British Empire and Commonwealth Collection

We are short staffed right now so have temporarily put our archives enquiry service on hold. We will let you know when we are back up and running! In the meantime, our enquiry service for the objects will continue - contact us at ow.ly/aSiC50U5VhF

We’re excited to announce our new exhibition, "Life in the Caribbean". Exploring the rich history of the British Caribbean, delving into the experiences of colonizers and the vibrant intersections of culture, labour, and resistance. #BlackHistoryMonth #BECC #BristolArchives

On Friday, 3 dolls made by Rebecca Ahmuty Snagg in Grenada (c.1790s) travelled to the @V_and_A to appear at the Connecting Threads symposium - a project examining the history of Madras textile in India & the Caribbean. @artstung led a great session with them as part of the day!

Earlier this month we made a visit to the Kenyan High Commission @kenyamissionuk in London. Our archivist @consularchivist met with staff to return archives from Shimo-La-Tewa Prison to Kenya. The records are now at their permanent home in the Kenya National Archives.

As part of @heritageopenday @bristolarchives on the weekend we had a display of items from the 1924 Empire Exhibition. This year marks the the centenary of the event which took place at a purpose-built stadium at Wembley (later Wembley Stadium) and attracted 27million visitors.

You can now listen to over 100 audio recordings on our online catalogue. Recorded in the 1990s, these oral history interviews are with people who travelled and worked in many parts of the former empire. ow.ly/PYHW50SfjZK

On Tuesday we welcomed a group of photography students from @westoncollege. Among the items they viewed were images taken by the Moreys on the Gilbert & Ellice Islands (now Kiribati and Tuvala): ow.ly/12LC50QwK9Q

Last week we went with colleagues from @GlynnVivian @BristolUni & artist David Alesworth for a visit/research trip to @AmgueddfaCymru National Collections Centre, Nantgarw. We looked at objects related to coal mining, miners' art and one of the biggest lumps of coal in Wales!

The Empire Exhibition took place in Wembley 1924-1925. With Britain's imperial power waning (especially since WWI) it was a propaganda opportunity to whip up support for empire in the British public's mind. We hold many souvenirs/memorabilia from the event.

Yesterday we welcomed students from @BristolUni who are undertaking a unit in 'Art and Empire' as part of their History of Art degree. We looked at archives, artworks and objects, which helped to provide examples of how empire has been represented and captured in visual form.

Elizabeth Huxley was, amongst many other talents, a writer, environmentalist, and government advisor on African affairs. We hold many of her archives and recently her photos have been used in a blog about her student days at Reading. Have a read here blogs.reading.ac.uk/tales-from-the…

In a speech during a visit to Kenya last week, King Charles acknowledged the brutal violence of British colonial rule in the country. From the archives, Kenyan Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta with Prince Philip at a ceremony in 1963 to mark Independence (ref: 2002/133/1/1/44)

You'll remember Sarah Waiswa's images at Bristol Photo Festival 2021 where she juxtaposed contemporary portraits of African people alongside manipulated portraits from BECC to challenge colonialism, power, identity. Her new exhibition in Nairobi now open ow.ly/GAlf50Q3qZS

Our October newsletter is out now! Catch up with the news from the department... mailchi.mp/6092b9e2ee38/c…

We are pleased to announce that the new exhibition 'Concealed/Reveal: Disabled, D/deaf and neurodivergent artists driving creativity' has opened @bristolmuseum and features three works from BECC by the artist Anthony Jadunath (1945–2009). ow.ly/kMuJ50PRRqK

This work is by Lahore-based artist Risham Syed (c.1996). We are thrilled that she recently verified this piece for us and provided some finer details, including that the man in the photo is actually her grandfather, who worked for the British civil service.

Welcoming Ellie Pridgeon to the BECC team as Senior Archivist (job-share)!! She brings a wide range of experience from her varied background as @ConsulArchivist #archives

@oscar1716 @lord_bellgam Hello, sorry for the delay in responding to you . Here is more information about the collection and it's work - becc.bristol.gov.uk Please do contact us with any questions, suggestions anytime.

@lord_bellgam @BECCollection They don't want us to know it

We have digitised and added more historical images of Nigeria to our online catalogue, dating from the 1920s. See the mud buildings of Kano City with their distinctive decoration: ow.ly/5rVf50PwuFm

Through various poster campaigns, the Empire Marketing Board encouraged British people to buy goods produced within the empire. This work by Edward McKnight Kauffer (c.1927) depicts a highly idealised view of a plantation in Africa in an attempt to sell more bananas.