This special episode of our museum podcast is being released in anticipation of Lancaster's annual Dino Fest. Join us as we talk to palaeontologist and artist, Mark Witton, to find out more about Richard Owen, the Lancastrian who named 'Dinosaurs', and also discover more about iguanodons, palaeontology and how artists bring dinosaurs to life.…

Have you been listening to our 100 Years 100 Objects podcast series? It's time to find out how much you've learned with our end of series quiz. We've got 20 challenging questions for you to try.Von Lancaster City Museums

We chat to some of the guest speakers from the series to find out about a historical figure that intrigues, inspires, or just down right irritates them. Join us to find out who they have chosen.Von Lancaster City Museums

A message from Lancaster City Museums to say thank you for supporting this podcast, and news on our two upcoming bonus episodes.Von Lancaster City Museums

Come back with us to 1895 when Lancaster was a very chilly place! In this episode we look at a stereograph of a frozen Rive Lune during a winter which became known as 'The Great Freeze'. We talk to Dr Serena Pollastri to find out more about both stereographs and and extreme weather.Von Lancaster City Museums

Join us for this episode where we speak to Mark Davies about a boneshaker bicycle and how cycling has developed over the years, giving people a new freedom they had never had before. Even if it wasn't all that comfortable!Von Lancaster City Museums

Did you know that for one day in 1904 Lancaster looked a lot like the wild west? We speak to Dr Timothy Hickman from Lancaster University to find out about the man who brought the western frontier to the North West of England. Find out more about this intriguing portrait of famous showman Buffalo Bill.…

We're stepping back in time by looking at an intricately crafted clock today. This Georgian symbol of wealth and business brought two Lancaster merchants and their families together in a perfect emblem of the trade networks that spread locally, nationally and internationally. We speak to Susan Stuart to find out more about the Worswick family, the …

In today's episode we explore the sometimes troubled life of a gifted local painter. We talk with artist Alistair Makinson about Reginald Aspinwall, his life, his work, and why his paintings are still so popular and captivating today.Von Lancaster City Museums

Today's object lets us explore the story of one of Lancaster's most decorative industries, and the main players in the world of stained-glass making. We speak with Gordon Clark to find out about this beautiful window design, the man in it, and the people behind it.Von Lancaster City Museums

Come back with us to the night of a local tragedy. We talk to Tim Churchill to find out all about what happened on that fateful night in 1917 at the White Lund projectile filling factory.Von Lancaster City Museums

In this episode we look at the life of a black entertainer who was a much-loved Morecambe figure. We speak to Valerie Waterhouse about the fascinating life of James Herns and the rare autobiography that he left behind to tell his story.Von Lancaster City Museums

In this episode we are taking a look at one of the rarest textiles in Britain. A fascinating and enigmatic find that shines a light on a mysterious period in our history. The Quernmore shroud was part of a burial, discovered on a fellside, which raised as many questions as it answered. We speak to Carolyn Dalton and Professor Fiona Edmonds to find …

Come back to the 1940s with us for a glamourous night when Morecambe resounded with the music of Harlem. We speak to Kirsty Roberts to find out about Adelaide Hall, the famous Jazz singer who brought glamour to the Winter Gardens.Von Lancaster City Museums

Jump in to another episode to find out about the history of the Morecambe Cross Bay Swim. We chat with Charlie Overett who worked as a pilot for the swim when he was just 13 years old, to find out more about the experience of those who took part in one of the toughest swimming challenges in the country.…

We're looking at a heroic story from Lancaster's past in this episode. Andrew Walmsley talks to us about the Royal Humane Society Medal and the local people who were awarded it for saving their fellow Lancastrians who fell into the Lune.Von Lancaster City Museums

Come with us in this episode and take a step inside the Williamsons linoleum factory. But make sure you follow the rules! We're looking at a rule board from the factory with Inga Jackson to find out more about what life would have been like for the workers.Von Lancaster City Museums

