Our pupils do amazing things every single day, but behind those achievements are all of the hardworking staff here at Merchant Taylors’ School. In Staff Spotlights we look to explore the diverse backgrounds and skills of the people who make Merchant Taylors’ a great place to be. This week we hear from Isabel Hesketh, Archivist.
When did you join Merchant Taylors’?
September 2024
Tell us about your subject. What excites you about it? How did you get into it?
I have started as the MTS School Archivist which is an incredibly exciting opportunity. I have spent the last two weeks opening boxes and finding out about some of the treasures that are kept in the store, which is on the Maths corridor. So far I have found some Byzantine coins, some sort of optical instrument encased in a beautiful wooden box, a 16th century edition of Copernicus and a lots and lots of copies of the Taylorian (the School magazine).
What are you most proud of outside of your work at school?
Definitely my three daughters and our new dog Mudgee (named after a town in New South Wales, Australia). Last year I finished a Masters in conservation management and collections care at West Dean College – it was a juggle – the girls, the new dog and lots of essays but all worth it in the end. I graduated with a distinction which I was pretty proud of! Here is a picture of me removing decades of dust and grime from a 19th century Sudanese Jibba (tunic) and one of me and the puppy outside West Dean College in July 2023.
