The Migration museum Collections project

The Migration Museum increases knowledge and appreciation of how migration has shaped Britain across the ages through the creation of inspiring exhibitions, a far-reaching national education programme, and a knowledge-sharing network of museums and galleries across the UK. The Migration Museum are working towards the long-term goal of creating Britain’s first national Migration Museum. 

Since 2013, the museum has staged an acclaimed series of events, exhibitions and education workshops at a wide range of venues across the UK, shedding light on how migration plays a part of our nation story.

The Collections Research Project 2025

The Migration Museum received funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to support the development of a dispersed collection project in advance of the museums move to a permanent home in the City of London in 2027.

The Migration Museum sought support from six PhD students to conduct research on existing collections across the UK. The Migration Museum identified six institutional partners for this project:

• London Archives

• National Museums Liverpool

• Cardiff Museums

• Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

• Bristol Museums 

• Leicester Museums

I was invited to work as a researcher with Bristol Museums, researching the collections and archives through site visits and online archives. I have uncovered over 100 migration related stories and objects within the collections, from stories of homesick young sailors travelling from Bristol to Peru; convict tokens given to loved ones from people forcibly migrated to Australia; to a suitcase belonging to Lilleith Morrison, a child who migrated from Jamaica to Bristol; and many many more. These stories and objects will become a part of the Migration Museum’s dispersed collection.