Archive

‘Finish your articles re the Wych elm crime by all means. They are interesting to your readers, but you will never solve the mystery. The one person who could give the answer is now beyond the jurisdiction of the earthly courts.’ In 1953 ‘Anna’ of Claverley wrote those intriguing words in a letter to journalist...

Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service recently had the pleasure of hosting a work experience placement for Charlotte Hall. During her time here Charlotte had the chance to get an insight into the wide range of roles that take place behind-the-scenes in our service. Here, Charlotte gives us her thoughts about her experiences here: Inside the Archive:...

Recently we have put up two great posts (here and here) that were written and researched by Chris Rouse, a work experience student who joined us for a hundred-hour placement this summer. Before he departed, Chris also wrote us an account of his time here, which gives an insight into the wide variety of work an archive service...

Here is the second instalment of a piece researched by our recent work experience placement, Chris Rouse. You can find the first post here.  In an earlier piece, I wrote about research I’d been doing into the habitual offenders of Edwardian Worcestershire. Most cases seemed simple: a crime was committed and the perpetrator was easily...

Lending an Ear is an Arts Council audio arts project looking at using sound in art in Worcestershire Libraries, inspired by the unique locality each library is in. It was been a really exciting project, and fascinating to see how each artist approached the task, and the different groups of library users who took part,...

The 1st July was the 100th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Somme.  This significant historical event was marked in many ways across the country. Here in Worcester there was a vigil at 7:30am, the time the first soldiers went ‘over the top’, and in the afternoon there was a service at...

Worcestershire Archive Service holds a substantial collection of records from the Bromsgrove Guild – a collective of talented craftsmen who came from all over the world.  Walter Gilbert, a talented artist in design and decorative works, worked as the art master at Rugby Technical School. In 1898 he became headmaster of Bromsgrove School of Art and...

Lavinia Talbot kept a diary from her teenage years right through to old age.  The diaries provide a unique window on her daily life, thoughts and feelings from the mid 1860s through to the 1930s.  In particular Lavinia recorded her observations on the conduct of the First World War.  She had three sons serving in...

Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service is taking part in a very exciting regional project called Strong Rooms, linking archives with arts. Inspired by the name of the rooms in which archives are stored, Strong Rooms is a collaboration in which artists, youth groups and archivists work together to produce art which will be taken on...

People stealing acorns, roads needing repairs and families being removed from one parish to another are among the many stories contained within Quarter Sessions. The Quarter Sessions were both a court and a forerunner of the county council. Middling crimes which didn’t carry the death penalty were heard before it, and various county issues such...