Our online display, 'A Magna Carta Miscellany', is now live! Our 2025 exhibition 'Magna Carta 1225' marked 800 years since King Henry III reissued what most historians consider to be the definitive version of the famous legal charter.

Come and join us tomorrow for an Open Friday! Drop by between 11am and 3.30pm to have a look at our ground floor area, chat to our friendly volunteers, and learn more about the Society and our collections. www.sal.org.uk/event/friday...

A ballad by Anthony Munday describing clothing choices for virtuous #tudor women. To the tune of Monsieur's Almain www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDyd... Recorded with support from @continuoconnect.bsky.social & @antiquaries.bsky.social #earlymusic #earlymodern #tudors #dresshistory #elizabethan

This painting of Pentre Ifan (the largest and best-preserved Neolithic dolmen in Wales) was done by Richard Tongue (1795–1873) in 1835. Pentre Ifan chambered tomb, in Pembrokeshire, dates from the Neolithic Period and is of the classic closed portal types.

It's a hot bank holiday in the UK, but is it as hot as it was standing around in the crater of Mount Vesuvius in 1775 before the great eruption of 1769?! This illustration comes from 'Campi Phlegræi: Observations on the Volcanos of the Two Sicilies', by Sir William Hamilton.

These are drawings of a statue exhibited by Rev Edmund Ferrers at the Society of Antiquaries meeting of 4 May 1797. The minutes for that meeting describe it as 'a most curious Idol, male on one side and female on the other, with an inscription under each'.

We're excited for the upcoming exhibition at Kelmscott Manor which will run from 11 June – 31 October 2026! On show will be new works by leading tapestry weaver Chrissie Freeth!

Our current placement, Anna Gustavsen, an undergraduate student at Aarhus University in Denmark, has searched through our collections and spotted an interesting Danish item she then wrote about. Read about the Guldhornene at www.sal.org.uk/2026/05/curi...

It's the late 14th century and you're feeling ill, where do you turn for medical advice? We recommend the 'Medical collections of John Arderne'. John of Arderne was a renowned surgeon who gained fame through his medical works that he produced towards the end of his life.

🎉Happy 100th birthday to Sir David Attenborough! 🎉The legendary broadcaster, natural historian and writer became an Honorary Fellow of the Society in 2007 and we're delighted to send him our best wishes for this milestone celebration! 🎂

Which brooch would you choose? We've got.... A pretty Anglo-Saxon jewelled brooch from Derbyshire. A vaguely creepy Anglo-Saxon enamelled brooch with a crowned portrait on it, from London. A 7thC silver penannular brooch from Italy, with some cute animals head ends (possibly dogs or leopards).

Please note: Burlington House will be completely closed on Monday 4 May for the Bank Holiday.

This is the earliest known spring-driven clock made by Jacob Zech of Prague in 1524. It's a Bohemian astronomical clock of gilt brass, where the body of the clock is covered with engraved decoration and the face shows the engraved symbols of the zodiac.

Join us for The Portable Antiquities Scheme & the European Finds Recording Network Joint Conference! Public finds have revolutionised archaeological knowledge. This conference will highlight this contribution by profiling the research of leading European academics. www.sal.org.uk/event/portab...

Buff Coat, a #17thCentury #dance for #internationaldanceday From Playford's Dancing Master, 1670. One of a series of recordings of dress related #earlymusic from #earlymodern Britain Made with the support of @continuoconnect.bsky.social and @antiquaries.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh1V...

These drawings, Thomas Underwood (1772-1835), are some of the finest examples of a cavalry parade helmet from Roman Britain. The helmet was discovered accidentally in 1796 by the son of a clog-maker playing in some wasteland in Lancashire.

Love this shot of my nomination with the original @antiquaries.bsky.social ballot box!

Our ground floor is open to the public today for free this Friday, so drop on by from 11am - 3.40pm to explore 300 years of collecting history at our Burlington House premises!

For World #EarthDay we're highlighting this embroidered cot quilt, 'The Homestead and the Forest', designed by May Morris and worked by Jane Morris from 1889 - 1890.

Our collections extend well beyond London. They tell stories of landscapes, people & discoveries from across the British Isles & European continent. Our new display, The Fabric of Britain: Landscapes, Legends & Legacies, celebrates the geographic breadth, bringing together gems from our collections

Here's one of our favourite #Dorset #Roman floors for #MosaicMonday The lively depiction of a music battle between Apollo (with lyre) and Marsyas (pipes) [Spoiler alert: things end badly for Marsyas] Found 1834 and moved to Sherborne Castle Painting by David Neal for @antiquaries.bsky.social

The lithograph is a working proof from John Stuart's book, 'Sculptured Stones of Scotland' (1856). In the image we see both sides of a stone carved with Pictish designs and symbols, including a Celtic cross on one side, and a hunting scene on the other. Can you identify all the animals shown?

This video is the first of a series describing #earlymodern #dress in #music & song. Recorded as part of the #GreensleevesProject with generous support from @continuoconnect.bsky.social & @antiquaries.bsky.social . www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpH4... #earlymusicensemble #materialculture #dresshistory

These are some of the fifteen drawings made of the Maya site at Tikal, which were exhibited to the Society of Antiquaries by Frederick Chatfield at the meeting of 18 May 1854, and then presented to the Society by Charles Chatfield at the meeting of 25 May 1854.

