Simon Briercliffe
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simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
Simon Briercliffe
@simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
2.2K followers 1.4K following 600 posts
Historian at the Black Country Museum and elsewhere: talk to me about the Black Country, Shropshire, modern and local British history, the Irish in Britain, museums, local heritage and all stops in between. Baby gaeilgeoir. https://simonbriercliffe.com/
Posts Replies Media Videos
simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
Listen to the clarity here. My singing range has contracted to about half an octave but here was a man well into his sixties singing better than he ever had.
youtu.be/EsuW3dg7Q90?...
Jimmy Cliff Many Rivers To Cross Later with Jools Holland Duet Live HD
YouTube video by You Tuber
youtu.be
November 25, 2025 at 8:37 PM
simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
If we were in a normal timeline, Ed Davey would be about to burst out of this.
scotnational.bsky.social The National @scotnational.bsky.social · 12h
Zack Polanski, along with a group of MPs and campaigners, has left a massive pile of 'wealth tax revenue' cash outside Parliament this morning
November 25, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
louisearay.bsky.social
Cluedo inventor's daughter hands over archives to Birmingham museum - BBC News share.google/7Qv94t3X2q9K...
Cluedo inventor's daughter hands over archives to Birmingham museum
Anthony Pratt's daughter explains how evenings performing at country hotels inspired the murder-mystery game.
share.google
November 24, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
I wonder if any Irish historians on here can help me identify any of the people in this picture? Early 1900s probably in Dublin, it's Tom Clarke in the middle and I think I know who it is on the left of the image. Any of the others though?
An old black and white photo showing five men in Edwardian clothes, all wearing hates, standing in front of woods.
November 25, 2025 at 12:18 PM
simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
I wonder if any Irish historians on here can help me identify any of the people in this picture? Early 1900s probably in Dublin, it's Tom Clarke in the middle and I think I know who it is on the left of the image. Any of the others though?
An old black and white photo showing five men in Edwardian clothes, all wearing hates, standing in front of woods.
November 25, 2025 at 12:18 PM
simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
I'm editing today, my soundtrack of choice is always Nick Cave's Henry's Dream - nothing better than to kill your darlings and see the walls run red around me with a warm arterial spray www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3-M...
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Papa Won't Leave You, Henry (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
www.youtube.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
uknatarcsector.bsky.social
📣Calling archivists, researchers & heritage professionals!

Join us online on Monday 26 January (1PM) to learn key concepts of trauma-informed and person-centred practices and practical frameworks for embedding these into your work.

Register here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/introducti... (1/2)
A young man sits at a table with a laptop and dozens of toned paper documents in front of him. He holds up one particular document and points to it while another archivist stands over him to offer advice.
November 24, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
oldenoughtosay.com
Gotta be honest, did not have the Menswear Guy quoting a Doctor of the Church on my expectations for the day
dieworkwear.bsky.social derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 2d
This reminds me of Cardinal John Henry Newman's book Definition of a Gentleman. I often cite Newman's book because it's so instructive. The term gentleman is so overwrought and frequently abused, but to the degree it means anything at all, I think Newman captures it here:
He has his eyes on all his company; he is tender towards the bashful, gentle towards the distant, and merciful towards the absurd; he can recollect to whom he is speaking; he guards against unseasonable allusions, or topics which may irritate; he is seldom prominent in conversation, and never wearisome. He makes light of favours while he does them, and seems to be receiving when he is conferring. He never speaks of himself except when compelled, never defends himself by a mere retort, he has no ears for slander or gossip, is scrupulous in imputing motives to those who interfere with him, and interprets everything for the best. He is never mean or little in his disputes, never takes unfair advantage, never mistakes personalities or sharp sayings for arguments, or insinuates evil which he dare not say out. From a long-sighted prudence, he observes the maxim of the ancient sage, that we should ever conduct ourselves towards our enemy as if he were one day to be our friend.
November 24, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
dieworkwear.bsky.social
In my article, I quoted something from Stuart Hall's "Culture, Community, Nation," an essay first published in a 1993 issue of Cultural Studies. He writes:

