Digital Collections – Introduction

Welcome to the Digital Collections of the “Jarrow Hall: Anglo-Saxon Farm, Village, and Bede Museum”. The purpose of these Digital Collections is to promote the leading role of the Museum as a connector between the local communities of the North-East of England, the wider public, academy, institutions and enterprise in a digital format that is fully accessible anytime from anywhere.

The Collections showcase the development and meaning of the Museum, its relationship with the history of the local community, and its increasing capacity in prompting scientific research, horizontal debates, and public engagements for an innovative use of history to tackle present challenges. These Collections are not intended as a surrogate of the Museum’s sections that can be visited in presence in Jarrow. On the contrary, they are designed to add complementary information to the physical Collections in a way that cannot be experienced on-site or without the aid of digital technology. The Collections display the role and significance of the local historical heritage and of the early medieval buildings (re)constructed in Gyrwe, i.e. the farm of the Museum. They explore how these structures can be investigated using digital technologies to tackle and raise research questions at the centre of current debates, and to reflect on how we make sense of the past.

Our Digital Collections result from a long-standing collaboration between Newcastle University’s McCord Centre for Landscape and Groundwork South and North Tyneside Charitable Trust.