Brains at the Bevy: Mudlarking to immersive 3D: Entering the world of Shakespeares daughter

About

Wednesday 4 February 2026, 6pm at the Bevy Pub.
Speakers: Dr Ailsa Grant Ferguson and Caroline Nunneley

How can digital technology and objects discovered in the Thames help us understand life in Tudor and Stuart England?

In this talk, Dr Ailsa Grant Ferguson from the University of Brighton tells the story of Susanna Hall, William Shakespeares eldest daughter, by inviting audiences inside her seventeenth-century home. Using a pioneering digital reconstruction of the house in StratforduponAvon, the project brings Susannas world into focus - from domestic routines and family life - to health, status and social relationships. By shifting attention away from Shakespeare himself, the research opens up a rare view of the lives of women in early modern England and the ordinary settings in which history unfolded.

Joining the talk is Thames mudlark Caroline Nunneley, who will bring with her a selection of historic objects recovered from the river foreshore, including coins and personal items. Once handled, carried and lost by Londoners hundreds of years ago, these finds offer a striking, handson counterpart to the digital reconstruction. Set alongside the virtual household, they show how the past survives both in cuttingedge technology and in the small, weathered objects pulled from the mud - and how each helps tell stories that official histories often miss.

As always, Brains at the Bevy is informal, welcoming and open to all no prior knowledge needed, just curiosity.

Speaker biographies
Dr Ailsa Grant Ferguson is a researcher and lecturer in digital humanities at the University of Brighton. Her work explores how digital tools can uncover overlooked stories from the past, particularly womens lives in the early modern period. She is part of the team behind a major digital project focused on Susanna Hall, using historical research and digital storytelling to reimagine everyday life in Tudor England.

Caroline Nunneley is a Thames mudlark who has discovered hundreds of historical objects along the river foreshore. One of her most significant finds is a rare medieval rosary bead, offering insight into personal faith and everyday life during a time of religious change. Through her discoveries, Caroline brings forgotten fragments of history back into view, creating powerful connections between people today and the material traces of the past.