Dr Spike Sweeting

I’m interested in the economic and ecological dimensions of design in Britain and its empire between about 1660 and 1860. I largely teach courses on textile- and product-design for the V&A/RCA History of Design Programme with a particular focus on class, gender and distribution in that period. I’ve taken on various leadership and research roles during my time at the Museum, including Acting Head of Post-Graduate Programmes (2022-23). As a researcher, I am drawn to quantitative approaches and am currently using the Stoke-on-Trent pottery industry as a test case to probe the energy intensity of product innovation. My PhD looked at the port of London, 1730-1800, and has spawned into a long-running interest in fiscal history. I am happy to explore collaborative projects and PhD supervision in any of these areas.

I am a convenor of the Economic and Social History of the Early Modern World Seminar at the IHR.

Recent publication

‘Overseas trade and taxation in England and Wales, c. 1680-1790’, Economic History Review (2024)