I am a Senior Lecturer in History with interests in nineteenth-century British social and economic history and public history. I specialise in histories of work and retirement in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. I am currently working on a BA/Leverhulme Trust Small Grant funded project called 'Tokens of Esteem: Retirement Gifts in Modern Britain 1860-1930'.
Research interests
I am currently working on a project that combines my interest in retirement and communication workers, with my curatorial experience from a former career in the museum sector. Tokens of Esteem: Retirement Gifts in Modern Britain 1860-1930 focuses on material culture and the development of a ritual around the collection of money for, and giving of, retirement gifts in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This current project will run until 2026 and is funded by the British Academy/Leverhulme Trust Small Grants Award.
The pension records held at The Postal Museum have formed the foundation of my many areas of research, including published papers, book chapters and my doctoral thesis. It has led to a strong relationship with The Postal Museum and my involvement in a recent research project, Addressing Health, funded by the Wellcome Trust. I was a co-investigator in a collaboration between academics at Kings College London, Kingston University and the University College London, led by Prof David Green. As part of this project, I was also PI of the Wellcome Trust Engagement and Enrichment award, which enabled several public engagement activities for the project.
My PhD entitled 'From the Civil List to Occupational Pensions: The British Government, Superannuation and Pensions 1810-1910' was the result of an AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award with the Institute of Historical Research and the Postal Museum. It examines the development of superannuation systems within the Civil Service in comparison to the Bank of England, East India Company, and railway companies, shedding new light on this system of welfare for white-collared workers in the nineteenth century.
Additionally, I have presented and written papers related to the Victorian Sunday Labour debate and postal employees, and I have been involved in organising and evaluating museum remix events and am investigating ways to take this research further.
Geoghegan, H, McIlvenna, K and van der Vaart, M., 'Developing local narratives for objects in national collections: Lessons learned from the ‘Number please? Working with the Enfield Exchange’ project', Curator, 60:2 (2017)
McIlvenna, K, ‘Tower of London Foreshore Finds’, GEM Case Studies, Vol. 13 (2014)
McIlvenna, K, 'Postal Culture in Europe, 1500–1800' in Social History Vol.42 Issue 1 (2017)
Report Back:
McIlvenna, K, 'Providing Public History: The Launch of the Centre for the Historical Record', in History Workshop Journal 72 (2014)
Membership of professional bodies
Royal Historical Society Associate Fellow (2024-present)
Fellowship of FHEA (2021 - present)
International Federation for Public History individual member
Museum Association Individual Member
Public History IHR Seminar Convenor (2018-2021)
Raphael Samuel Centre Postgraduate Team Member (2015-2018)
Social History Society Postgraduate Committee Member (2015-2017)
Professional interests
I am interested in nineteenth-century British history with particular reference to histories of welfare, labour, occupational health, occupational pensions, old age, and the Post Office. I am currently focusing on histories of retirement and material culture, considering how people used things to create ritual around a relatively new stage of live in the late nineteenth century. I am also exploring how family and work interact and influence each other, notably in regards to health and retirement.
I am also passionate about public history, with a particular interest in the power structures related to the history of museums and heritage sites, as well as co-production involving communities and local and national institutions. I have worked with students, teachers and other stakeholders on different public history projects. Most recently I have worked with the Historical Association on a mini fellowship for teachers to develop their skills and knowledge on work and the nineteenth century. I am also currently exploring the relationship between historians and family and local historians in the creation of digital sources and historical resources. This has been really important for the creation of the Addressing Health datamapper, part of the Wellcome Trust-funded Addressing Health project.
Qualifications
Fellowship of FHEA (2021 - present)
Experience in industry
I have worked for a range of museums from small local authority museums to large multi-site national museums in roles that have given me a broad knowledge and insight into a variety of departments and various functions of museums.
My career started in the development department of the Science Museum, London, and operated across the Science Museum Group sites. I have since worked as Museum Assistant at Enfield Museum Service and as Assistant Curator at the Royal Armouries based at the Tower of London. I have also held a number of internship and volunteer positions in institutions including the National Maritime Museum, Hackney Museum, and the Postal Museum.
Since my academic career started I have continued to work with museums and heritage sites, developing research projects and student projects.
Teaching responsibilities
I teach across the undergraduate and postgraduate history programmes and am Programme Leader for the MA Public History and Heritage.
A selection of the modules I teach on include:
Public Uses of the Past (undergraduate)
Heritage Management, Funding and Marketing (postgraduate)
Curation and Conservation in the Digital Age (postgraduate)
