Guests of Time

In 2016, the Oxford University Museum of Natural History hosted three poets-in-residence: John Barnie, Steven Matthews and Kelley Swain.

Inspired by their time delving into the museum’s drawers and cabinets, the poets’ new work viewed the collections with fresh eyes. Their poems are presented here alongside 19th-century poetry from writers linked with the early days of the museum.

Together, the poems in this anthology are a tribute to the Pre-Raphaelite origins of the Oxford University Museum, and a rejuvenation of its artistic legacy.