Simon Briercliffe
@simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
Historian at the Black Country Museum and elsewhere: talk to me about the Black Country, Shropshire, modern and local British history, the Irish in Britain, museums, local heritage and all stops in between. Baby gaeilgeoir. https://simonbriercliffe.com/
I hope this wasn't the cause of it, but excited to note that the Telegraph (and a verbatim repeat in GBNews) have now discovered our disclaimers and are reacting totally normally
Simon Briercliffe@simonbriercliffe.bsky.social · 2mo agoThis post was brought to you by the experience of pasting small disclaimers about potential content in every one of the 6000 books in our new library
Why do I have to go to the local news section to find this story? Where are the protests demanding an end to the epidemic of white Brits murdering minorities? Will there be a national debate on the ills of cocaine abuse amongst white men?
Man who stabbed student to death in Cambridge is jailed for life
Chas Corrigan, 22, will serve a minimum of 22 years for the murder of Mohammed Algasim last August.
bbc.co.uk
A reminder that you can join the hybrid keynote #MBS2026 tomorrow June 4, 5.30pm: Catherine Hall, 'Laying an axe to the roots': history writing for the present. Sign up link below, free to all www.birmingham.ac.uk/events/moder...
birmingham.ac.uk
Join me and @echomikeromeo.bsky.social on 4 June for an evening of trans history at the Birmingham LGBT Centre. Expect fun stories, unexpected connections, serious takeaways, and a little bit of hope. Free but register here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/british-tr...
I think it is worth calling it out for what it is. A really insidious wooden spoon, trying to stir up dissent at a time what such actions have real-life repercussions for many. Outrage farming. I’m totally sick of it!
This is such lazy reporting and manufactured outrage. This is bog-standard museum practice designed to prepare and safeguard front-of-house staff and provide more context for discussion, should it arise. It's not even in the written interpretation! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Historian brands Rochester museum's guidance on Dickens' 'ludicrous'
Guidance to Guildhall Museum staff about Charles Dickens’ views on race and empire called unnecessary.
bbc.co.uk
"Men We Seldom See - Irish Migrant Legacies and the British Construction Industry" We are looking for Irish migrants who worked in any aspect of the British construction industry for at least one year, and are willing to be interviewed. ℹ️ www.liverpool.ac.uk/irish-studie.... #oralhistory #SpéirGorm
Men We Seldom See | Institute of Irish Studies | University of Liverpool
Research project at the Institute of Irish Studies looking at Irish Migrant Legacies and the British Construction Industry
liverpool.ac.uk
It's not really spring until Lady Emma Hamilton is out
In the UK there are two contenders only. 1. Armadillos youtu.be/bqeGxMgVOHI?... 2. Accrington Stanley youtu.be/pieK7b4KLL4?...
Dime Bar Commercial [Armadillos] (Starring Harry Enfield) - 1995, UK
YouTube video by ceilingsoldier
youtu.be
Anna Kornbluh@annakornbluh.bsky.social · 2mo agopeople who watched tv in the 1980s and 90s! what commercials live in your memory? (especially interested in those that stick with you because they felt unusually creative at the time; print campaigns also welcome)
The weather out here in the Shire has reached the point where I've just hung my trousers on the washing line and hosed them, rather than contemplate ironing.
First step towards Saint JRR of Tolkien.
Fintan Mallory@fintanmallory.com · 2mo agoTHE POPE IS QUOTING GANDALF!!!
Read the final part of my archival reflections from @norfolkro.bsky.social, about how rural Norfolk of yesteryear could be quite queer! It made me so happy to find these fabulous photos - I really wanted to share them 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 norfolkrecordofficeblog.org/2026/05/21/l...
Introduce yourself with 10 bands/musicians you've seen live Pulp James Brown REM The Breeders Gregory Isaacs Tanya Donnelly The Hives Mark Lanegan Nick Cave James [more than once edition] Frank Black Mogwai Bruce Springsteen John Grant Pixies Four Tet Kristin Hersh Laura Mvula Erasure Low
Tim Waterman@tim-waterman.co.uk · 3mo agoIntroduce yourself with 10 bands/musicians you've seen live Dizzy Gillespie Miles Davis Stan Getz DOA (with Corrosion of Conformity) Mojo Nixon & Country Dick Montana Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Jon Spencer Blues Explosion The Ex Laurie Anderson Berlin Philharmonic
What the government is doing to trans people is a society-wide version of Section 28. It is a level of bureaucratic cruelty that utterly decimates a whole group of people’s rights and puts anyone who doesn’t ‘look’ right in the eyes of others under constant surveillance. It’s a horrific thing.
