A photograph of the puzzle box wrapped in Christmas wrapping of holly with a bible message taped onto it: “…the land……which is beyond the rivers of Ethippia: That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters……..Isaiah, Chap 18 vv. 1 and 2, 404 pieces”

A photograph of the puzzle pieces all spread out on a wooden table.

A photograph the puzzle pieces being sorted and assembled with several pairs of hands.

A photograph of the puzzle partially completed the image of a Shilluk paddling a canoe beginning to be visible.  

Archives are never dull! 
Check out a puzzle from the archives of Kenneth David Druitt Henderson—scholar and colonial officer.  

Curious what else might reside in our archive? Start exploring yourself:    
n2t.durham.ac.uk/ark:/32150/s...

 #EYAFunandGames #DUCollections

Is your idea of a fun Friday night a game of cards with friends?

Here are two constrasting illustrations of card games in action from our collections.

Browse our Local Illustrations and James Gillray Prints on CollectionsCaptured: cdm21051.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/sear...

#EYAFunAndGames

Two identical sepia photos are side by side. They show four gentlemen in suits and ties, sitting around a square wooden table in a garden, by the side of a house. They are playing a card game. Image courtesy ofwww.picturethepast.org.uk

These gentlemen are enjoying a card game at the rear of 58 St Johns Street in Ashbourne in the early 1900s and no, you’re not seeing double. This is a stereoscopic photograph. Look at it through a special viewer and the image appears 3 dimensional.

#PhotoFriday #EYAFunAndGames #Photography

Children at Seymour Road playground, Leyton in 1964. 📷 ©Vestry House Museum, from collection available in our Searchroom.

Children at Seymour Road playground, Leyton, 1964. 📷 ©Vestry House Museum, from collection available in our Searchroom. @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social
#EYAFunandGames #ExploreYourArchive

Front cover of Derbyshire School Journey Association Bulletin, with printed red text in the middle giving the organisation's name and surrounded by hand-drawn sketches re-printed in red of various tourist sites including the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Colosseum, a Tudor house, a train coming out of a tunnel, windmill, castle ruins, an aeroplane, a large cruise liner, a palm tree, a couple sitting at a table under a parasol, a bus and other buildings.

Typed text: "Spade: A Gardening tool used for supporting the working cultivator"

For anyone busy gardening this spring, here 's a #joke definition found in the Derbyshire School Journey Association's bulletin, 1958, for Spade: "A Gardening tool used for supporting the working cultivator".

#EYAFunAndGames #1950s

Have you got any fun or games planned for the Bank Holiday weekend?

For some inspiration here are some photos members of the Trevelyan family of Wallington enjoying some outdoor actitivies in the early 20th Century.

#EYAFunAndGames
[ref. CPT/PA/4, 8 and 28]

Two small printed booklets, one with a yellow cover and one with a pink cover. The title of the yellow on is 'The Pocket Laws of Whist' (1867); the title of the pink one is 'The Pocket Guide to Whist'.

A small dark brown pouch, which opens at its top edge. Sticking out at the top is the pink booklet.

Anyone for a game of whist? These handy playing card sized rule books will guide us along. We'll shuffle…

#EYAFunAndGames

A black and white photo of four children playing golf and crafting on a blanket

A picture of some Basque refugee children playing games and crafting outdoors @explorearchives #EYAFunandGames (MS370)

Board game cover of Wallis's Wonders of Nature with colourful depictions of different landscapes.

Time for some fun and games in the archives with Wallis's Wonders of Nature board game. This particular game was owned by Margaret Pullen of Sutton Courtenay and has since found a home with us. #FridayFun #EYAFunAndGames

A group of children stand at the end of a wooden table. They each have a small wooden chute with which to roll a penny down onto the grid marked on the tabletop. Three girls standing closest to the camera wear spotted dresses.

On #NationalLuckyPennyDay these children will all be hoping for one of those when playing the ‘Roll a Penny’ game at Stanton Works Annual Flower Show in the 1950s.

#EYAFunAndGames #PhotoFriday #1950s

The actor Segawa Kikunojō III depicted by Shunshō Katsukawa as Omiwa in the kabuki play "Imose Yama onna teikin" , 1887 #EYAFunandGames ow.ly/eOln50VT8s5

Chinese propaganda poster (c. 1950) of villagers in a barn or granary, both young and old, eating a meal and talking together. In the background two boys are playing catch with a dog in a courtyard. Artist unknown. #EYAFunAndGames ow.ly/f4Ce50VT8hA

Playing cards with handwritten historical dates on the back

From the Archives...

Within our Sneyd Family Papers we have a distinctive set of 19th century playing cards, each marked with handwritten dates commemorating key moments in history—including the duration of Henry VIII’s reign, which spanned 38 years from 1509 to 1547 🃏

#EYAFunandGames #EYA #Sneyd

What excitement to be had at the Bexley Fair in 1846 with a match of gingling, whipping the balls from the hole, contention up the pole, fireworks of golden rains and a flight of saucissons. #EYAFunandGames #ExploreYourArchive

Colourful boardgame designed in a spiral. 6 rows spiral inwards to a drawing of King George III. All along the spiral are 158 little circles with images draw in them representing historical events and people, acting as board spaces. The first space represents the Battle of Hastings.

We all know history is fun 😁 but if Georgian children were not convinced they could play this game from 1803. It features 158 spaces running clockwise representing events and characters from William the Conqueror to George III. It looks fun and it's beautiful too!

#EYAFunAndGames #ArchiveOfTheWeek

Adeiladwyd Pier Llandudno am y tro cyntaf yn 1858, a’i ymestyn ym 1875 i ganiatáu i pasaentiaid dderbyn cwchau stêm. Mae'n un o'r enghreifftiau gorau o bêrau pleser Fictoraidd, gyda addurniadau haearn gwych ar y bencadlys a'r railiau, gan gynnwys motif dolffin.

#Llandudno #EYAFunandGames

#Llandudno #EYAFunandGames

Illustration of a wrecked ship. Text underneath reads WHO DID IT? ignite the fuse found in envelope and touch burning end to torch in the hand of kneeling figure. Hold the sheet at arms length and watch the result.

Illustration of a ship a short distance off a beach, with 2 men stood on the beach in the foreground. One is kneeling down holiding a torch.

Found in our Charles Philips Trevelyan Archive is this 'fun' activity, which invites you to light a fuse and seemingly set fire to the item.

It looks like #FridayFun, but if we tried it out we might not have the item any more!

Ref. CPT/1/1/1/13

#EYAFunAndGames @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social

Chinese propaganda poster (c. 1950) of villagers in a barn or granary, both young and old, eating a meal and talking together. In the background two boys are playing catch with a dog in a courtyard. Artist unknown. #EYAFunAndGames digital.soas.ac.uk/LOAB000045/0...

red poster with a vertical stack of green houses in the middle. Text in white at the top.

How To Play The Environment Game was an exhibition at Hayward Gallery, 1973, designed by Theo Crosby & newly-founded @pentagramdesign.bsky.social that looked critically at the design of urban spaces.
@exploreyourarchive.bsky.social #EYAFunAndGames
More on Crosby: blogs.brighton.ac.uk/brightondesi...

In this late C19th woodblock Weiwen disguises herself as a man and challenges her husband to a game of dice. She wins & saves him from financial ruin. Symbols of luck and wealth are scattered throughout the print. #EYAFunandGames digital.soas.ac.uk/LOAA003969/0...

The man in this picture is taking part in an archery competition in Shillong, East Khasi Hills District, 1937
#EYAFunandGames digital.soas.ac.uk/LOADI00717/0...

Photograph of tug of war at the Essex County Cricket Ground, Leyton, Sep 1900. The Great House is seen in the background, prior to demolition in 1905. 📷 From VHM collection, available in our Searchroom.

Tug of war at the Essex County Cricket Ground, Leyton, Sep 1900. This is captioned 'Leyton School Sports', although the competitors appear older than school age. The stylish boaters make this also our contribution for #StrawHatDay! @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social #EYAFunandGames #ExploreYourArchive

Photograph of Lollard adventure playground, showing five boys and a man cooking sausages over a fire pit

Plan of Lollard adventure playground, including a workshop, hut, hard surface for ball games, section for the under-fives, grassy area and flower and vegetable beds.

