Oliver Betts
@drolibetts.bsky.social
National Railway Museum Research Lead. Historian of industrial working-class worlds 1850-1950. Passionate about connecting museums and universities.
Crappy laptop camera pictures is the best I can offer!
October 20, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Crappy laptop camera pictures is the best I can offer!
Wasn't sure we were allowed to do that as historians... 🤣
From Frank Pick's Oxford DNB page
From Frank Pick's Oxford DNB page
August 6, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Wasn't sure we were allowed to do that as historians... 🤣
From Frank Pick's Oxford DNB page
From Frank Pick's Oxford DNB page
A historiography day...
August 6, 2025 at 11:57 AM
A historiography day...
Introduced my children to Willow over the weekend and glad to report its held up 100% (at least for me!)
Its on ITV player right now if you fancy a catch up.
Its on ITV player right now if you fancy a catch up.
August 4, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Introduced my children to Willow over the weekend and glad to report its held up 100% (at least for me!)
Its on ITV player right now if you fancy a catch up.
Its on ITV player right now if you fancy a catch up.
Honestly who wrote the second season of The Night Agent?!
The first series was fun and compelling. This is just a mess of people wandering onto screen announcing their motivations and blundering about!
The first series was fun and compelling. This is just a mess of people wandering onto screen announcing their motivations and blundering about!
July 21, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Honestly who wrote the second season of The Night Agent?!
The first series was fun and compelling. This is just a mess of people wandering onto screen announcing their motivations and blundering about!
The first series was fun and compelling. This is just a mess of people wandering onto screen announcing their motivations and blundering about!
Honestly sometimes the only thing that keeps me in this job is how lovely it is to work with the team of colleagues here.
Also the PhD students
Also the PhD students
July 17, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Honestly sometimes the only thing that keeps me in this job is how lovely it is to work with the team of colleagues here.
Also the PhD students
Also the PhD students
Trying to make my research project bid sound a little more sophisticated than just:
"Let me come and touch your early railway engines for.....history reasons"
"Let me come and touch your early railway engines for.....history reasons"
July 3, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Trying to make my research project bid sound a little more sophisticated than just:
"Let me come and touch your early railway engines for.....history reasons"
"Let me come and touch your early railway engines for.....history reasons"
The duality of what happens when the algorithm knows you google "class" regularly!
June 17, 2025 at 12:01 PM
The duality of what happens when the algorithm knows you google "class" regularly!
Maybe the smallest objects in our collection!
These tiny LMS timetables and holiday guides were produced for Queen Mary's Dollshouse in 1925.
SMG 1985-8715
These tiny LMS timetables and holiday guides were produced for Queen Mary's Dollshouse in 1925.
SMG 1985-8715
May 15, 2025 at 9:48 AM
Maybe the smallest objects in our collection!
These tiny LMS timetables and holiday guides were produced for Queen Mary's Dollshouse in 1925.
SMG 1985-8715
These tiny LMS timetables and holiday guides were produced for Queen Mary's Dollshouse in 1925.
SMG 1985-8715
Think you enjoy a boozy afternoon?
Check out this "Outing Forecast" that a bored railway clerk doodled in a scrapbook ahead of an office outing to Marlow in 1902.
Check out this "Outing Forecast" that a bored railway clerk doodled in a scrapbook ahead of an office outing to Marlow in 1902.
May 8, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Think you enjoy a boozy afternoon?
Check out this "Outing Forecast" that a bored railway clerk doodled in a scrapbook ahead of an office outing to Marlow in 1902.
Check out this "Outing Forecast" that a bored railway clerk doodled in a scrapbook ahead of an office outing to Marlow in 1902.
Not just in Britain either - these three plates from a recent auction are German depictions of railways between London and Liverpool, Bristol, and Manchester.
Around the edge they read:
"A present for my son" and "A reward for hard work"
Around the edge they read:
"A present for my son" and "A reward for hard work"
May 7, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Not just in Britain either - these three plates from a recent auction are German depictions of railways between London and Liverpool, Bristol, and Manchester.
Around the edge they read:
"A present for my son" and "A reward for hard work"
Around the edge they read:
"A present for my son" and "A reward for hard work"
One key unstudied part of railway history is how quickly the railway became a thing that fascinated children - but also how quickly adults encouraged this.
See the alphabet rim on this plate - its not just an image of early railways but a present and didactic tool for a child.
SMG: Y1980.1.53
See the alphabet rim on this plate - its not just an image of early railways but a present and didactic tool for a child.
SMG: Y1980.1.53
May 7, 2025 at 12:57 PM
One key unstudied part of railway history is how quickly the railway became a thing that fascinated children - but also how quickly adults encouraged this.
See the alphabet rim on this plate - its not just an image of early railways but a present and didactic tool for a child.
SMG: Y1980.1.53
See the alphabet rim on this plate - its not just an image of early railways but a present and didactic tool for a child.
SMG: Y1980.1.53
Finally a nice day to catch the golden locomotive in steam puffing away on the weather vane of the old North Eastern Railway HQ.
Now the Grand Hotel in York
Now the Grand Hotel in York
April 25, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Finally a nice day to catch the golden locomotive in steam puffing away on the weather vane of the old North Eastern Railway HQ.