Solidarity with all trans + people today. And if you're cis like me and have any agency in shaping your institution's policies regarding toilets etc, please exercise it in defence against those who want to take away human rights.
This story, insofar as it deals with the National Railway Museum, is utterly absurd. If you rock up to a museum event expecting to dump a load of stuff on the staff, and are then surprised to be politely refused, then you clearly have no idea what museums are for. www.cityam.com/a-state-of-t...
A state of the nation tale: The National Rail Museum won't accept a model railway set
From museums that won't accept model railway sets to the NHS's refusal to share data, British inefficiency is costing us billions.
cityam.com
This is the dumbest thing Southampton have done since signing Ali Dia. Such a shame just as we'd finally found a manager who clicked after years - Eckert must have known though, right? It takes all the shine off a really impressive second half of the season. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...
Spygate appeal: Southampton lose appeal against expulsion from play-offs
Southampton lose their appeal against expulsion from the Championship play-off final for spying.
bbc.co.uk
terrible. 20 years ago, the internet was full of hobbyist blogs and forums. over time, these have been replaced by paywalled substacks and private discord channels, each a walled garden. google's decision to prioritize AI just makes it less likely people will create free, public info
TechCrunch@techcrunch.com · 3mo agoGoogle is transforming Search from a list of links into an AI-powered experience filled with conversational answers, autonomous agents, and interactive interfaces — a shift that could further reduce traffic to publishers across the web.
My furry editor and I are excited to announce the publication of my book, Bisexuality and Beyond: A History of Multiple-Gender-Attraction in Modern Britain!
Great opportunity for a crossover adaptation of Fever Pitch and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, with Colin Firth and Mark Strong amalgamating their roles from each film.
Southampton expelled from play-offs for spying on Middlesbrough, Oxford and Ipswich
Southampton have been thrown out of the play-offs after admitting they spied on three clubs during the Championship season.
bbc.co.uk
FPTP is like The One Ring of politics in the UK. They know they need to destroy it, but once it's in their hands they think "Why shouldn't we keep it? We can use it for good!" and then everything goes dead-Boromir-shaped
Found one abandoned and one occupied nest in a Cistercian abbey
Coming up this Thursday The 2026 Malcolm Dick Lecture in Midlands History 'Warwick Castle During the English Civil War' by Prof. Andrew Hopper Details below 👇
Midland History Journal@midlandhistory.bsky.social · 3mo agoJoin us for the inaugural Malcolm Dick OBE Annual Lecture in Midlands History ⚔️ Warwick Castle During the English Civil War by Professor Andrew Hopper ⚔️ When: 21 May, 16:30 (followed by drinks reception) Where: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Alan Walters Building, Room G11 Everyone welcome!
In addition, Family Search frequently utilizes prison labor to digitize materials they make available so it's just a turducken of exploitation activehistory.ca/blog/2026/04...
Who Digitized Your Sources? Exploitative Prison Labour and the Hidden Costs of Online Archives
Kristen C. Howard In today’s increasingly online world, historians, researchers, and students want and expect online access to historical documents offered by galleries, libraries, archives, and mu…
activehistory.ca
Caitlin G. DeAngelis@caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 3mo agoRecently, FamilySearch digitized and uploaded tons of microfilmed records, including many from 18th-century Massachsuetts. They're using some sort of AI to transcribe/summarize the handwritten documents. I've noticed that the AI strips out references to race and enslavement in 18thc documents.
Recently, FamilySearch digitized and uploaded tons of microfilmed records, including many from 18th-century Massachsuetts. They're using some sort of AI to transcribe/summarize the handwritten documents. I've noticed that the AI strips out references to race and enslavement in 18thc documents.
I didn't get great photos, but we must've had hundreds through yesterday to see Cakeboi's homage to 1960s drag. There's little time for much nuance in a festival-style event, but they all went away knowing a little LGBTQ+ history and experiencing it as joyful, so I'm very proud of our club.
Simon Briercliffe@simonbriercliffe.bsky.social · 3mo agoToday, it's been dressing our recreation of Wolverhampton's first gay club for our 1960s night tonight - actually originally on the same site as yesterday's Irish club.