Category Archives: Cambridge

Burkat Shudi

Posted on 15/03/2018 by carolinemmurray

I had been vaguely aware for some time that there existed in London in the eighteenth century a harpsichord-maker called Burkat Shudi. On 12 March I noticed that his date of birth was 13 March 1702. On 13 March I … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography, Cambridge, London, Museums and Galleries, Music, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Object of the Month: January 2018

Posted on 28/01/2018 by carolinemmurray

On 21 January, already deeply memorable as a family birthday, I was looking for a picture of a squirrel, since some Power had Decreed that it was also Squirrel Appreciation Day. The photo I found was a rather bad (full … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Cambridge, History, Italy, Museums and Galleries, Printing and Publishing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Plant of the Month: December 2017

Posted on 31/12/2017 by carolinemmurray

This piece runs the risk of being the most boring blog ever – even by my own soporific-tending standards. Yet it seemed a good idea at the time … I decided to take one picture every month in 2017 of … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Cambridge, Gardens, Natural history | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Plant of the Month: October 2017

Posted on 31/10/2017 by carolinemmurray

Earlier this month, I took a picture of the Malus tschonoskii @CUBotanicGarden with the idea of making it October’s plant, but after many interesting and thought-provoking conversations at the chopping-board front line at Apple Day 0n 22 October, I decided … Continue reading →

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Object of the Month: September 2017

Posted on 26/09/2017 by carolinemmurray

Now that I spend part of my time in a museum (tough gig, but somebody has to do it), I am getting quite good at pausing mid-stride and staring without actually falling over or causing anyone else to fall over. … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Cambridge, History, Museums and Galleries | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

A Curious Herbal

Posted on 16/07/2017 by carolinemmurray

In Modena recently, we were having a nice mooch round the Biblioteca Estense in the Palazzo dei Musei, which also houses the Galleria Estense, the Lapidario Romano, the Musei Civici di Modena, and several other collections. (A tasting session for … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Bibliography, Botany, Cambridge, Gardens, History, London, Natural history, Printing and Publishing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Plant of the Month: May 2017

Posted on 31/05/2017 by carolinemmurray

When an unfortunate juxtaposition of my slippery sandal and the glass-like surface of a marble step in Venice had fairly uncomfortable consequences a couple of weeks ago, my second conscious thought (the first having been ‘I hope this wasn’t caught … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Cambridge, Exploration, Gardens, Natural history | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

A Skeleton in the Cupboard?

Posted on 06/05/2017 by carolinemmurray

One of the things I’m doing at the moment is browsing through nineteenth-century issues of the Gardeners’ Chronicle (online – God bless the Biodiversity Heritage Library!), cross-checking references to the Cambridge University Botanic Garden. A lot of the material is … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Cambridge, Gardens, History, Natural history, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Madonnas and Miracles

Posted on 01/04/2017 by carolinemmurray

I’ve recently had the pleasure and privilege of not one but three ‘private views’, with talks, of the new exhibition, ‘Madonnas and Miracles’, on at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, until 4 June. I’ve also popped in several times for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Art, Cambridge, History, Museums and Galleries, Printing and Publishing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Plant of the Month: March 2017

Posted on 26/03/2017 by carolinemmurray

I have to confess that I had hoped that the Persian ironwood tree, Parrotia persica, had obtained its botanical name (first applied by C.A. von Meyer in 1831) because it was observed to be a favourite perch for parrots, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Cambridge, Exploration, Gardens, History, Natural history | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment