Black History Month originated in the USA and was introduced to the UK in 1987. The event recognises that not all histories have been collected and related equally, and that a focus on the stories and experiences of people of colour can widen our perspectives and sometimes provide role models and inspiration for the BAME… Read more Black History Month 2021: The problems with our collections
In the local studies library at the Dorset History Centre you can find a large collection of journals. These journals are packed with fascinating articles and are often an underused resource. In this series of blogs we will be highlighting some of the interesting articles within them! This is the eighth in our series of… Read more The Journals of DHC: 1970s
What is an Icehouse? Icehouses, also known as ice wells, ice pits or ice mounds, were structures built fully or partially underground for the storage of ice and snow throughout the year, which in turn led to them being used for the preservation of food. A precursor of the modern refrigerator. The first ‘modern’ Icehouse was commissioned by James I of England… Read more Dorset Ice Houses (part 1)
Whilst listing items from the Frink archive, one of our team, Clare, came across The Artists’ and Writers’ CookBook, published in 1961, beautifully illustrated with 19th-century engravings and original drawings by Marcel Duchamp, Robert Osborn, and Alexandre Istrati. In this blog, she explains why she was so fascinated with the book… — It’s a collection… Read more Finding Frink – The Artists’ and Writers’ Cook Book
We are always interested to hear about projects that are happening in our local communities. We’ve recently been pointed to the fascinating Slave Voyages Database, and links to Dorset. In this guest blog we take a look at the voyage of the Molly, charted in a fascinating new storymap… — More than thirty thousand slaving… Read more Poole and enslavement: The Voyage of Molly 1758-59
Everything made from organic material is edible to one pest or another (including insects and rodents), which makes our strongrooms a positive banquet hall. Therefore, it’s important that we implement the principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which essentially cover Prevention, Monitoring, Identification and Solutions. Prevention is far easier for us than a museum or… Read more The things that bug us…
The Milton Abbas Local History Group have transcribed 60,000 records of all the existing Overseers of the Poor Account books for Milton Abbas from 1771 to 1836, and are finding that the records are a fantastic resource for researching local and family history. The account book in the Dorset History Centre covers the years 1818… Read more Overseers of the Poor Account Books
We can all agree that the internet has radically changed our lives. Particularly over the last 18 months many people came to rely on it to stay connected, buy essentials and continue working. As an archive service we have been working on harnessing the potential the internet offers for a long time. But there is… Read more Why can’t I see it online?
After eight weeks, our Conservation Trainee Helen has completed her placement with us, and left us her final thoughts on her experience… — The time has flown and I have now reached the end of my placement at Dorset History Centre. This placement has been invaluable in my training as a Conservator and I have… Read more Conservation Tales: Thoughts of a Conservation Trainee
Sometimes, when working in the archives you accidently stumble upon a document that ends up being so interesting, that it distracts you from what you are supposed to be doing and you have to read it there and then! That’s what happened when we found the document D-FFO/18/132 within the Ffooks and Darlington of Sherborne,… Read more Murder in a small village?
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