Bruce Castle Museum & Archive

01/02/2025

The 1st February marks the beginning of 2025 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

This year’s theme is ‘Activism and Social Change’, and we’re so excited to be part of Haringey’s wider celebrations of our radical, diverse and nationally significant LGBTQ+ heritage!

At Bruce Castle, we have 2 special events coming up for LGBT+ History Month:
1. Discover one of the most iconic forms of community activism, zine making, at our ‘Becoming a Zinester’ workshops! Saturday 22 (10.30am to 12.30pm) and Sunday 23 February (2pm to 4pm). For those aged 16-25 years old.
2. Take a journey through Harringay’s many connections to iconic radical episodes in the nation’s LGBTQ+ heritage on our ‘Walking with Pride!’ walking tour on Sunday 23 February, 11am to 1pm.

All of these events are FREE, but do require booking via Ticket Tailor: buytickets.at/brucecastlemuseum

Any queries, just pop us a message at [email protected]
Haringey Council

29/01/2025

Anti-Valentine tours @ The Castle - There's still time to book your tickets! 💔

What’s love got to do with it? Very little!
Love is fickle and this Valentine’s, Bruce Castle will be hosting the perfect event for those who dread the build up to Valentine's Day.

Come on a blind date with us on Thursday 13 February and listen to eye opening tales of Cupid’s wayward arrows on a candlelit evening tour of The Castle. There’ll be stories of love unrequited, forbidden and ghostly, guaranteed to not leave you feeling all warm inside.

Tickets are £15 and will include your choice of twilight tipple: either a glass of wine or a warming hot chocolate.
Each tour will run for an hour.
These tours are strictly for adults 18 and over only. Booking is essential.

There are two tours to choose from:
6.30pm to 7.30pm
& 8.30pm to 9.30pm

Tickets £15 each (including drink)

To book your tickets please email us at [email protected] and provide us with the following information:
• Your name (and the names of other guests)
• The number of tickets you would like to buy
• The time (either 6.30 to 7.30pm or 8.30 to 9.30pm) of the tour you would like to attend,
We will then send you a payment link.

Haringey Council

Cancellation: If you cancel your ticket within 48 hours of the event there will be a £5 cancellation fee.

29/01/2025

A very to all 🌙

In this Year of the Wood Snake, we wish everyone good health, prosperity and peace!

The Wood Snake is associated with charm, intelligence and creativity, so we’re very excited for what this New Year will bring 🐍

Image: Residents celebrating the Lunar New Year at Haringey Chinese Centre, South Tottenham, 1988. From the collections.

🐍 Haringey Council

28/01/2025

January’s theme is all about dispelling the myth that archives are dusty, forgotten or irrelevant.

As an indication of how powerful archive collections can be, we’re sharing an item from the Joyce Butler archive at Bruce Castle! The image shows Cervical Screening publicity material from the National Cervical Cancer Prevention Campaign, September 1967.

As part of our recently announced AHRC funded project: ‘The National Woman’s MP: Joyce Butler, women's rights and women's liberation from the 1950s to the 1970s’, we will be using this incredible archive collection to share the legacy of Joyce’s lifelong commitment to women’s rights, social justice and consumer rights. For the project, we will also be working with the North Central London Integrated Care Board/NHS on their Cultural Health Campaign, using archival materials as part of a wider effort to engage with hard-to-reach communities on cervical cancer and women’s health.

Archives are incredibly powerful tools for engagement and we can’t wait to share more of the Joyce Butler collection with you throughout the project!

This project is being carried out in partnership with Dr Lyndsey Jenkins, Associate Professor and Tutorial Fellow in History, Mansfield College, Oxford.

Image from the collections and © Bruce Castle Museum & Archive

Haringey Council Arts and Humanities Research Council - AHRC Explore Your Archive

27/01/2025

80 candles for 80 years, marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 2025.

Remembering the millions who have died and suffered in all genocides.

24/01/2025

🎉EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT 🎉

We are so pleased to be able to publicly announce our Arts and Humanities Research Council - AHRC funded project ‘The National Woman’s MP: Joyce Butler, women's rights and women's liberation from the 1950s to the 1970s’ working in partnership with Dr Lyndsey Jenkins, Associate Professor and Tutorial Fellow in History, Mansfield College, Oxford!

The project runs from January 2025 until December 2026 and uses the Joyce Butler Archive held at Bruce Castle to commemorate her work as a Councillor and MP of Wood Green between 1955 and 1979.

Joyce Butler (1910-1992) had a lifelong commitment to women’s rights, social justice and consumer rights. This project will celebrate her life and legacy through collaborative engagement programmes, oral histories, plus a new exhibition at Bruce Castle!

