Katharine’s Placement Reflection
When I first applied for a student placement with the Roman
Baths Collections team over a year ago, I could
not have imagined the experiences I would have and how quickly the 6 months
would pass. During this placement I have learned about how much work goes on behind the scenes to keep a museum running and everything
that needs to be considered when interpreting the collection.
One of my main projects was to catalogue the archive for the archaeological
excavations at The Tramsheds on Walcot Street. This consisted of a large paper
and archaeological archive of a variety of artefacts, including Roman pottery,
clay pipes and tile. The first task for cataloguing was to arrange the
paperwork into relevant sections and then number them accordingly. This task
seemed like it went on forever due to the large number of photographs - about
1,050 in total! The cataloguing of 47 boxes of artefacts was completed by our amazing
volunteers, so a huge thank you to them. Cataloguing this site has shown me how
much information about the local area is stored in museums.
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| Katharine with her completed Tramsheds archive |
As well as cataloguing, I helped with various events celebrating
the history of Bath. World Heritage Day
showcased the wide range of artefacts in our collection showing the history of
the Spring from the Mesolithic to the 20th Century. We also had a
selection of spa equipment out and photos showing the different treatments you
could have received. This was very interesting as I got to learn more about the
history of Bath while explaining this to visitors. The event at Saltford Brass Mill showed what
an amazing collection is housed at the Roman Baths with a wide variety of
objects of differing metals.
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| Susan and Katharine with the handling table at Saltford Brass Mill |
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time working at the Baths and
will miss all my colleagues who have made the experience so special. One day I
hope to come back, but who knows…
Katharine Foxton
Bradford University Placement Student