If you're a regular at Burlington House, you'll have probably come across Robert Weaver FSA, a stalwart of the Society and a trove of fabulous tales and anecdotes. Find out more about him in our latest interview in the 'Meet the Fellows' series! www.sal.org.uk/2026/04/meet...

This small Russian icon, titled 'Fountain of Life' and barely the size of a postcard, may have been created as a portable pilgrim souvenir. It was first recorded in the Society’s possession in 1847 by Albert Way, who suggested that it may have been donated by Peter le Neve.

Here's something you don't expect to see, a diver at Winchester Cathedral! William Walker (1869-1918) was a diver, and this portrait photograph shows him in his diving suit and with his diving equipment, likely taken at the Cathedral, where he worked between 1906 and 1911.

The central panel of this icon, The Resurrection, tells the story of the resurrection of Christ (Anastasis) and the 'Harrowing of Hell', commemorating the events of #Easter.

This detail of the The Crucifixion comes from an icon, titled The Resurrection. This particular panel is one of sixteen images surrounding a central image, with all of them representing other major feasts of the Christian calendar.

Kelmscott Manor opens today! From now until the end of October, Thursday to Saturday, you can visit what William Morris described as 'heaven on earth’. Here are some collection highlights to inspire you before you visit! kelmscottmanor.org.uk

We're currently cataloging our early 20th-century glass slides and were shocked to discover a spectral visitor captured in one of them! In this slide of excavations in Silchester, an otherworldly presence haunts the site.... #aprilfools

Our beautiful Bronze Age shield is on loan to the National Museum of Scotland and will be shown in their exhibition "Scotland's First Warriors", which is due to open this summer. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A reminder that we will be completely closed during Easter, from Friday 3 April - Tuesday 7 April. We will reopen on Wednesday 8 April. 🐣

From now until 27 May, you can see loans from our collections in the Courtauld's display The Painted Tower: Conservation in Context at Longthorpe. This display offers an insight into the Courtauld’s collaboration with English Heritage to conserve the 14th-C wall paintings in Longthorpe Tower.

Happy birthday to William Morris, who would be 192 years young today! Morris was a hugely influential craftsman, designer, writer, environmentalist, socialist, Fellow & more. He is referred to as the Father of the Arts & Crafts Movement & was associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

A beautiful day yesterday performing my William Morris song for William Morris Day at @antiquaries.bsky.social I met wonderful people including @erikocreativity who created her own William Morris Kimono with his famous quote written on the back (see photo) #WilliamMorris

These endpapers are stunning! Endpapers (or endleaves) are the pages at the beginning and end of a hardcover book that connect the text block to the cover.

Kelmscott Manor reopens on 2 April! From April to Oct, you'll be able to visit a collection of artwork & objects owned & designed by William Morris, & discover why the Cotswold home became an inspiration for him & his family. If you're lucky, you may be able to spot Horatio (the cat)! 😺

Illustrator, antiquarian & writer Margaret Stokes did these watercolours of the front/back of the Shrine of St Patrick's Bell around the 1870s. The bell is said to have belonged to St Patrick, is datable to between 1091 & 1105, & is one of the principal relics of Ireland. #stpaddysday #stpatricksday

Do you know what this drawing depicts? The two side views are of a medieval martel de fer ("hammer of iron"), a weapon used by mounted knights to break armour. The original one the drawing was based off was found during excavations by Winchester College at Wolvesey Castle in 1880.

Join us 20 March for our William Morris day, part of #MorrisMonth - a month-long celebration of William & May Morris. Enjoy art workshops run by @princeslikequinces.bsky.social, hear music from @kategarnermusic.bsky.social & more! It's free, drop-in from 11am-3.45pm! www.sal.org.uk/event/willia...

The Waltham Cross is a fantastic example of the early activity of the Society and reflects their dedication to protecting and preserving historical monuments. This watercolour illustration was a commission by the Society to Jacob Schnebbelie.

For #WorldBookDay we're highlighting one of William Morris’s calligraphic manuscripts on Icelandic sagas. Pictured here, unfinished, is his translation of Egil’s Saga. Egil's Saga is an Icelandic saga on the lives of the clan of Egil Skallagrímsson, an Icelandic farmer, viking and skald (poet).

Do you like breakfast? Do you like breakfast so much you'd stick samples of it in your notebook? Joseph Thomas Fowler would!

This Viking torque and brooch were discovered in 1847, a chance find by a labourer, lodged deep in a rock crevice at Orton Scar, Cumbria. They were sold to local lawyer and antiquary, Thomas Reveley, who presented them to the Society In 1851.

This very large watercolour depicts the uppermost part of the wall paintings in St Peter and St Paul's Church in Chaldon, which is famous worldwide for its twelfth-century doom mural located on the west wall.

On 3 March, join our free lunchtime lecture to hear about the identification of wall paintings of two of the Nine Worthies at Eastgate House and learn about their use in a variety of media in the interiors of 16th and 17th century houses. www.sal.org.uk/event/nine-w...

This jousting cheque relates to one of the contests at the Field of the Cloth of Gold, June 1520.

Along with painted furniture and murals, another decorative feature of William Morris’s first married home, Red House, and later of Kelmscott Manor, was the use of embroidered textiles as wall hangings.

'He will take a pint of water, a pint of flour & 2 new-laid eggs, without any deception whatever, & pour them, in the face of the company, into any Gentleman's Hat, & holding them over a candle for the space of 1min, he will introduce a quantity of well-made PANCAKES, fit for any Gentleman's table'