Sign in

Oliver Betts

@drolibetts.bsky.social
1.6K followers 686 following 152 posts

National Railway Museum Research Lead. Historian of industrial working-class worlds 1850-1950. Passionate about connecting museums and universities.

PostsRepliesMedia
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
c19th Salvation Army conversion narratives are set-up just like meet-cutes... "From the moment the two lads were first thrown together, they felt drawn to one another. As the intimacy grew, however, William soon became conscious that there was something lacking in their friendship" War Cry 1901
040
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
c19th Salvation Army imagery went SO HARD
An image from a Salvation Army pamphlet about their work in Torquay, featuring a man threatening a vulture with a club whist a woman points to scripture. The seascape is in the background and above reads the slogan TORQUAY FOR JESUS
080
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Sketch of a hot potato street seller and his portable oven from the Charles Booth Notebooks booth.lse.ac.uk/notebook/boo...
030
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
With apologies to Saatchi and Saatchi and sympathies for front of house colleagues having to sort this mess out #bayeuxtapestry
0122
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Can I tempt you both with the Bardcore version of it? www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aHh...
youtube.com
Choosin' Texas by Ella Langley - A Bardcore | Medieval Cover by Hildegard von Blingin'
YouTube video by Hildegard von Blingin'
031
Reposted by Oliver Betts
Dr Eleanor Shaw @eleanorshaw.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Fancy coming to work with me at the British Library? Part time for 18 months, collecting oral histories about covid and thinking about covid commemoration. www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/jobs/job/228...
nationalmuseums.org.uk
Jobs - National Museum Directors' Council Website
Association of directors and chief executives of the UK's national museums, galleries, libraries and archives.
512098
Reposted by Oliver Betts
Leena Lindell @leenalindell.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Five years ago @drolibetts.bsky.social, one of my PhD superviosrs, imagined this gem. Now, as I am working through my thesis corrections I can honestly it is pretty much in line with this early proposal. #PhDSky #AcademicSky #PhDone
151
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The opening scene from Terminator. A human skull crushed beneath a robot foot. Camera pans up, capturing is soulless eyes as it surveys the ruined city. The robot opens its cruel metallic mouth, its inhuman voice a mechanical rasp... "LOL, get owned, NOOB!"
021
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The worst part of the "AI is taking over" story is how all the tech bros who have created AI have made it speak like a millennial desperately trying to be cool... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Why some experts increasingly fear AI will take over
AI agents went on an uncontrolled hacking spree, leaving some in the industry worried
010
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
I'm really interested to know if any railway/transport historians have been engaging with Robert Fogel's work in a context outside of America? Does anyone have any reading recommendations? (also keen on any American takes on it too...)
103
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
When people ask about what is different between past societies and ours in British history that one of biggest changes must be that this is the first period of our history where mourning child death was not a common and everyday experience for most people.
140
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Would you like a peak inside Queen Victoria's carriage from the 1860s?
060
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
I'd be concerned if your level of moth infestation was as bad as ours!
130
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
A regular museum day is such an odd thing: Meeting Paperwork Handle Victorian Suitcase Emails Answer obscure press inquiry Paperwork Have existential crisis about severe lack of funding Paperwork Argue about c18th oil painting Emails Find out more about moths than you ever wanted to Meeting
1201
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
You should know it didn't save him, he was sentenced to death! I guess depends on how strict your publisher/editor is!
020
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Most amazing defense I've ever come across in years of looking at Old Bailey records today from a man accused of stealing sheep in 1815:
36615
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
I know there are some other great historians of British policing, but I do miss Clive Emsley's very calm and reasonable way of explaining these often difficult parts of police history to the public.
170
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Well, its the Local Democracy reporting section of the BBC website, that you need to travel quite far down the news homepage to find.
110
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Maybe after a decade or more of culture war nonsense, the more useful thing to do regarding the Dickens museum story of the moment would be to simply ignore it. Its a bad faith story being pushed by people with no interest in any of the relevant debates just looking for a reaction.
181
Reposted by Oliver Betts
Dr Katy Barrett FSA @spoonsontrays.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Hive mind, I’m looking for Victorian guides to London buildings and monuments, preferable around the 1840s. Can anyone recommend?
533
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Lee Jackson put together a good snapshot of documents about Victorian London, which you can use as a base to search for things: www.victorianlondon.org/index-2012.htm
victorianlondon.org
Dictionary of Victorian London - Victorian History - 19th Century London - Social History
100
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
I loved having the chance to sit down for our Railway Museum podcast and talk to my much more talented other half @wromantichistry.bsky.social about the connections between Royals and Rails. Do come and have a listen! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccqr...
youtube.com
Royals on Rails: A History of Royal Trains | National Railway Museum Podcast Episode 2
YouTube video by National Railway Museum
130
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
I do think all this stuff about "dumbing down" is so frustrating. Honestly, the general public live in a world of choice. 40+ free tv channels, thousands of take-away options, etc. Why can't these commentators just trust that the public are capable of picking and choosing what they want to see?!
110
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
I've nothing necessarily against him, but honestly... Find someone who looks at you the way that certain parts of the Labour Party look at Andy Burnham!
020
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
I don't mind the key elements of the statement, but for me its lacks any sort of punch or commitment or forward momentum. What is the direction of travel? I hope those plans for a Festival of History in 2027 are pretty developed already - I've heard nothing across the heritage sector about it!
100
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Deeply normal curatorial teams chat on a Wednesday morning...