Watch this space for more info…

Image 1: Joyce Butler for her 1974 General Election Campaign as MP for Wood Green, where she won her seat taking over 51% of the total votes
Image 2: Copy of the ‘Anti-discrimination Bill’ put forward by Joyce in 1971 (not passed). The Bill had support from men and women from both parties, a long list of women’s organisations and women’s liberation movement groups
From the collections and © Bruce Castle Museum & Archive

Haringey Council

20/01/2025

Beautiful Tottenham skies as the sun set around Bruce Castle this evening on 20 January 2025 .... views to the west from the front lawn, view of the north elevation, and the Victorian Wing.

15/01/2025

Introducing our Anti-Valentine Candlelit Tours @ The Castle this February .....

'What’s love got to do with it?' .... Very little!
Love is fickle and this Valentine’s, Bruce Castle will be hosting the perfect event for those who dread the build up to Valentine's Day.

Come on a blind date with us on Thursday 13 February and listen to eye opening tales of Cupid’s wayward arrows on a candlelit evening tour of The Castle. There’ll be stories of love unrequited, forbidden and ghostly, guaranteed to not leave you feeling all warm inside.

Tickets are £15 and will include your choice of twilight tipple: either a glass of wine or a warming hot chocolate.
Each tour will run for an hour.
These tours are strictly for adults 18 and over only. Booking is essential.

There are two tours to choose from:
6.30pm to 7.30pm
& 8.30pm to 9.30pm

Tickets £15 each (including drink)

To book your tickets please email us at [email protected] and provide us with the following information:
• Your name (and the names of other guests)
• The number of tickets you would like to buy
• The time (either 6.30 to 7.30pm or 8.30 to 9.30pm) of the tour you would like to attend,
We will then send you a payment link.



Cancellation: If you cancel your ticket within 48 hours of the event there will be a £5 cancellation fee.

15/01/2025

Congratulations to Jacksons Lane at their launch event last night for their 50th anniversary year in 2025. We got a taster of the fun and interesting programme ahead as they celebrate their special year, thanks to the . At Bruce Castle Museum & Archive we are looking forward to sharing the journey as we work on the heritage collecting together.

Do look out for the amazing line up for the anniversary year at Jacksons Lane and also, on their behalf, if you have any memories of JL over the past 50 years, do get in touch with them directly on [email protected] and let them know!

Well done once again! And thank you!

Haringey Council Friends of Bruce Castle

It was fantastic to pay a visit to Jacksons Lane tonight & get a glimpse of the great programme of fab activities, events & shows they've lined up for 2025.

They are preparing to celebrate their 50th birthday in some style this year! 🎂🥳

More info: https://bit.ly/3PEXvSQ 🎭

11/01/2025

Happy Heritage Treasures Day on 11 January 2025 from Bruce Castle Museum & Archive in Tottenham!

On this very chilly day, we are looking forward to welcoming Spring .....
.... and also welcoming back visitors to see our own heritage treasure at Bruce Castle as we come to the end of our current MEND restoration building programme. Can't wait to share with you our newly restored spaces and galleries in March and April! Watch out for updates, and our events programme ....

@friendsofbrucecastle

10/01/2025

COMING UP - Jewish Heritage Walking Tours of Tottenham ✡

Join us for two tours organised by Tottenham Heritage Walks with Bruce Castle Museum & Archive and Haringey Culture Team to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day 2025.

On both walks guide Carol Hebbs (Tottenham Heritage Walks) will provide a fascinating tour through Tottenham’s Jewish heritage, taking in significant sites and stories including:
- Former High Cross Synagogue of Tottenham Hebrew Congregation (image 1)
- Former Jewish Home and Hospital, High Road (image 2)
- Holocaust Memorial Garden of Remembrance, Bruce Castle Park (3)

Walk 1 - South Tottenham to Bruce Castle Museum & Archive
🗓Thursday 23 January
🕛10.30am to 12.30pm

Walk 2 - Bruce Castle Museum & Archive to South Tottenham
🗓Sunday 26 January
🕛10.30am to 12.30pm

Free tickets can be booked for both walks at buytickets.at/brucecastlemuseum

For any queries, please email us at [email protected]

Haringey Council Tottenham Heritage Walks

09/01/2025

📚Archive Search Room - Now Taking Bookings!

We are very pleased to say that our Archive Search Room will be re-opening on Wednesday 5 February. As such, we are now able to take bookings for research visits!

