ENGLAND: THE OTHER WITHIN

Ivor Michael Allen, Technology and Materials

Alison Petch,
Researcher 'The Other Within' project

it was not only Curators and outside members of staff who undertook research into technology and materials at the Museum. One of the technicians at the Museum also contributed.

In a separate section of Occasional Paper 10, Metallurgical reports on British and Irish Bronze Age implements and weapons in the Pitt Rivers Museum, 1970, Penniman wrote an appreciation of one of the Museum members of staff:

Mr Allen died early in the morning of 21 October 1963, after a long and gallant atempt, in spite of a heart blocked and enlarged from birth, to continue his work at the Museum. He was born on 30 September 1931, and came to us as a boy of fourteen, with an intense interest in the collections, of which he came to have minute and exact knowledge.

At first the Curator taught him, then he joined the City Technical College, where he gained further great ability in metallography and chemistry. He became a friend of Mr Coghlan who found his advice and help of such great use that, when Dr E. Voce died, he became Technical Secretary of the Ancient Mining and Metallurgy Committee of the Royal Anthropological Institute. Besides his work on this book he helped greatly in the preparation of other books in our series and was part author with the Curator of papers on metallurgical and ancient mining subjects. He built two small laboratories, one for chemical and one for metallographic work, with the help of Mr K.H. Walters and Mr R.P. Rivers, and advised the Curator on their equipment and apparatus.

As a member of the Society of Archer-Antiquaries and a skilful archer, he published papers and went a long way in planning and preliminary work for a historical and geographical display of the extensive Museum collections.

His drawing reached a high standard of accuracy and information as did all his other work at the Museum. Of special use were his drawings of flint implements, from which one could read the flaking and reconstruct the method of the maker, as in the work of the late Mr Waterhouse and the late Sir Francis H.S. Knowles.

His temperament was steady, unhurried, and unruffled by circumstances, and this, with the great care and understanding of his mother, and later also of his wife, maintained him for many years longer than is usual with his type of illness. We grieve with his family in our loss, and but are thankful we kept him so long.

He was an ever faithful and loyal colleague and helpful friend to us all.

See also the sections on Penniman, Knowles and Coghlan for more information about Allen's work.

Note that photographic portraits of Allen are available in the Pitt Rivers Museum's photographic collections, 1998.356.72 and 1998.356.8.