150
Reposted by Oliver Betts
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
If you were interested in a short, fun, engagement with research and collections across our museum group, what format would you prefer that to take? - A blog? - A short video (2-3 mins?) - A c5mins bitesize podcast? - Something else? It would be really useful to hear from you!
246
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
I was left wondering whether grotesque was some artistic category but it did feel very unfair on the poor artist!
000
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Seen in the British Museum recently. Imagine thinking you'd done a good job on that artwork only for a curator 4500 years later to bad mouth your work!
Tomb Relief depicting a man in side view. Carved on brown stone in Ancient Egyptian style.An image of a museum interpretation panel from the British Museum that describes the relief calling it grotesque and inferior!
392
Reposted by Oliver Betts
Geoff Belknap @curatorgeoff.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
JOB KLAXON - National Museums Scotland is looking for a Keeper of Global Arts, Cultures & Design. Amazing team & collections. If you have senior management experience and expertise in one of these areas, apply! Salary - £76,093 – 86,275 FT 35 hpw Deadline - 30/04/2026 careers.nms.ac.uk/job/856993
careers.nms.ac.uk
Keeper, Global Arts, Cultures & Design
035
Reposted by Oliver Betts
Dr Jenny Woodley @jennywoodley.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Can any historians of empire please recommend reading that connects regional history to global histories of empire? Bonus points if it touches on the role of/ relationship between England's north east or Midlands and the British empire!
101312
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
If you were interested in a short, fun, engagement with research and collections across our museum group, what format would you prefer that to take? - A blog? - A short video (2-3 mins?) - A c5mins bitesize podcast? - Something else? It would be really useful to hear from you!
246
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Historians of Post-War Britain, who should I be reading if I'm interested in modernization efforts (both failed and successful) as well the public reception of those? Any pointers gratefully received... Thank you!
116
Reposted by Oliver Betts
British Library @britishlibrary.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Support the development of our major exhibition on the Norman Conquest through this extraordinary PhD placement opportunity. Available to students currently registered at a UK HEI, three full-time, six-month placements. Applications open until Monday 6 April. Find out more: link.bl.uk/dnv
05945
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
I have not - but will add that to the watch list!
000
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
When you work with a large advertising archive you get used to lots of things being sold as "Rivieras" but the idea of a DANISH Riviera is a new one for me! Franz Sedivy for LNER c.1930 (c)SMG
A colourful poster depicting the Danish landscape from a bird's eye perspective. The sun shines brightly down on sea, beaches, and fields whilst the caption proudly proclaims it as the "Danish Riviera"
153
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
It's always a little disconcerting to miss a couple of emails about an object move and then walk into something that wasn't there yesterday. Especially with objects as big as ours!
Side on view of a wooden railway carriage, the Dynamometer Car, in the Railway Museum. It's a rich varnished brown colour dating from the 1890s
050
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
I quite liked the short David Shafer history from 2005. I felt like it was a good introduction to the key themes, people, and events. There's also Laura Foster's lovely new book about the aftermath, especially the Commune's refugees and legacy in the UK.
230
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Its only a month or so into 2026 and I've already spoken on two podcasts about the Rainhill Trials - at this rate 2029/2030 is going to be intense!
020
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Love the blink-and-you-miss-it exasperated side-eye from this young woman working the computers for the delegates from British Railways Head Office. Clearly a woman who has spent her entire day being patronised by male senior managers. British Pathe 1957 - A Computer for British Rail
A young woman operating a punch-card computer shoots an exasperated look at the camera during a promotional British Railways film
061
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
I've worked at the Railway Museum for over a decade and I'm still mystified why Britain's railways are allowed to sell more tickets than seats in each carriage. At this point regularly having people standing in the vestibules is dangerous and unnecessary.
140
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Strange sense of deja vu looking over these locomotive enthusiast books. Railways were never my obsession as a child but I did have books exactly like this with colour plates of Napoleonic uniforms...
020
Reposted by Oliver Betts
Art UK @artukdotorg.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Great news! 🙌 Art UK will be relaunching our crowdsourcing platform Art Detective, thanks to a grant from @wolfsonfdn.bsky.social Find out more 👉 artuk.org/discover/sto... 🧑‍🎨 Mary Winifrid Smith (1904–1992) © the artist's estate. 📷 @nationaltrust.org.uk
artuk.org
Art UK to relaunch crowdsourcing platform Art Detective with funding from the Wolfson Foundation
Art UK is preparing to relaunch its innovative artwork knowledge crowdsourcing platform Art Detective. The rebuild is being made possible thanks to a £65,370 grant from the Wolfson Foundation, with ad...
12513
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
I think they'll do it through employers, and incentivize companies to take it up that way, honestly. There's already a lot of uncertainty in industry about what AI can bring without much knowledge, so potentially an easy sell to senior management etc.
130
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
I think you could overdo the comparison, of course, but I think there are some interesting parallels. Lots of threads online of people sharing ideas on how to disable or work-around AI features.
110
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
This massive programme of training which might largely de-value current worker skills and the never-ending intrusion of AI into computer systems for office and home workers means that there's going to be an amazingly relevant thesis on the Luddites to write in the near future!
110
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Very exciting! Love the cover!
120
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
020
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Thinking Andy Burnham is the solution to Labour OR the country's woes is like thinking swapping to decaf tea in the evening is going to be THE thing to fix your health...
051
Oliver Betts @drolibetts.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Inspector: "How long have you been on this line?" Guard: "Ten years, Sir" Inspector: "Oh I suppose you came down from London" Guard: "I only joined the train at Maidstone". --- Posted notice: "You must go over by the subway unless you want to be dead for the rest of your lives"
040