"It should not be necessary to look, walk, feel, think, speak exactly like a paid-up member of the buttoned-up, stiff-upper-lipped, ...
In the early 1990s, Stuart Hall, a Jamaican-born British cultural theorist, wrote about the challenges thrown up by conflicting definitions of culture, community, and nation. As Hall notes, “common culture” and “common society” are two different things, and this is something we should embrace, not run away from. “It should not be necessary to look, walk, feel, think, speak exactly like a paid-up member of the buttoned-up, stiff-upper-lipped, fully corseted and free-born Englishman, culturally to be accorded either the informal courtesy and respect of civil social intercourse or the rights of entitlement and citizenship,” he wrote. “Since cultural diversity is, increasingly, the fate of the modern world, and ethnic absolutism a regressive feature of late-modernity, the greatest danger now arises from forms of national and cultural identity — new or old — which attempt to secure their identity by adopting closed versions of culture or community and by the refusal to engage — in the name of an ‘oppressed white minority’ (sic) — with the difficult problems that arise from trying to live with difference. The capacity to live with difference is, in my view, the coming question of the twenty-first century.” For those of us obsessed with clothes, the question is what an ideal workplace would look like, both in social order and dress culture.
November 23, 2025 at 7:35 PM
simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
So many Jimmy Cliff songs are up there as some of the absolute greatest in reggae, RIP. Many Rivers To Cross on repeat today.
November 24, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
naomiohreally.bsky.social
Digging into the archives, I discovered my grandfather was the first generation not to speak Irish as his mother tongue, and that he grew up with a famine survivor - his grandmother.
History was so much closer than I thought. My essay this weekend: www.irishtimes.com/life-style/p...
The best Irish stories are often about death. My grandfather stole his own funeral
The history of Ireland – the hunger, the loss of the language – was so much closer than I knew. The change had been so fast from my grandfather’s life to mine
www.irishtimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:46 AM
simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
Can corroborate - the @cnagaeilge.bsky.social Irish class I go to in Birmingham is sold out, running two groups with a third next year, pop-up gaeltachtaí etc in the town. It's really lovely. www.rte.ie/news/2025/11...
Celtic revival: The growth of Gaeilge in Britain
There's been a significant surge in interest in learning the Irish language in Britain, according to those involved in teaching it. One of the largest online education providers in the UK, City Lit, s...
www.rte.ie
November 24, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
mrcwarwick.bsky.social
Call for papers #CFP

Blood is the Price of Coal: Coal Communities, Health and Welfare in Britain and Beyond from the 19th Century to the Present

18 June 2026: 1 day conference + NUM archive exhibition

Submit abstracts / express interest at warwick.ac.uk/services/lib...