Now the Grand Hotel in York
Now the Grand Hotel in York
I do a lot of teaching and mentoring and supervising at work.
People often ask me who inspired me....
People often ask me who inspired me....
April 8, 2025 at 11:19 AM
I do a lot of teaching and mentoring and supervising at work.
People often ask me who inspired me....
People often ask me who inspired me....
Very proud of @wromantichistry.bsky.social as she gives a version of her award winning paper on the Victorian interest in Princess Elizabeth Stuart in front of the painting itself at Royal Holloway!
March 27, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Very proud of @wromantichistry.bsky.social as she gives a version of her award winning paper on the Victorian interest in Princess Elizabeth Stuart in front of the painting itself at Royal Holloway!
York Minster lightshow a triumph as always!
Absolutely gorgeous! 😍
Here's a little taste if you can't make it:
Absolutely gorgeous! 😍
Here's a little taste if you can't make it:
March 1, 2025 at 6:49 PM
York Minster lightshow a triumph as always!
Absolutely gorgeous! 😍
Here's a little taste if you can't make it:
Absolutely gorgeous! 😍
Here's a little taste if you can't make it:
Again, hard to convey the dynamism of this scene. But also the intricate detail. I haven't before appreciated the fine mesh of ropes depicting the circus maximus canvas roof before.
Alexander Wagner's The Chariot Race.
Alexander Wagner's The Chariot Race.
February 14, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Again, hard to convey the dynamism of this scene. But also the intricate detail. I haven't before appreciated the fine mesh of ropes depicting the circus maximus canvas roof before.
Alexander Wagner's The Chariot Race.
Alexander Wagner's The Chariot Race.
Duff (2018) by Ruth Murray
This piece is so gorgeous and the Norwegian colours incredible. The phone can't really do it justice.
This piece is so gorgeous and the Norwegian colours incredible. The phone can't really do it justice.
February 14, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Duff (2018) by Ruth Murray
This piece is so gorgeous and the Norwegian colours incredible. The phone can't really do it justice.
This piece is so gorgeous and the Norwegian colours incredible. The phone can't really do it justice.
Some details from Ford Madox Brown's Work (1852-1865) I hadn't seem before.
Political campaigners with sandwich boards over Carlyle's shoulder.
Posters advertising a working men's college on the wall
Political campaigners with sandwich boards over Carlyle's shoulder.
Posters advertising a working men's college on the wall
February 14, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Some details from Ford Madox Brown's Work (1852-1865) I hadn't seem before.
Political campaigners with sandwich boards over Carlyle's shoulder.
Posters advertising a working men's college on the wall
Political campaigners with sandwich boards over Carlyle's shoulder.
Posters advertising a working men's college on the wall
Some highlights wandering around Manchester Art Gallery on my lunch break.
William Holma Hunt's The Hireling Shephard 1851
William Holma Hunt's The Hireling Shephard 1851
February 14, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Some highlights wandering around Manchester Art Gallery on my lunch break.
William Holma Hunt's The Hireling Shephard 1851
William Holma Hunt's The Hireling Shephard 1851
Victorian railway companies and the built environment:
January 29, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Victorian railway companies and the built environment:
Unlike those stupid premodern people we have made it inside the walls. Let the pillage commence!
Odd that we have no record of how all these off-brand Harry Potter shops fought off invaders.
But that's academic historians for you. Never tackling the real questions...
Odd that we have no record of how all these off-brand Harry Potter shops fought off invaders.
But that's academic historians for you. Never tackling the real questions...
January 29, 2025 at 10:10 AM
Unlike those stupid premodern people we have made it inside the walls. Let the pillage commence!
Odd that we have no record of how all these off-brand Harry Potter shops fought off invaders.
But that's academic historians for you. Never tackling the real questions...
Odd that we have no record of how all these off-brand Harry Potter shops fought off invaders.
But that's academic historians for you. Never tackling the real questions...
Of course as historians are so fond of telling us people in the middle ages and early modern period were notoriously stupid.
Maybe this did fool them.
Maybe this did fool them.
January 29, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Of course as historians are so fond of telling us people in the middle ages and early modern period were notoriously stupid.
Maybe this did fool them.
Maybe this did fool them.
As for this bit...
The medieval architects seem to have given up entirely.
Think maybe Fairfax was overrated if he couldn't get past this wall section in the 1640s...
The medieval architects seem to have given up entirely.
Think maybe Fairfax was overrated if he couldn't get past this wall section in the 1640s...
January 29, 2025 at 10:03 AM
As for this bit...
The medieval architects seem to have given up entirely.
Think maybe Fairfax was overrated if he couldn't get past this wall section in the 1640s...
The medieval architects seem to have given up entirely.
Think maybe Fairfax was overrated if he couldn't get past this wall section in the 1640s...
People talk a lot about York as a great walled city but I don't know.
These ones are pretty small, and those trees in the way?
Poor effort 3/10
These ones are pretty small, and those trees in the way?
Poor effort 3/10
January 29, 2025 at 10:00 AM
People talk a lot about York as a great walled city but I don't know.
These ones are pretty small, and those trees in the way?
Poor effort 3/10
These ones are pretty small, and those trees in the way?
Poor effort 3/10