Grace Ioppolo, FSA

A young 18th-century student practiced penmanship by copying out names in an indenture (now @UkNatArchives) on the verso. The student eventually wrote, “Blockhead” a few times and finally wrote, “I am a Blockhead” in a neat, calligraphic hand!

Book box from Lombardy, Italy 1465-1485. Made in Lombardy, Italy, this late medieval leather case was crafted to protect and carry a precious volume. Its black leather surface was shaped and decorated using cuir-bouilli and cuir-ciselé techniques, creating a deeply carved image of the Holy Trinity on the front.

Congratulations to Matt Pritchett for being awarded winner of Cartoonist of the Year at the Press Awards 2026 @Telegraph

Born #onthisday in Edinburgh in 1859, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Watch a rare filmed interview with him from 1927 in which he speaks about his greatest literary creation, Sherlock Holmes, and his work in spiritualism: publicdomainreview.org/collection/sir… #OTD

English Heritage has unveiled a 7-metre-high reconstruction of what a 4,500-year-old Neolithic hall may have looked like at Stonehenge: theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/m…

Helen Mirren, 1967.

“Christopher Robin!” he said in a loud whisper. “Hallo!” “I think the bees SUSPECT something!” “What sort of thing?” “I don’t know. But something tells me they’re SUSPICIOUS!” “Perhaps they think you’re after their honey?” “It may be that. You never can tell with bees.”~A.A.Milne

Sunrise at Stonehenge today (22nd May) was at 5.06am, sunset is at 9.00pm 🌞

Today is Charter Day - the anniversary of the re-founding of Westminster Abbey by Elizabeth I in 1560. She established the Abbey as a Collegiate Church exempt from the jurisdiction of archbishops and bishops and re-affirmed its status as a Royal Peculiar. In place of the monastic community, a collegiate body of a dean and prebendaries, minor canons and a lay staff was established and charged with the task of maintaining the tradition of daily worship which has continued ever since. This is the charter granted by Elizabeth 466 years ago today, which is cared for in our archive collection. Find out more about the Abbey's history: westminster-abbey.org/history/histor…

Buckle, 1913, by Jessie Marion King, Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts jewellery designer and illustrator #WomensArt

Clothespin Sculpture In Belgium By Mehmet Ali Uysal

Children's author and naturalist Beatrix Potter's (1866–1943) watercolour illustrations were created with inflences from her knowledge of nature #Womensart #IllustratorArtWeek 🖊

"We'll read to you," said Rabbit. "And I say, old fellow, you're taking up a good deal of room in my house - do you mind if I use your back legs as a towel-horse? Because, I mean, there they are - doing nothing - and it would be very convenient." ~A.A.Milne

Not a quirky repair — a public-art intervention. In Samara, Russia, artist Andrey Syaylev filled a damaged section of a public library wall with stacks of books and cement. The 2013 work, titled Intensifying Contrast, turned a broken façade into a sharp question: when a library begins to crumble, what exactly is society willing to protect?

There's a lot of talk about Founding Fathers lately, but what about Founding Mothers? One name for consideration: Mary Katharine Goddard, the Baltimore printer whose name appears on the second printing of the Declaration of Independence, commissioned in January 1777 by the Continental Congress. 🧵⬇️

One of our most unusual files: a box of torn-up 18th century Exchequer records, found in 1961 by electricians working in the roof of St Giles Cathedral. At some point, jackdaws had been pinching papers from the Exchequer Office across Parliament Square to line their nests.

Keir Starmer is currently jumping around Downing Street. Either Arsenal have won the league or someone's dug up some dirt on Andy Burnham... #kitileaks

Just because someone rents, shouldn't deny them the joy of having a pet in their life. Well done housemate.

✨ A door of real beauty. It astonishes me to think that the tower base at All Saints, Brixworth is Saxon - perhaps 7th century. Notice the murmuration of re-used Roman brick in the stone coursing. Some think it was a deliberate gesture towards the lingering imperium of Rome.

The Late Anglo-Saxon Strickland Brooch, AD 800s. A fabulous example of creativity and craftsmanship! This large silver disc brooch is inlaid with gold and niello, and decorated in ‘Trewhiddle-style’ with an intricate pattern of puppy-like animals. 📷 British Museum britishmuseum.org/collection/obj… #Archaeology

On 19 May 1536, Anne Boleyn was executed at the Tower of London 🏰 Today, we’re taking a closer look at Anne Boleyn’s Book of Hours, her personal prayer book 📖 This is on loan from @hevercastle and on display in The Tudor World in the Wolsey Rooms at Hampton Court Palace.