I got a chance to both see and handle some of the arcane tomes and magical objects in University College London's Special Collections. How exciting!
The archive contains many items related to the history and practice of magic and western esotericism, including astrology, tarot, spirit summoning and folk traditions. There are books and manuscripts that have influenced the development of subjects such as astronomy and cryptography or are part of modern esoteric traditions. Last Friday morning. the department held an open morning to showcase objects from the collection. Of course I jumped at the chance to go along.
The photos here show just a couple of things on display. At the top you can see a famous cunning man's notebook. James Murrell, or Cunning Murrell, was a 19th century folk magician living in Hadleigh, Essex. His work involved astrology, herbalism and exorcism. The book is primarily an almanac and contains astrological charts.
The photo at the bottom shows Hebrew mezutot (parchments inscribed with material from the Torah) including amulets.
Experts were there to talk about the items on show, answer questions, and presumably make sure no one sneaked off with anything or attempted to summon something using any of the rituals in the grimoires!
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/05/occult-london-labyrinth-at-fen-court.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/04/occult-london-atlantis-bookshop.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/07/green-london-strange-things-in-soho.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/05/occult-london-sir-john-soanes-museum.html
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