This exploratory research project looked into the public understanding of the English Civil War. The aim was to support academics who have a particular interest in the English Civil War to engage with the general public.

Research participants at the Millennium Gallery

The fieldwork was conducted at Museum Sheffield Millennium Gallery. Independent adults who were passing through the gallery were asked to complete a  short paper questionnaire followed by one or more activity sheets. These were selected to suit the respondent, taking into account the amount of time that they had available and their apparent level of knowledge. Where appropriate, people were asked to expand upon their answers verbally and the audio from these short conversations was recorded.

The research was commissioned by Amy Ryall, External Engagement Projects Manager, Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Sheffield. She said:

It’s been a real pleasure working with Catherine on this project. She was able to take my initial, half-formed ideas about how to go about it and fashion them into something much more creative in order to achieve what we wanted to achieve. She worked well with other less experienced members of the team to encourage and support them in their role providing really valuable professional development at the same time as getting the project done. I know that she works over and above what can reasonably be expected and have really appreciated her commitment to a small project. The resulting report will be really useful to help the academics I work with understand the audiences they are working with.