Clare Downham
@downham
Medievalist. She/Her. All DMs are blocked (Bluesky ID issue)
Borre, Norway - Viking Age burial mounds - magical place #medievalsky #archaeology
Enjoyed Rebanks ‘Shepherd’s Life’ (found in Oxfam) so I splashed out on this for my trip to Norway. The first book reminded me of great grandad & Nan whose family farmed the same Lakeland valley for at least four centuries. Nan’s stories encouraged me to love history. This one is set in Norway
Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic, #Cambridge wall decor (reproduction 11th century map) #medievalsky
#music #events #liverpool Friday 7th August 2026 Quarry in Liverpool 9:00pm til 3:00am (Last entry 1:00am) Minimum Age 18+
Visiting friends in Toxteth today (Happy Birthday Becky! x) passing this lovely mural #nelsonmandela #education
My semi-rural train station is packed with people waiting for the train to Liverpool, many of whom obviously heading for Pride weekend. So many straight allies heading for a lovely day to celebrate, it’s so contrary to all the division being sown in media #lgbt #pride #liverpool
Great communication by Labour on what will feel like an uphill struggle - hope this works out
Some things I really like about Hockney’s art 1. really evocative at painting rain (being born in Yorkshire might help) 2. vibrant colours - e.g. bright pink/ purple trees shouldn’t work but they do & makes them seem more alive 3. Close up work can look like a bad school project, stand back: amazing
New blog post on St Constantine’s Caves near #carlisle #cumbria #medievalsky #walks #welsh www.liverpool.ac.uk/irish-studie...
slight misquote in that 'Baltic' should read 'Baltic Triangle' the pocket of the city where Scandinavians might gather (and from the 1880s worship, at Gustav Adolfs Kyrka)
Oh my, anyone fancy buying me an island for Xmas? This is where the famous 'Inchmarnock Hostage Stone' was found which features in my next book #medievalsky #scotland www.knightfrank.co.uk/properties/r...
The University of Liverpool will be hosting Beckett: Lieben this September #booksky #literature #irish
St Constantine’s Caves, Wetheral, #cumbria by the banks of the Eden, used for storage and a hiding place during Scottish incursions by the local monks. Intriguing Welsh graffiti, can anyone offer a translation? #medievalsky #cymraeg
Wetheral Priory Gatehouse #cumbria 14th century. It survived the Reformation (unlike the main priory) by becoming the vicarage. The first vicar after the dissolution in 1538 was the former abbot. A nice bit of continuity through a time of radical change #medievalsky
50 percent discount flyer for the Proceedings of the Viking Congress held at the University of Liverpool, published this month #booksky #medievalsky #archaeology #skystorians
Audio guide of the Roman Baths in Bath by Stephen Fry following the translation of the guide by a student (who was I imagine delighted when Fry agreed to narrate it!) #archaeology www.romanbaths.co.uk/student-led-... www.romanbaths.co.uk/sites/www.ba...
Early medieval sculpture at Brixworth, Northamptonshire #medievalsky #churchcrawling
Brixworth, Northamptonshire- original church of late 8th? century date incorporating Roman tiles, plus later changes, could just spend hours here reading walls #medievalsky
Excited to receive the first batch of these! Proceedings of the 19th Viking Congress held in Liverpool #medievalsky #booksky #archaeology #skystorians
Lake District Book Festival coming soon - superb line up of speakers - esp looking forward to Sophie Ambler, Rory Stewart and Sarah Hall - all held in the gorgeous village of Cartmel #booksky #literature #politics #history #cumbria 12-14 June 2026 www.lakedistrictbookfestival.co.uk
www.liverpool.ac.uk/irish-studie... Blog post by Irish Studies student Nik Frenzel on the recent Viking Society for Northern Studies Conference hosted by the University of Liverpool. Picture shows Dr Eleanor Barraclough with members of Wirhalh Skip Felagr! #medievalsky
Fantastic hybrid conference co-organised by Sarah Vincent (who I am lucky enough to co-supervise at the University of Caen) "Marginalities in the Insular Worlds of North-Western Europe (8th–13th c.)" 12 June #histoire #history #skystorians #celtic
Definitely on the ‘to read’ list, new publication by Karen Bek Pedersen looking at women and Gaelic links in Laxdaela Saga #medievalsky #booksky #herstory #vikings
Volumes of Bibliotheca Celtica looking for a new home. Cost of postage only #celtic #libraries #booksky #gaeilge #cymru (£7.50 in UK for the lot)
History of Westminster Abbey (3 vols) 1909-1911 rare books #history #medievalsky #churches #london #westminster #booksky for sale on eBay www.ebay.co.uk/itm/13728733...