Tag: localhistory
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A Volunteer’s Thoughts
I have recently retired after over 40 years in the electrical and electronics industry, latterly as a project quality manager at GE. In choosing to volunteer at the History Centre, I was following in my father’s footsteps who volunteered at the William Salt Library until he was over 80. I have some way to go!…
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History Access Point Updates – The Regal Cinema
Volunteers at the Lichfield History Access Point assist in research ranging from family history to Lichfieldian curiosities. The team can be found upstairs from the library on Tuesday and Thursday mornings: swing by and make use of their expertise! It’s always very satisfying when we can find answers to our visitors’ questions, so it was…
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A Volunteer’s View
I’m sitting in the bright Staffordshire History Centre, watching the team put together a new exhibit about our county’s mineral wealth: coal, salt, limestone, agriculture, and so on. Every few months, we have a change of scene, and a new central exhibit arrives. I am a new volunteer. I have loved local history since I…
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Leek to Llandudno: Beside the seaside and beyond…
Building an Exhibition At first glance you may wonder why we have chosen an exhibition about the seaside, when in Staffordshire we are almost as far from the coast as any county could be, but we wanted to place Staffordshire in the countrywide craze of the 20th century seaside holiday. Were the people of Staffordshire…
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Oatcake!
People have been voting for a name for the children’s mascot for the new Staffordshire History Centre! We handed the task over to the public at the annual Staffordshire County Show and our followers on social media. There were four potential names for the mascot, a Bagot goat, said to be Britain’s oldest breed, dating back…
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Construction Update – Finishing Touches!
It is a very exciting time as we enter the final stages of construction work on the Staffordshire History Centre. Earlier this year the building was made watertight when the large areas of glazing were installed. You can see this happening in our time-lapse video. Our new four storey strong room extension has been completed…
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Three Staffordshire Women
Members of our engagement team have been taking a look at the lives of three Staffordshire Women for Women’s History Month. Mabel Layng Community History Development Officer Hannah takes a look at the artist Mabel Layng. Mabel Layng (1881-1937), born in Macclesfield, moved to Stafford early in her life. She was around two years old…
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Turnips to Let: The Lichfield Mercury
Blackadder: Baldrick, I’ve always been meaning to ask, do you have any ambitions in life apart from the acquisition of turnips? Baldrick: Er, no. Blackadder: So what would you do if I gave you a thousand pounds? Baldrick : I’d get a little turnip of my own. Blackadder: So what would…
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Merry Christmas
A photograph of a Christmas pudding from a Mrs Beeton Recipe Book We are lucky to have some wonderful Christmas themed items in our collections; from recipes and menus to Victorian Christmas cards (some with weird and wonderful designs) to 1940s decorations; we even have a sleigh! We have been sharing some of our festive…
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Staffs & Slavery Project
Our newest volunteer group are now up and running supporting a postgraduate research project. Hannah Smith is a current PhD student at Keele University whose research is focusing on the legacies of slavery in Staffordshire, in particularly how slavery and abolition are remembered within the county. Hannah is leading the Staffordshire & Slavery volunteer group…
Staffordshire History Centre 