🔗For details on opening hours and how to book please go to the visiting the Archive page on our website: www.brucecastle.org/research/visiting-archive

❗Please note that although our Search Room space is open the Bruce Castle MEND works are ongoing until Spring 2025 and continue to impact other spaces in the Museum. Bruce Castle Museum will remain closed to the public until the end of January. Pre-existing bookings will go ahead. A phased re-opening of gallery spaces plus school visits will resume from February.

Visit the Project Page on our website and join our mailing list (links in our bio via linktree) to stay up-to-date on the works.

Haringey Council

01/01/2025

Wishing you all a peaceful and happy new year as we welcome 2025! 🎉

Here is a locally made (and delicious!) Vasilopita for 2025, baked at Yasar Halim in Green Lanes, Harringay. It is a traditional New Year’s cake, that is typically served on New Year’s Day. A coin is hidden inside the cake and the person who finds the coin in their slice is said to have good luck for the coming year. Vasilopita is a symbol of good fortune and prosperity in Greek and Cypriot culture. Today, 1 January, it also marks St Basil's Day.

From all of us at Bruce Castle Museum & Archive we would like to thank you for your support over the past year. ⭐

We greatly look forward to sharing even more events, exhibitions and history with you in the coming year at the museum. Over the next few months our major capital works programme on the historic building will be nearing an end and we will be excited to start using the galleries again - do look out for updates about the project and also news of our events for January and February - coming soon. 😀

17/12/2024

🎉 EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT 🎉

Here’s the stunning All Hallows Church looking exceptionally festive in last year’s snow ❄⛄

We are so thrilled to announce that we have received funding for a new project about one of the Church’s most signficant Vicars - William Bedwell (1561-1632)!

Funded by The Royal Society’s Places of Science Grant, ‘Getting the Measure of William Bedwell: Maths, Measurement, and the Arabic world ‘ will use collections relating to Bedwell’s work as a mathematician and leading Arabic scholar to explore geometry and how it contributes to our understanding of our place in the world.

From a brand new exhibition to school workshops, family activities and public talks, this project promises to be fascinating, fun and engaging for all!

Keep an eye out for more information in the New Year 👀

Haringey Council Friends of Bruce Castle

06/12/2024

A little bit of festive fun to welcome in the weekend...

Next time you find yourself near Bruce Castle, make sure to look up!⬆

We may not be open to the public this festive season, but we're still bringing some Christmas cheer to the Castle with a lovely pine tree taking pride of place at the top of the 17th century clocktower 🎄

Haringey Council

06/12/2024

Bruce Castle Park received a new visitor this week! 🐱

This gorgeous cat was spotted near the park's main entrance greeting passers by 🌳

Although the Museum & Archive is closed until the New Year due to our exciting MEND restoration works - which you can read more about by visiting www.brucecastle.org - the beautiful parkland surrounding Bruce Castle is of course still open and free for all to enjoy, both humans and furry friends alike!

Friends of Bruce Castle Park

05/12/2024

5 December is ⭐

We’d like to take this opportunity to say a huge THANK YOU to all of those who have supported Bruce Castle Museum & Archive over the years – we would not be the place we are today without you!

Our incredible volunteers and members of the Friends of Bruce Castle support us and the work we do across a range of roles – from family activities, to collections care and access, to events, talks and walks. They make the work we do possible, and keep the Museum & Archive closely connected to the local communities that we serve. We are so grateful to all of them!

Image: Volunteers at Bruce Castle creating a stunning banner for the ‘100 Banners’ project which celebrated 100 years of Votes for Women in 2018.

Want to get involved? 🧐

If you are interested in volunteering for Bruce Castle Museum & Archive then please do send us an email at [email protected]. We will add you to a waiting list and get back to you about opportunities once our East Wing Restoration Project has finished.

If you would like to join the Friends of Bruce Castle and help champion your local Museum & Archive at Bruce Castle then send an email to [email protected]


Haringey Council

05/12/2024

🎉 EXCITING NEWS 🎉

We are so thrilled to be partnering with Jacksons Lane for their upcoming National Lottery Heritage Funded project: ’50 Years of Jacksons Lane’!

Jacksons Lane will be celebrating their 50th birthday in style with a dynamic programme of heritage activities, community engagement and restoration projects throughout 2025.

We’re excited to be joining them on this important journey through the development of a publicly accessible archive which will be looked after at Bruce Castle Museum & Archive and will make Jacksons Lane’s history — and its role in Haringey's broader history — accessible to all.

Look out for more details in the future, and in the meantime do check out Jacksons Lane and the fantastic work that they do!

www.jacksonslane.org.uk

Haringey Council Jacksons Lane