My thesis will explore the practices of archiving and collecting relating to the clay mining industry in mid Cornwall and how these collections can create a sense of community and personal identity. I will be exploring both professionally managed archives and collections in museums and official repositories as well a personal and private collections held in homes in the region. In addition, I am also undertaking some archival work of my own at the Falmouth University Archives and Special Collections. Before starting my PhD I worked in the heritage sector, firstly for a local government community heritage centre and then for the National Trust. I completed my MA in 2013 in Museum and Gallery Education at the Institute of Education and before that I studied at the University of Exeter for a BA (Hons) in Archaeology.

University of Exeter