Deadline: 25 Jan 2026
Blood is the Price of Coal: Coal Communities, Health and Welfare in Britain and Beyond from the 19th Century to the Present When and where: University of Warwick, Coventry, on Thursday 18 June 2026. Conference summary: This free one day conference aims to bring together researchers from higher education, community and campaign groups to explore the history of health and welfare in Britain’s coal mining industry. Held jointly by the University of Warwick's Centre for the History of Medicine, Science and Technology, and Modern Records Centre, the event will run alongside an exhibition which will explore some of the themes covered by the speakers through the National Union of Mineworkers' archives. We welcome contributions from new and established researchers, working inside and outside higher education. Confirmed participants include: - Jörg Arnold (University of Augsburg / Institute for Contemporary History Munich - Berlin), author of The British Miner in the Age of DeIndustrialization - Keith Gildart (University of Wolverhampton), Principal Investigator on research project On Behalf of the People: Work, Community and Class in the British Coal Industry 1947-1994 and former miner - Quentin Outram (University of Leeds), Secretary of the Society for the Study of Labour History and co-editor of Coal in Victorian Britain Conference themes: Subjects that could be addressed include but are not limited to: The human cost of coal, including: - Mining disasters, their contemporary impacts and later memorialisation. - Industrial accidents, industrial diseases and workers’ compensation. - Mine safety and the improvement of conditions. - Mining and mental health. Industrial health and welfare, including: - Pre-nationalisation provision in and beyond the colliery. - National Coal Board provision, including the NCB Medical Service, housing and the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation. - Trade union campaigns and benefit schemes. - Sport and social provision as mining welfare. Coal and community, including: - Environmental impact. - Mining families and the intergenerational effects of the mining industry. - Impacts of the industry with particular reference to gender, race and ethnicity. - Coalfield communities after coal: the effects of deindustrialisation. Submission guidelines We wish to make space for dialogue between academic and community-based researchers, and welcome involvement from mining heritage and local history groups / researchers from former coalfield communities. We welcome and encourage alternative presentational styles. Possible formats for contributions could include: - 15-20 minute papers. - 5 minute lightning papers (for example showcasing a particular object or archival source, or highlighting a particular place, event, individual or experience). - Round table discussions. - Posters or displays. Submission deadline: 25 January 2026. Limited funding for travel support will be available, with priority given to early career researchers or participants who cannot draw upon institutional funding. For additional enquiries, please contact the conference organisers at archives@warwick.ac.uk
November 20, 2025 at 11:53 AM
simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
Wow what could go wrong with denying people access to services based on their physical appearance www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
"Evidence of such concern might include the individual's physique or physical appearance, behaviour or concerns raised by other service users," the guidance says.
November 20, 2025 at 6:28 PM
simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
This is a real shame - I know it sounds niche but the carpet industry is such a source of pride for Kidderminster that this week be a real blow for a town which can feel a bit on the sad side.
museumsandheritage.com/advisor/post...
‘Deep regret’ as Kidderminster’s Museum of Carpet announces closure - Museums + Heritage
Rising energy prices, maintenance costs and tenant losses force 20 December closure, with collection to be relocated.
museumsandheritage.com
November 19, 2025 at 6:06 PM
simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
Fun (for people of a certain age)that the world cup qualifying finale in the Caribbean was Dick Advocaat Vs Steve McLaren. I hope the latter does his post-match interviews in full patois.
November 19, 2025 at 6:53 AM
simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
I recently heard "Well I'll go to Smethwick" to mean roughly the same thing, so I'm definitely in the market for more.
darach.bsky.social Darach Ó Séaghdha @darach.bsky.social · 7d
Does anyone actually say "blow me down" or is it just cartoon/comic book Geordies?
November 18, 2025 at 6:56 PM
simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
Finally got my review of @kieranconnell.bsky.social's Multicultural Britain together for @midlandhistory.bsky.social - spoiler alert, I thought it was fab.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Multicultural Britain: A People’s History
Published in Midland History (Vol. 50, No. 2, 2025)
www.tandfonline.com
November 18, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
ronanhession.bsky.social
With apologies to those whose yoga classes were disrupted by the 1916 Rising, Bolands Mills is back open again.
Train ad for yoga classes at Bolands Mills with the caption "we're back" – Bolands Mills was a scene for fighting during the 1916 Easter Rising.
November 18, 2025 at 8:39 AM
simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
What perfect album came out the year you turned 16?

I definitely wasn't cool enough to be listening to this at the time, but In The Aeroplane Over The Sea is definitely the 1998 album I've listened to most since.
Cover of In the aeroplane over the sea by Neutral Milk Hotel
November 17, 2025 at 9:25 PM
simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
I moved out of London 14 years ago and there's still some vestigial fury when people don't walk up the right side of the escalator at New Street. I don't know whether to be pleased or saddened that I still have London Brain.
November 12, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
momoulton.bsky.social
Interested in the MA in Gender & Sexuality? Come talk to me this Saturday at our postgrad open day. (Or just email me, that's cool too.) www.birmingham.ac.uk/study/postgr...
November 11, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Reposted by Simon Briercliffe
cathfeely.bsky.social
For Remembrance Sunday, a short reflection on the life and death of my great grandfather in the twenty years after his return. botheringmiancestors.substack.com/p/the-trench...
The Trenches, the Tram and the Trolley Bus
A twentieth-century story
botheringmiancestors.substack.com
November 9, 2025 at 10:55 AM
simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
Back onto historic pub interiors today. Here's one of my favourites, the Seven Stars in Smethwick in 1964, showing the reality of life beyond the headlines in that year: drinkers quietly getting on together. Most pubs in the town had a colour bar, but not this one.
Black and white photo of the interior of a pub in 1964 - image from the Birmingham Post archive.
November 6, 2025 at 2:20 PM
simonbriercliffe.bsky.social
Got to live the dream this afternoon by researching pies (open the pic for the full view).

This is Albert Lawrence, landlord of the Royal Exchange in West Bromwich, pictured in 1962 with his new food offering, Dormston Pies. The company went on to invent the Black Country classic, the Balti pie.
Image of pub landlord pulling a pint. He is stood in front of a back bar full of bottles, and to the right is hot cabinet labelled Dormston Pies.
November 5, 2025 at 7:26 PM