Hannah Cunliffe - Historical Researcher

The project:  For nine months I worked as a researcher into exhibits for the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.  They were in the process of setting up a new Maritime Museum for Cornwall, based in Falmouth.  In this were to be included a great many exhibits which had been stored at Greenwich for years, but about which very little was known.  My task was to uncover information, in particular photographs and objects connected with the potential exhibits, for display in the new Museum.

The process:  This work took me all over the country interviewing surviving figures from fifty years ago.  I spent an afternoon in the offices of Beken of Cowes sorting through famous prints.  I discovered the whereabouts of Ian Proctor's son and paid him a visit to view an incredible collection of slides.  In Torquay, researching an International Regatta held there in 1938, I inserted a piece into the local newspaper appealing for memorabilia which resulted in an original programme of the event.  Libraries, museums and yacht clubs were scoured and personal collections were seen as gold dust.

The result:  It was amazing how much could be found from so little initial information.  Slowly, a background of pictures, memories and objects were built up to match each exhibit.  On a personal level, working in such close co-operation with the National Maritime Museum not only gave me valuable insight into the inner workings of the museum world, but also built up a network of useful contacts.