I have been on my placement here at the Museum of Cornish Life for over a month now and have already learnt so much about working in museums. I have joined the team as a Museum Assistant, with collections focus, for my sandwich year of employment experience as part of my history degree at the University of Exeter. It has been really interesting to step out of the university lecture halls and see what it is really like working in a heritage-based workplace. As a history student, and someone who generally enjoys museums, I feel so lucky to be working behind the scenes here. It has been an exciting change for me with everyday bringing something new.

One of my favourite things about doing my placement here is that the museum’s focus is Cornish life. Championing the ‘everyday’ is one of the museum’s values and it is reflected in their collections. I love that we have so many objects representing the lives of ordinary people. Since starting my history degree, I have been particularly interested in the history of everyday life and the historical experiences of the many rather than the study of bigger historical narratives. The social history this museum presents is so fascinating and I feel so lucky to be doing my placement here. Also, having moved to Cornwall to study, I love that the museum captures Cornish history. I am glad that this placement has allowed me to learn about what everyday life was like in Cornwall.

I have already been able to explore this on my placement by doing a small task looking at some receipts from Helston from the 1920s to the 1940s. They were brought to the museum in a tin by a member of the public and I was tasked with looking into them and creating a list. It was so interesting to see how Helston used to be and how much you can learn about the town through something as everyday as receipts. I think it’s so exciting that for this academic year, I get to work with objects like this that reveal so much about the Cornish way of life.

I have also got involved with a range of other things in the museum. From helping with kids craft workshops to updating the website to helping with interpretation, I have been very busy learning how museums bring history to the public. There are so many different aspects to the museums which I didn’t realise before my placement. I have also learnt a lot about Helston both from the museum’s collection and from talking to the volunteers and members of the public. It has all been very enlightening and I’m excited to continue working here in the team.

By Mary Ford