Portsmouth Museums & Records Service and the BBC's "A History of the World" project

BBC Radio Solent and museums across the county have chosen 10 objects to tell a history of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and their place in the world. The list of 10 objects can be found at www.bbc.co.uk/hampshire. These objects are part of the wider "A History of the World" project formed out of a unique partnership between the BBC, the British Museum and 350 museums and institutions across the country.

Portsmouth Museums & Records Service has had two objects chosen from its collections, which have local, national and international significance. One of Marc Brunel’s block making machines is included (see photograph at right).

This machine was one of a series designed by Sir Marc Isambard Brunel (father of Isambard Kingdom Brunel) that went into production in 1805 to produce the wooden blocks for sailing ships.

Set up in Portsmouth Dockyard, they were the first example of the use of machine tools for mass production and also the earliest large machine tools to be made of metal. They allowed 10 unskilled men to do the work of 110 craftsmen, and thus heralded the arrival of mass production, not only in the Dockyard but across the United Kingdom and the world.

The other object selected is an incendiary bomb (see photograph below), one of the tens of thousands dropped on the City of Portsmouth between 1940 and 1944 by the German air force. Each bomb would burst into flames when it landed, potentially starting a major fire. On the night of 10-11 January 1941, Portsmouth Guildhall and a large part of Southsea was destroyed by fire started by incendiary bombs, for example. Later also used by the Allies against Germany and Japan, these weapons changed the face of cities worldwide, suddenly and dramatically.

The BBC is asking the public to suggest further objects. You can actively participate by uploading photographs of your own objects that have a local or global appeal. At the end of February 2010 it is hoped that each BBC Local website will have an additional “People’s 10 Objects” telling the history of their region and its global connections.

Event in Portsmouth on 17 February

Museums around the county will be holding events in February half-term to celebrate A History of the World. The Hampshire event will take place at Portsmouth City Museum & Records Office on Wednesday 17 February. As part of the History of the World project, the BBC wants to build a digital museum - you can upload an object you or your family own which tells us about a time, a place or a community. What part does your object play in a history of the world? You can upload your object onto the BBC website, or if you come along on 17 February, BBC staff will help do this. There will be a chance to see some of the 10 Hampshire and Isle of Wight objects. Curators and other staff from some local museums will be there on the day accompanying their objects and will be able to tell you more about them. There will also be family activities linked in with each object.