I began volunteering on the Social History audit in December 2012 and I have really enjoyed my experience so far. I mainly help record artefacts but I also have helped select objects for display which was particularly fascinating. Working on the audit means you get to see and handle a huge variety of objects, some of which you certainly wouldn’t expect to see in a museum! This means in every shift you can expect to have a completely different experience and get a broadly different and intriguing insight into the past.
Through helping with the audit I have come face-to-face with such objects as an air raid warden‘s helmet from WWII Plymouth, a shoe that had been found in a wall to protect a pub from evil spirits, and a knitted English breakfast! This is just a tiny snapshot of the extraordinary variety of artefacts that are hidden away in the stores. As a great enthusiast for social history (especially local) this has been a great experience so far and full of discoveries and I am definitely looking forward to coming across more fascinating objects in the future.
Plymouth Museums Galleries Archives 