Projects
The Broughton herbarium
The Broughton herbarium consists of 4 remaining bound volumes of dried and pressed plant specimens. These were collected in the 1700s from Bristol and Jamaica and much later were donated to Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. The bindings were badly damaged and the volumes were no longer protecting the contents. I was asked to conserve the collection and provide better access to the important and scientifically significant specimens within.
Each page of each volume was digitised and some of these images were selected to provide an ebook of both the British and one Jamaican volume. The specimens were all carefully removed from the original bindings and carefully remounted onto archival card. Each specimen had its original data label imaged and transferred to the new mount sheet. The specimens were then placed into family order within folders and then were incorporated into the herbarium at Bristol museum. This collection has been increasingly used and accessed for research projects and a study tour to Jamaica. The interest in this collection continues to increase which to me means this has been a very successful project.
