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People's History Museum blog

PHM is the national museum of democracy, telling the story of its development in Britain: past, present, and future.

On this blog we share posts from the PHM team and other experts, with behind the scenes stories, coverage of PHM's exhibitions and events, and highlights from the museum's unique collection.

Image of a plate with an illustration of people marching with placards below three large traditional banners. The text reads: Womens’ Support Group & NUM Manvers Colliery.

Miners’ Strike 1984 to 1985: Women Against Pit Closures

31 January 2024


In this second of a series of three blogs exploring miners’ strikes, Amy Todd, a PhD student working for People’s History Museum (PHM), explores the women’s movement against pit closures during the 1984 to 1985 Miners’ Strike.



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Image of A white mug with black line drawings of a miner and family with the text Support the Miners.

Miners’ Strike 1974: a victory for workers

9 January 2024


Dr Shirin Hirsch takes us back to the 1974 Miners’ Strike, and explains what took place and the legacy that this would create for the years that followed.  Part of a series of three blogs, we’ll also hear about the events of the 1984 to 1985 Miners’ Strike with Dr Bob Dinn, Visitor Experience Supervisor for PHM and also from Amy Todd, a PhD student working for PHM, who will be writing about the women’s movement against pit closures during this year long strike.



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Image of A photo of the author in a lab coat. They have round glasses, pinky-purple hair, and are smiling.

Museum careers: what does textile conservation involve?

7 December 2023


Textile conservation is an essential role at People’s History Museum (PHM) due to our large collection of banners and other textile objects.  The Conservation Studio at PHM is the site of this work to preserve, mend and examine the objects in our collection.  Yubi Coates (they/them), Textile Conservation MPhil student at the University of Glasgow, spent their placement in The Conservation Studio, getting hands on with banners and flags.  In this blog, they tell us about what they learnt during their placement.  



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Image of National Union of Journalists Official Picket armband, around 1985. Image courtesy of People's History Museum.

Strike action in PHM’s collection, past and present

15 November 2023


After a year marked by ongoing strike action, People’s History Museum have uncovered strike related objects in the museum’s collection.  These objects, collected from 40 years of picket lines, represent major UK strikes of the 1980s and 1990s, with more recent acquisitions illustrating contemporary strike action.



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Image of Left to right: National Health Service Act; Public Health pamphlets from 1892 to 1970.

Mental Health Policy in the NHS: 75 years on  

10 October 2023


On 5 July 2023, the National Health Service (NHS) celebrated its 75th birthday.  Launched by Minister of Health Aneurin Bevan in 1948, the NHS aimed to bring free and reliable healthcare to all.  The establishment of the NHS as a universal healthcare system was a key moment in health equality and in socialist policy.  However, it is not without its difficulties.

Sarah Thompson-Cook is a Mental Health Nurse and Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing at Manchester Metropolitan University.  In this blog, she explores the history of mental health services in the NHS, and the ongoing crisis recognised by organisations such as the Socialist Health Association.



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