Front cover of ‘Adventure Playgrounds: A progress report by National Playing Fields Association’. It includes a photograph of two boys with armfuls of logs being watched by an older woman, who is looking from the door of her house.

Extract from ‘Adventure Playgrounds: A progress report by National Playing Fields Association’, including references to the facilities at Lollard adventure playground: “The playground has many facets and, like all good Adventure Playgrounds, is in a continual process of destruction and growth. It is this capacity for development that marks it out from the more static type of playground of asphalt and mechanical swings. … These little children are too often denied opportunities for play in safe and secure surroundings during their formative years. Usually living in small flats where opportunities for play and for making a noise are severely limited, they have only the streets to play in. In the Lollard Adventure Playground they have freedom, space and a chance to experiment with water, earth and other materials. Their mothers are relaxed and grateful, for they know their children are cared for with affection and understanding.”

An alternative to "coffee-and-jive clubs"

Built out of rubble on a Lambeth bombsite, this 1960 profile of Lollard adventure playground (then 5 years old) includes a map of the site - highlighting spots for gossip, sunbathing, cricket & the "holes under ground" #histchild #EYAFunAndGames

A colourful Irish postage stamp valued at 68c and dated 2014, featuring game icons and playful aliens from the arcade game 'Space Invaders' in a retro design.

A colorful Irish postage stamp valued at 68c and dated 2014, featuring a colourful Pac-Man game scene with the iconic character and ghosts in action.

This month's #ExploreYourArchive theme is #EYAFunAndGames!

These charming stamps from 2014 commemorate the iconic arcade games 'Space Invaders' released in 1978, and Pac-Man, released in 1980. Deposited in DRI by An Post Museum & Archive doi.org/10.7486/DRI.... #Philately

Children playing with boats at the pond, Walthamstow Town Hall, c.1950s. 📷 ©Vestry House Museum, from collection available in our Searchroom.

Children playing with boats at the pond, Walthamstow Town Hall, c.1950s. 📷 ©Vestry House Museum, from collection available in our Searchroom. @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social #EYAFunandGames #ExploreYourArchive

Cover of Woodford Meet programme, 1910.

Plan of route, page from Woodford Meet programme, 1910.

Entry for Walthamstow Town Cycling Club in 'Princess Ida' tableau, page from Woodford Meet programme, 1910.

Photograph of Woodford Meet 1912. 📷 From VHM collection available in our Searchroom.

The Woodford Meet & Fancy Dress Parade, a popular event in early 1900s. Local cycle clubs rode from Wanstead to Chingford, raising funds for local hospitals. We'd love to have seen the lantern ride! Programme pages 1910; photo 1912. @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social #EYAFunandGames #ExploreYourArchive

Black and white photo of a man in dark overalls and cap playing a skipping rope game with a group of children in the middle of a suburban street.

All #EYAFunAndGames in this photo taken on this day in 1945 – an ARP Warden plays a skipping rope game with local children at a street party held on Danehurst Gardens, Ilford, to celebrate VE Day!

Watch our film about Redbridge and the Second World War: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC6z...

Ellen Buxton's sketch of the children's bran tub, Christmas 1865. From 'Family Sketchbook a hundred years ago' (1964).

Ellen Buxton's sketch of the children's bran tub, Christmas 1865. From 'Family Sketchbook a hundred years ago' (1964), Ellen Buxton's sketches of family life in Leytonstone 1864-66. Ellen Buxton (b.1848) lived at Leytonstone House @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social #EYAFunandGames #ExploreYourArchive

Students in a bar at Castle Leazes. Two are playing pool.

Students playing snooker at Castle Leazes.

students playing snooker at Henderson Hall.

Are snooker and pool are games or sports?

Hopefully we'll agree they can be fun at least, and fit in with
@exploreyourarchive.bsky.social
's #EYAFunAndGames theme for May.

Here are 3 pics from the University Archive of students cueing for fun at Castle Leazes and Henderson Hall in 1991.