This episode involves an historic inn, two Victorian authors, and a ghost, all the elements needed for a spooky look into Lancaster's very own ghost story. Find out all about the sinister tale which Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins wrote while staying in the town, and how the tale they created might say more about Victorian society, and a woman's…

In this episode we get a taste of the not-so-sweet history of sugar, and a merchant who imported it into Lancaster in the Seventeenth Century. Find out more about the man behind a tiny token from the collection, and how sugar became a key battleground in the abolition campaign.Von Lancaster City Museums

In today's episode we're examining Sunderland Point through the photographer's lens. We delve into the photographs, and the life, of John Walker, who created a fascinating archive of local views in the late nineteenth and early Twentieth Century.Von Lancaster City Museums

What connects a Lancaster merchant and the first President of the United states? More than you might think! In this episode we speak to Dr Mark McLay to find out about two radical figures separated by an ocean but connected by ideas, and one rather impressive medal.Von Lancaster City Museums

We're heading into Roman Britain and into the bodies of some ancient Romans as we talk to Bryan Rhodes about these Roman surgical forceps. What did the Romans believe about the human body and what can rare objects like this one tell us about what a Roman would face on the operating table over 1,500 years ago?…

How is the Lune Valley connected to Richard III, the Gunpowder Plot, 600 gallons of beer and 40 large cheeses? The answer lies in Hornby Castle. Join us was we explore the centuries of fascinating history behind this beautiful building in today's episode.Von Lancaster City Museums

In today's episode we're diving into the chaos of Georgian politics through this print created by the Lancaster-based Rembrandt Intaglio Company. Find out not only how Lancaster was the site of an innovation in printing, but also how to survive the 'treating', bribery, and out right riots of an election in the 18th Century.…

Hop on board for this episode to find out more about the history of ship building in Glasson Dock. We chat to Alex Pomeroy to find out more about this lost business which made and repaired dozens of ships at the heart of the community.Von Lancaster City Museums

This episode takes us into one of the least-understood centuries in the history of the Northwest. We talk to Carolyn Dalton, Museums Development Manager, about this beautiful but enigmatic silver mount which is part of a jigsaw of rare finds that are all we have to piece together the early medieval history of this area.…

Come with us on a journey down one of Lancaster's most notorious streets, China Lane. Find out if it really deserved this reputation, and who the real people were behind this street which was given such a bad reputation by local newspapers.Von Lancaster City Museums

In this episode we find out more about this fascinating object which was only recent discovered by a local metal detectorist. A silver seal matrix, which depicts an enslaved African person. We find out more about this object and the sort of people in Lancaster and the surrounding area that might have owned it.…

We speak to Bill Froggatt from the Canal and River Trust to find out more about the history of Lancaster Canal, starting with this fascinating notebook from 1792, which lists the names of the people who bought shares in the new canal venture.Von Lancaster City Museums

Dive into the history of one of Morecambe's most iconic buildings with us in this episode as we talk to Barry and Lesley Guise about the Super Swimming Stadium, home of the Aqua Loonies, Aqua Lovelies, and Miss Great Britain between the the 1930s and 1970s.Von Lancaster City Museums

In today's episode we're following an object from Russia to Lancaster, and finally to the fields of Bentham. Emma Holborn tells us about this tiny lead flax seal which can shine a light on one of the biggest imports to Georgian Lancaster.Von Lancaster City Museums

Come on board with us in this episode where we look at the logbook from the ship Chatsworth with Dr John Worthington. We delve into the health of the sailors on board and take a look at some of the diseases and parasites they would have to deal with in 1783.Von Lancaster City Museums

Today's episode delves into the little-known history of the enslaved people in small communities around the Lancaster and Morecambe area. Professor Alan Rice tells us about once such person who lived in Heysham in the 1760s and escaped from slavery.Von Lancaster City Museums

