Tom Hughes

@tomtelltale.bsky.social

361 Followers 568 Following

Passionate about museums, community heritage, storytelling, stone circles, medieval history, folklore, and bagpipes.

Sunlight showing dazzling rays through a notch in a megalith.
A screen with the title slide 'The Folklore of Protecting the Home'.
A photograph of standing stones in the Twelve Apostles stone circle. The grass has been clipped short by the sheep and there is a layer of frost. The sun is dazzling in a cool blue sky.
A photograph of a standing stone within a circle, with the sun rising over a tree lined horizon.
Photo showing white condensation trails from planes forming a saltire shape in the blue sky over the ruins of Lincluden Abbey.
A picture of a group of visitors handling folklore items in Dumfries Museum at the start of a history of witchcraft tour.
A photograph of people looking at artworks in the round gallery of Birmingham Museum.
A cartoon of a French bagpiper wearing a tricolore cockade and making puppet figures of the church and state dance whilst figures storm the Bastille in the background.
A photograph of two bagpipers wearing medieval clothing in a churchyard. There is a medieval style tent in the background.
A photograph of the AHI journal open on the page of the article. There is a picture of Tom Hughes in Victorian costume holding the a "witch bottle" and talking to a group gathering for a guided tour.
A photograph of seven people standing on a conference stage ready to receive their Associateship of the Museums Association certificates.
An engraving of a bagpiper playing for dancing outside an inn. The original caption says St Patrick's Day
A montage of medieval pictures of pigs playing bagpipes. Including a wall painting, pewter badge, painted glass, stone carving, manuscript illustrations, and wood carving. Text reads Happy International Pig Bagpipe Day, with the word pig crossed out.
A photograph of a clipping from the Museums Journal with a headset photograph of Tom Hughes and a quote, "Working with colleagues across the sector has helped develop my understanding of the profession. The sense of fellowship and support from peers kept me inspired and motivated. After over two decades in museums, I'd wondered whether it was worth starting the AMA. I needn't have doubted it - it's been one of the highlights of my career."
A photograph of a paperback copy of 'The Guizer' by Alan Garner. It features a fool dressed in animal skins running under a crescent moon.
Ukrainian flag with text I stand with Ukraine.
A photograph of three people dressed in medieval clothing in front of the ruins of Sweetheart Abbey.
A photograph of the main hall of Dumfries Museum full of visitors for the tour about to start.
A photograph of a painted triptych standing on a bookshelf. The triptych has been painted in a medieval style and depicts St Werburgh with geese. She is holding a miniature abbey and in the background is tyd city of Chester of which she is patron.
A photograph of a cairn of stones with large stones at its edge, surrounded by a ring of standing stones. There are large trees in the background.
A photograph of a gathering in a medieval undercroft with audience sitting on benches and some visitors taking part in a play wearing hats for their characters.
A photograph of four standing stones in a line. They are relatively thin and have lichens growing on them. The ground is covered with close cropped grass. There is a row of trees on the horizon and a cloudy grey sky.
A photograph of the Cluden Water at Newbridge with the river bank and houses covered in frost. The sky is an orangey colour with the sunrise. Two adult mute swans and a cygnet are in the river along with goosander and mallards.
A photograph of a bookcase of folklore books including the Readers Digest folklore books.
A photograph of one of the fallen stones at the Twelve Apostles stone circle with a dusting of snow. The sun shines through the clouds.
A photograph of the ruins of Lincluden Abbey, showing large windows in the nave with their ornate tracery. The sun shines brightly through the centre window with rays spreading in a saltire pattern.
A photograph of a standing stone covered in moss and lichens. Rushes grow alongside and thorn trees and further stones are in the background. It is a misty day and hills are just about visible.
A picture of Star Wars toys of the fat characters reclining, with the caption. During Christmas dinner in a galaxy far, far away.... Jabba the Hutt is wearing a hat from a cracker and he has a speech bubble saying 'I think we'll have a break before the pudding...'
A coloured print depicting musicians and singers performing on a snow covered street in the middle of the night. Angry people woken from their sleep are shouting from the windows. A caption reads 'The Waits, and may they continue to wait!'
A linocut image of a bearded man in a long gown playing bagpipes. Underneath the picture is the word Wassail!
A photograph of a painted glass window at Wightwick Manor with the text in this post.
A photograph of a standing stone within the circle, the ground is in darkness with the light of the sunrise just emerging through through the lilac coloured clouds.
A photograph of a standing stone within the circle, thr first glimpses of light are emerging in a blueish cloudy sky.
A photograph of the mask of Covenanter preacher Alexander Peden in a museum glass case. It is made of grey leather with a beard and moustache made from red hair. The eye holes and a small mouth are cut out giving an eerie appearance.
A photograph of three tall, thin upright megaliths in a triangle with short grass around them and longer grass across the moor. There are hills in the background and a blue sky.
A photograph of the moon above Kirkcudbright Tolbooth with the ship weathervane silhouetted in the moonlight.
Artefacts in a display case made from clay, spanners and fragments from the highway as part of a museum of roadside folklore.
A photograph showing a crow sitting on top of one of the standing stones at the Twelve Apostles stone circle. The full moon is visible in the blue sky during the day. In the background are two fallen megaliths.
A photograph of two standing stones forming an entrance to a stone circle on a moorland setting. The entrance stones are around 1.5 metres high, the rest of the stones are much lower. The grass is short and the sky is grey.
A photograph of three people taking a selfie at a Ukrainian-Scottish Burns Night organised with Dumfries Museum.
A photograph of a printed letter, it is on paper and has been folded. The letter reads, "Dumfries, 23rd July, 1796. Sir, Robert Burns, my Father, died on Thursday morning last, and is to be interred in the church yard here, on Monday next at one o'clock afternoon. Your attendance at the funeral is requested by, Sir, Your most humble Servant, Robert Burns."
A newspaper photograph from 1930 showing a man kneeling by a trench where an upturned pot is partially excavated.
A photograph of an old tin opener.
A photograph of a large rowan tree with lots of red berries, standing as part of the circle of stones at Aviemore.
Myself in a knitted beard, playing bagpipes for Norton Priory's apple tree wassail with the Gaia art installation, a giant sculpture of planet Earth, in the background.
A table laid out with a display of herbs, some fresh and some dried. There are also artefacts connected with the use of herbs from 13th to 17th century.
A painted medieval sculpture of St Mary Magdalene looking sorrowful.
A photograph of a partial lead basin with the contents of a hoard comprising iron tools such as axe heads, chisels and a three pronged fork.
A handwritten fine on paper which reads Robert Moore in Dumfries I hereby intimate to you that by decree of the Justices of the Peace for the County of Dumfries you are fined the sum of one pound sterling for making bricks without entry and if the said sum be not paid within 14 days from this date you will incur an additional expense of two pence on each shilling sterling. Signed Robert Burns 26th October 1789.
A tapestry with a bagpiper playing among sheep.
A photograph of a folded old newspaper tied with string. Part of the title is visible along with a handwritten note saying it reports on the unveiling of Robert Burns statue in Dumfries on 6th April 1882.