Projectkin Special Livestream: All About That Place 2026
More details coming soon
Brantwood and the Mineral World of John Ruskin
John Ruskin was a Victorian polymath who wielded huge influence during his lifetime. A tireless champion of natural beauty and ethical craftsmanship, he looked at mountains and nature with the eye of an artist. This talk will tell the story of his passionate and life-long interest in minerals and his strong association with the English Lake District. We shall explore his passion for mineralogy, a hitherto neglected aspect of his long and interesting life, and how minerals sustained him through many years of mental illness.
As Poor as a Stockinger: Ruddington Framework Knitters
A look at the framework knitters’ industry and lives and how the memories are kept alive.
The Bank of England Archive – what treasures can family historians discover?
What, you might ask, does the UK’s central bank’s Archive offer family historians? The answer is a lot. The Bank has existed since 1694, was a private bank until 1946 and its Archive holds records of who lent to the government from 1715 to the First World War. This talk will introduce the different types of record the Archive holds relevant to family historians, what these can tell you, how you might know if you have an ancestor in these records and, if so, how to access them.
Some Victorian Parlour Games
A look at some of the games and amusements enjoyed by our Victorian ancestors, using a book published in 1881 as a guide. The talk will look briefly at several games we still recognise and games that are no longer well known, and note how instruction books for games differ between the modern world and the Victorian era.
Victorian Photographers and their Studios
The talk will feature a new book. This book covers the individual life stories of 50 Victorian Photographers as well as in-depth chapters describing how studios operated at the time, plus the equipment and processes used.
Beyond the Mine: Telling the Story of a Coal Company Town
Coal company towns were far more than places of work. Owned by coal companies, these communities were vibrant places where families lived, learned, and built lasting traditions. This presentation explores how to uncover the full story of a coal company town using genealogy, historical records, maps, photographs, newspapers, and oral histories. Learn how a one-place study can connect people, places, and events to preserve a community’s unique heritage. Discover practical research strategies and storytelling techniques that bring these forgotten towns, and the people who called them home, back to life.
Spy, pragmatist or faithful servant? An English civil war gunmakers tale
Were Civil War gunmakers spies, pragmatists or faithful servants? Discover the lives of the craftsmen whose skills kept both Royalist and Parliamentarian armies supplied, and explore how they navigated loyalty, politics and survival during one of England’s most turbulent periods. Drawing on original MRes research, this talk demonstrates how combining occupational, local and archival records can reveal the stories of individuals. You’ll leave with fresh ideas and research techniques that you can apply to uncover the lives of your own seventeenth-century ancestors.
Where They Worked, Rested and Played
Our ancestors’ lives were shaped by the places where they earned a living, went to church and enjoyed a pint. This talk explores how historical maps, directories, occupational records, photographs and other sources can reveal the factories, farms, shops, churches, public houses and entertainment venues they knew, as well as the communities in which they lived. Discover how placing your ancestors within their local landscape adds colour, context and a deeper understanding of their everyday lives.
Galloping Without a Horse
Beginning with a wonderfully optimistic Victorian invention, this talk explores a contraption that promised health, vigour and fresh air, all without leaving the drawing room. Part exercise machine, part escapist fantasy, the Horse-Action Saddle offers a charming glimpse into a world where ingenuity, confidence and faint ridiculousness went hand in hand.