Monday 14 February 2011

Apothecaries Hall for vols

Apothecaries Hall

The majority of the furniture in the hall was donated by a pharmacist from North Wales, with a few items being donated from a shop in Whitchurch, Cardiff. Many of the display items have been loaned by Professor Terry Turner, some items were ordered from a specialist company, and a few items have been donated by members and friends.

Having someone present in the hall to engage the public helps to bring it to life; don't forget that even if you think you know very little, you will know a lot more than the general public. If they know more than you, encourage them to talk!

The hall is also a wonderful background to do talks in.

Perhaps you could develop your own talks - I suggest 20 minutes is probably enough,  although it would be useful to have a series of short anecdotes about a minute or so long.

Some thoughts on subject matter

Food as medicine.
Spices as medicine.
The Apothecaries Garden
History of (for instance) Plant Collectors, Herbalists, Wallace and Darwin.
Gruesome medicine (the kids love this sort of stuff)
Growing herbs on a windowsill, and how to use them.
Home remedies
Oddball cures.
Folklore and plants.
Folklore of Welsh plants.
Witchy things - why did they use henbane? Why don't witches like holly and Rowan?
Plants and religion
Poisonous plants.
Victorian pharmacy.
Ships surgeon
What are complementary medicines/therapies?

There is a massive amount of info freely available on the internet. There are also a lot of people at the Garden who can help/advise.

Education (Jane or Diane)
Professor Terry Turner.
Interpretations (Bruce)
Horticulture
Bob Edwards buskingbob@aol.com

Apothecary Hall for vols

Apothecaries Hall

The majority of the furniture in the hall was donated by a pharmacist from North Wales, with a few items being donated from a shop in Whitchurch, Cardiff. Many of the display items have been loaned by Professor Terry Turner, some items were ordered from a specialist company, and a few items have been donated by members and friends.

Having someone present in the hall to engage the public helps to bring it to life; don't forget that even if you think you know very little, you will know a lot more than the general public. If they know more than you, encourage them to talk!

The hall is also a wonderful background to do talks in.

Perhaps you could develop your own talks - I suggest 20 minutes is probably enough.

Some thoughts on subject matter

Food as medicine.
Spices as medicine.
The Apothecaries Garden
History of (for instance) Plant Collectors, Herbalists, Wallace and Darwin.
Gruesome medicine (the kids love this sort of stuff)
Growing herbs on a windowsill, and how to use them.
Home remedies
Oddball cures.
Folklore and plants.
Folklore of Welsh plants.
Witchy things - why did they use henbane? Why don't witches like holly and Rowan?
Plants and religion
Poisonous plants.
Victorian pharmacy.
Ships surgeon
What are complementary medicines/therapies?

There is a massive amount of info freely available on the internet. There are also a lot of people at the Garden who can help/advise.

Education (Jane or Diane)
Professor Terry Turner.
Interpretations (Bruce)
Horticulture
Bob Edwards buskingbob@aol.com