The Social History collection contains about 40,000 items, nearly all of which are linked to Bristol and the surrounding area. The collection comprises objects relating to community and domestic life, personal effects, working life and clothing. Items from the collection can be seen on display at M Shed and Blaise Museum, and by appointment.
The domestic collection represents a unique resource for the study of home life. It includes one of the UK’s largest collections of cooking utensils, a strong collection of children’s toys including dolls and dolls houses, and a collection of musical instruments.
Community life objects include Friendly Society brasses from the Bristol area, Guild and Trade Union banners, weights and measures, civic regalia and around 1,000 postcards which relate to Bristol. There is also material relating to the Bristol Blitz, including civil defence uniforms and equipment, photographs and archives.
There are around 6,000 items of clothing in the collection, dating from the early-1700s to the present day. Everyday wear of the 1900s is a particular strength, and there are about 300 items of clothing which are linked to Bristol.
Working life objects include a collection of craft tools from the wood, leather and metalworking trades. An interesting part of the collection is a group of about 1,400 trade cards which relate to Bristol businesses during the 1700s and 1800s.
There is also a large collection of chocolate boxes and tins from chocolate firm Fry’s, and bottles from local dairies and breweries. The collection also includes the entire contents of three Bristol shops – a haberdasher’s, a chemist’s and a shoe repair shop.
1793 Bristol Bridge Riot The new Bristol Bridge built in 1767 was paid for by a toll. Once the cost had been recouped in 1793, the bridge should have become free, but the bridge managers decided to keep the toll. The people of Bristol were angered by this and the toll gates were burnt down […]
Trade unions were set up and exist to protect the pay, benefits, working conditions and status of workers through collective bargaining. They can help shape a more hopeful society. Our collections provide an insight into the history of Bristol trade unions and industrial action. You can also find more paper-based evidence in Bristol Archives (Ref.32080). […]
Dr. Bashir Fazel (born 1885) came to Bristol in 1925, from the undivided Punjab region of what is now split between Pakistan and India. It was then part of the British Raj (Empire); Doctors and medical professionals were required to help the British in their war efforts. Some of those who served in World War […]
When did Bristol’s Black history first begin? We may never know, but the earliest records show a ‘blacke moore’ gardener (or maybe watchman or security guard) living and working in the city in the 1560s. Bristol later wrote itself indelibly into African history by becoming one of the major players in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. At least […]
In the 19th century women weren’t allowed to vote. Organised suffragist campaigns began to appear in 1866 and campaigns continued for many years, with some members becoming more militant when their views were ignored. It wasn’t until 6 February 1918 that legislation allowed all women over 30 who owned a property the right to vote. […]
When the wagon, known as a vardo, was bought by the museum in 1953 it was displayed outside Blaise Museum, at that time a folk museum. It came to Bristol Museum & Art Gallery in 1957. We didn’t have any information about original owners, just the people from 1950 onwards. Thanks to recent information, we now understand […]
Massive Attack formed in 1988 from the remaining members of hip hop crew The Wild Bunch. The band comprised Robert Del Naja (Delge), Grant Marshall (Daddy G) and Andrew Vowles (Mushroom). Mushroom explains how the Massive Attack story started during his school days: “I was only 15, but Daddy G got me a membership card […]
