in East Anglia.

Created by renowned nineteenth-century taxidermists Gunn of Norwich and Pratt of Brighton, the dioramas are a first-hand resource documenting the ornithological scene in East Anglia during the 19th-century.

Following the successful completion of the first Phase of conservation treatment in 2025, the second and final phase is nearing completion, with only two weeks of treatment remaining this autumn.

Historic label by Thomas Gunn, attached to the back of a diorama © National Trust/ Rob Coleman

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