Latest News from Cheshire Archives and Local Studies
February 2024
Welcome
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Cheshire’s archives: a story shared with Cheshire Dance
We had a great time exploring our LGBT+ collections with a group of Young Creatives last week as part of their research for Project #2: Queer Histories (Project #2: Queer Histories – Cheshire Dance). This is a youth led project coordinated by Cheshire Dance, which will result in a creative exhibition on Cheshire’s queer history. We can’t wait to see their finished work at Chester Pride in August and celebrating it in our new centre where we will have the spaces to share whatever they choose to create – whether it’s dance, drama, singing, writing, photography, film making, crafts, banner making … or something that hasn’t been thought of yet!
You can view our own digital exhibition on Cheshire's queer past here: Hidden Histories (arcgis.com)
The stories behind our collections
We will have interactive displays in the new centres that tell the story of the scope of our collections and how they’ve developed over time. To tell the story of over 9500 accessions and counting over the past 75 years the story shared project has given us the opportunity to review our ‘accessions’ paperwork. This has given Paul, the Collections Information Improvement Officer, a unique perspective on the communities, organisations and individuals who have given or deposited archives.
In 1985 we received a series of postcards sent to the Spruce family of Ellesmere Port from British prisoners of war in Germany during the Second World War. The connection between the senders wasn’t clear in the catalogue. The accessions file revealed the whole story, the senders all served alongside the donor A. J. Spruce in C Company 4th Battalion of the Cheshire Regiment in France during 1940.
Cheshire's archives: a story shared (cheshirestoryshared.org)
What’s new on the Cheshire Image Bank?
The Cheshire Image Bank homepage has been updated to feature images of Crewe and Chester from our collection. Why not take a look using the link below? We have also updated our popular collection “All New Images” to include recently uploaded images of Crewe by photographer Albert Hunn, Cheshire in the 1920s by Robert Leitch, and images of Macclesfield, including this one of Bethal Street Chapel band in 1948 (c14159). We now have 31,279 images of Cheshire people, places and events for you to explore online.
Visit the Cheshire Image Bank
Work experience
We would like to thank Emily from Upton-by-Chester High School who was with us last week for a work experience placement. Emily was very hardworking and helped us to organise building control plans on microfiche, list Cheshire County Council publications, used our trade directories to trace a local business over time, and identify and index local prints and postcards.
Thank you for your excellent work, Emily! We hope that you enjoyed your placement and learned some valuable new skills for your future career. We are looking forward to Lily and Grace joining us in the Spring for similar placements. We are now fully booked for work experience placements this year!
Searchroom opening times
Until 27 June 2024 we continue to open on our usual days of Tuesdays 9am to 4pm, Wednesdays 9am to 5pm, and Thursdays 9am to 4pm. We are still open one Saturday every month 9am to 4pm and are taking bookings for Saturdays through to June: March 16th,April 20th, May 18th, and June 15th.
Visiting us