We're off to the theatre in today's episode. Join us to find out more about one of Lancaster's most prominent Georgian buildings as we speak to Adrian Taylor from the Grand Theatre and learn about the history both on and off stage.Von Lancaster City Museums

We're tracing a dangerous journey across the sands of Morecambe Bay in this episode to find out why people took this treacherous route for hundreds of years. Antoni Konieczny tells us about this beautiful painting and some of the sad stories behind this perilous journey.Von Lancaster City Museums

A photograph from 1930s Morecambe leads to a discussion about sun tanning and health. We talk to Professor Sarah Allinson to find out more about the risks of sun exposure and how attitudes have changed towards tanning since this photograph was taken.Von Lancaster City Museums

Come back with us to 1906, and walk with the working people of Lancaster as we chat to Professor Imogen Tyler about this postcard which shows a labour demonstration in Dalton Square. Find out about unions, working conditions, and Williamson's 'War on Workers'.Von Lancaster City Museums

We're viewing history through the photographers lens in this episode as we talk to Dr Patricia Prieto-Blanco about photographer Sam Thompson. We discuss his love for photography, the people he photographed, and his relationship with fishermen like William Townley.Von Lancaster City Museums

Today's object is a snapshot of northern comedy, a portrait of Victoria Wood. We delve into the life and magic of this will known and much-loved local figure.Von Lancaster City Museums

We're hunting down the history of stone age Lancashire to find out how people in pre-history used the materials around them to created this tiny but beautiful arrowhead, and how these objects survive to give a glimpse into lives lived thousands of years ago.Von Lancaster City Museums

In this episode we talk with Melinda Elder to clear up a case of mistaken identity. Join us to find out more about the life of Thomas Hutton Rawlinson, a Georgian merchant from a prominent local family.Von Lancaster City Museums

We're pursuing a national pastime in this episode, talking about the weather! We chat to Dr Emma Eastoe from Lancaster University to find out more about the weather station which used to house this sunshine recorder in Morecambe and how measuring the weather today is crucial for adapting to the future.…

In this episode we speak to Ann Morgan about Dodshon Foster, one of Lancaster's most prolific slave traders, but also perhaps surprisingly, a Quaker. We look at the history of one man to explore how commerce, morality, and religion intersected in Georgian Lancaster.Von Lancaster City Museums

We're digging up information on a coin that travelled far across Viking Europe to end up in a hoard in Warton. Join us as we talk to archaeologist Dr Tom Horne to find out about Vikings, trading, and buried treasure.Von Lancaster City Museums

We delve into the world of medieval religion in today's episode where we look at this medieval crucifix to find out what it might have meant to the person who once owned it, and how religion in Lancaster has changed over the centuries.Von Lancaster City Museums

This episode should prove to be electrifying! We speak to Professor Gordon Walker about this ceremonial padlock which was used at the opening of the Caton Road Generating Station in a time when Lancaster produced its own power at a site which still has ramifications for how we get our electricity today.…

We're doing our hair Viking style in this episode. Join us as we speak with Adam Parsons of Oxford Archaeology to get the low down on the cutting edge styles of the 10th Century, when a comb was just a tool, but a fashion accessory.Von Lancaster City Museums

Dress up in style and get out your top hat for this episode, where we talk to Christine Workman and Emma Holborn about the little-known hat making industry that thrived in the village of Wray for decades.Von Lancaster City Museums

A fascinating and beautiful object takes us into the Caton Road Internment Camp during the First World War in this episode. We talk to Professor Corinna Peniston-Bird from Lancaster University to find out more about the camp and its inmates, whose stories are often forgotten.Von Lancaster City Museums

We chat to Dr Alejandra Zarate Potes from Lancaster University about a little gem in our collection, or should that be germ? This fascinating nursing notebook used by a student at the Storey Institute around 1902 can tell us a story about how medical knowledge evolved, and a golden age of discovery that helped save thousands of lives.…