What was it like to work for Brunel? Gilbert Blount, Tunnel Superintendent
In this blog, Jack Hayes (Collections Access Coordinator), examines a little-known archive detailing the early career of Gilbert Blount, who worked under Marc Brunel between 1840-42. Far from being the perfect job, working life at the Tunnel seems at times to have been a little disorganised, and quite stressful – though undoubtedly Blount’s experience working …
‘Such patronage as in your situation and in his may be proper’ – How Alexander Hamilton helped Marc Brunel get to England
Why would Alexander Hamilton, one of the leaders of the American Revolution, want to help Marc Brunel, a Frenchman, get to Great Britain – the former colonial power against whom the Revolution had been fought? Museum volunteer Mark Kleinman has been researching Marc Brunel’s relationship with Hamilton, and presents some first findings below. On 7 …
Brunel’s Buckles Now Sparkling Once Again, Thanks to Conservation Work
With the generous support of the Costume Society’s Daphne Bullard Grant, we were excited to invite Joanna Whalley, a metals and jewellery conservator, to the Museum to carry out conservation work on the pair of shoe buckles once owned by Marc Brunel in our collection. Donated by Brunel’s descendants in 2007, little was known about …
Brunel Museum Marketing Internship
Hello! My name is Emma Searle. I am from Salt Lake City, Utah, USA studying Communications Media & Culture. For the past three months, I have had the opportunity to intern at the Brunel Museum as their Marketing Intern. During my time here at the Brunel Museum, I have been able to work alongside the …
Brunel Museum awarded Costume Society’s Daphne Bullard Grant for Brunel’s Buckles Project
We are very pleased to announce that the Brunel Museum has been awarded the Costume Society’s Daphne Bullard Grant 2024. We are very grateful to the Costume Society, who previously supported the Museum in 2022 with an Elizabeth Hammond Grant, to enable conservation work on a Thames Tunnel kerchief. Without their continued support, much of …
Brunel Museum Reinvented – Your Questions Answered
We’re excited to be reinventing the Brunel Museum in time for the 200th anniversary of the Thames Tunnel in 2025! We know there will be lots of questions along the way. We’ve tried to answer the most commonly answered ones below, but if you have any more questions about the project, please email us on …
Work Experience at The Brunel Museum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BflQn8jyaM Hello, we are Ismael and Jake, and we have come from Haberdashers’ Borough Academy and Bacon’s College for our work experience here at the Brunel Museum. During our time here, we have learnt a lot about the history of the museum and the artifacts it contains. When we first arrived, we learnt about the …
The Brunel Museum launches a new audioguide!
Last week, the Museum launched a new audioguide which allows visitors to learn in-depth information about items on display – all for free. Next time you visit, why not try it out? All you’ll need to do is scan the QR code next to the objects to be taken to a dedicated webpage where you …
Mud, Flood & Fire shortlisted for Museums and Heritage Award
Today (Thursday, March 14, 2024) the Brunel Museum has been shortlisted alongside four other nominees for the annual Museums + Heritage Awards. The global awards celebrate the very best in the world of museums, galleries, and cultural and heritage visitor attractions and will take place on the evening of Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at Hilton Park …
International Women’s Day: Brunel Museum Tour Guide is working on a historical crime novel that sees Emma Brunel act as an amateur sleuth. Here’s why
Emma Joan Brunel was the sister of civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. However, little is actually know about her. She is merely a footnote in the numerous biographies about her famous brother. But the few facts that I was able to unearth suggest that she was an extraordinary woman in her own right. Emma was …