A History of the World in 100 objects

Yesterday (Monday 18th Jan) the BBC launched it's ambitious new project in partnership with the British Museum - as well as museums and individuals across the country. The aim is to tell the history of the world from 2,000,000BCE through to the present via objects in the public collections of our museums. The core of the project is a series of 100 15 min programmes on individual objects from the British Museum by Neil MacGregor on Radio 4 at 9.45am each day (see here for more details). Participation by other galleries and museums is through the BBC website, special displays, and podcasts. At the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery we've begun our participation by including William Burges' (1827-1881) exquisite decanter that he designed for himself to celebrate the publication of his 1865 text 'Art & Industry'. It features on the BBC site here and can also be seen in the lower gallery of Bedford Gallery, initially until 31st January. KP