shellfish and its role in uk history and culture janet h brown institute of aquaculture, university...
TRANSCRIPT
Shellfish and its Role in UK History and Culture
Janet H BrownInstitute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling
“it all started with the Romans….”
Scallop decoration from Verulamium UK 150AD
Skara Brae – neolithic village
Role of the church in mediaeval times
Generous interpretation of
“fish”
Victorian times
“Poverty and oysters always seem to go
together”
Science informing literature?
"O Oysters, come and walk with us!" The Walrus did beseech.
"A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk, Along the briny beach:
We cannot do with more than four, To give a hand to each."
Rise and fall of the oyster fleets
• Production of Firth of Forth in 1800 – 30 million oysters pa
• Dramatic fall in production in England thought to be related to advent of railways
• First imports to boost production made in 1870s – Crassostrea virginica from USA and Ostrea edulis from France and Holland
Darker story still with mussels
Cromarty
Map of Tain and Dornoch Firth
Photos and work courtesy of shell artist Blott Kerr-Wilson
More Blott Kerr Wilson – left from cookery school in Ballymaloe and above
an orangerie in France
The Water Baby by Herbert James Draper 1900
Hymn to man
1 of Damien Hurst’s 4 gifts to the Tate Modern
Birmingham
East End culture
The Shrimp Girl by William Hogarth
Connections to Birmingham again
Winkle Pickers
Half of voters say Brown would struggle to
run a whelk stall - Daily Mail November 2007
Cockles and mussels alive alive O
www.blottshellhouses.com
Thank youICSR