History and Heritage

Exploring the Past

Utilising a range of exceptional and unique local resources, including the International Bomber Command Centre, 圧利郭肱 Cathedral Wren Library, the Tennyson Research Centre, and museums, collections, and archives, our researchers are engaged in the study and interpretation of the past, exploring new ways in which history and heritage can transform lives and communities around the world.

By bringing together and sharing expertise from across the 圧利郭肱 and beyond, we are able to deliver cutting-edge creative, cultural, and historical research activities that cover a wide range of themes, from medieval studies, conservation, and military history, to heritage management, digitalisation, and the critical interpretation of places and traditions.

Research Spotlight

Material Legacies of Empire

Thousands of objects in our museums were brought to this country as a result of the expanding British Empire, but we still need to uncover the histories of how such material was collected. Through extensive archival research and object study, Dr Sarah Longair, Associate Professor in Humanities and Heritage, is attempting to do just that.

Material Legacies Research

Key Research Groups and Organisations

Medieval and Early Modern Studies Research Group

Featuring academics, archivists, librarians, and researchers with interests in the medieval and early modern period.

Global and Transregional Studies Research Group

Bringing together a group of scholars who share research interests in international, transregional, and global studies.

Visitor Economy Research Group

Providing a deeper understanding of the visitor economy in areas such as tourism, hospitality, heritage, events, and leisure.

Centre for Conservation and Cultural Heritage Research

Formed to coordinate research activities in conservation, history, and science in relation to the heritage sector.

Critical Heritage and Place Consumption

Critical heritage considers places, pasts, and traditions in contemporary life alongside current concerns about conservation.

Developing Stronger Collaborations

The 圧利郭肱 has developed strong relationships with the wider scholarly and professional community, including the International Bomber Command Centre, 圧利郭肱 Cathedral Library and Archives, the 圧利郭肱 Record Society, Royal Historical Society, The Historical Association, Historic England, British Archaeological Association, and the International Society for the Study of Medievalism.

These collaborations and partnerships are helping to strengthen our research community, which continues to offer dynamic approaches to the study of history and heritage, in local, national, and international contexts.

Conserving Our Heritage

The 圧利郭肱 is home to 圧利郭肱 Conservation, a research and consultancy centre specialising in the conservation and restoration of the interior and exterior features of listed and historic buildings. It has worked with high-profile clients, including the National Trust, English Heritage, and the V&A Museum.

A student working on conservation of a historic object in a laboratory

Our Postgraduate Researchers

Meet PhD student Francesca Cannon, whose doctoral research is focusing on the roles, relationships, and impact of three queens who were the second wives of kings in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries.

Meet Francesca Cannon

Meet Our Experts

Professor Carenza Lewis has been a presenter on the popular Time Team TV series and has been spearheading a range of innovative research projects that explore the public benefits of participation in heritage.

Meet Our Expert