S12E04: Halloween Special

Jenny and Kloe share some conservation horror stories, including mysterious tales of possessed equipment and phantasmal fans. Break it down to our Halloween song ‘The Monstrous Crash’ and then wind down with a review of ‘Ghost Stories of the British Museum Audio Guide’ by Noah Angell. Finally Jenny shares some pumpkin preservation tips for everyone’s Halloween needs! 02:59 Can anyone offer us a haunted place to visit? 04:23 Jenny’s possessed air quality monitor 06:40 Kloe’s mysterious fan incident 15:26 What’s the spookiest museum object you’ve ever come across? 19:16 What’s the scariest thing you’ve found in the store? 27:50 The scariest job offers 29:50 Kloe’s addendum on The Fan Incident 31:40 The Monstrous Crash 35:27 Review: Ghost Stories of the British Museum Audio Guide 38:02 Comments, questions, corrections 38:33 Pumpkin preservation Show Notes: - European Day of Conservation-Restoration: https://www.ecco-eu.org/european-day-of-conservation-restoration/ - S09E06 Leather: https://thecword.show/2021/06/02/s09e06-leather/ - S01E02 Human Remains: https://thecword.show/2017/03/15/s01e02-human-remains/ - S07E02 Frightful Beasts and Where to Find Them: https://thecword.show/2020/04/29/s07e02-frightful-beasts-and-where-to-find-them/ - Spitting Image (TV series): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitting_Image - S02E05 Modern Materials: https://thecword.show/2017/10/18/s02e05-modern-materials/ - Meaco environmental monitoring (to verify hauntings): https://meaco.co.uk/ - Ghost Stories of the British Museum Audio Guide: https://music.apple.com/gb/album/ghost-stories-of-the-british-museum-audio-guide/1529228148 - S12E03 Gemstones and Minerals: https://thecword.show/2022/10/12/s12e03-gemstones-and-minerals/ - Making your jack-o-lantern last longer: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/guides/how-to-make-your-pumpkins-last-longer/ *** The Monstrous Crash (vocals by Steve Waddington and the Case Kickers) I was working in the lab late one night, When an eerie noise gave me a fright I heard new voices I did not recognise, And suddenly to my surprise, There was a monstrous crash! Something reduced to trash I set off at a dash!
 What a monstrous crash! With gloves in hand I dashed down the hall
 No answers from paintings, hung upon the walls No response from the medieval gallery where An armoured suit gave me a steely glare... There was a monstrous crash! Something reduced to trash I set off at a dash!
 What a monstrous crash! This report will not be fun, telling bosses what’s been done
 The mess might be abhorrent - my work may be undone! And I rounded the corner, in quite a fright,
 But just got stony looks from all the ammonites, Then the burial goods it was time to brave, Where votive figures are all silent as the grave There was a monstrous crash! Something reduced to trash I set off at a dash! What a monstrous crash! And at last at the gift shop I found the noise, Where the night guard who our museum employs, Had tripped over the soft toys’ rack, but then, Said “Why are you here? It’s 2am!” There was a monstrous crash! Something reduced to trash I set off at a dash! What a monstrous crash! So back to my office it was time to creep,
 The legionary in his coffin went back to sleep, But then I heard a distant, case-rattling roar... Probably the mould beast on the basement floor There was a monstrous crash! Something reduced to trash I set off at a dash! What a monstrous crash! Wah-ooh, argh, monstrous crash, no good, wah-ooh 
At least it’s not as scary as china repairs done with sellotape… Wah-ooh, argh, monstrous crash, no good, wah-ooh Oops… My bad! *** Support us on Patreon! http://www.patreon.com/thecword Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson and Kloe Rumsey. Intro and outro music by DDmyzik, used under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license. A Wooden Dice production, 2022.

Om Podcasten

We talk about all sorts of things from the perspective of conservation professionals, from museum trends and new technology to the big issues like pay and staying safe at work. In some museums conservation can be a bit of a naughty word but we think it ought to be celebrated!