Year: 2025

Cataloguing the Yellow Buses Archive

Thanks to the cataloguing grant supplied by the Business Archives Council, Dorset History Centre were able to catalogue the archive collection of Bournemouth Transport Ltd (also known as Yellow Buses). The company began as Bournemouth Corporation Tramways, originating at the start of the twentieth-century with trams and trolley-bus services until they were modernised in the… Read more Cataloguing the Yellow Buses Archive

The Dorset Postcard Collection – Bournemouth

When did you last send a postcard? For many of us, postcards are reserved for summer holidays, and even then they have largely been eclipsed by texts and video calls. But in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the postcard was a hugely popular means of communication. By the end of King Edward VII’s… Read more The Dorset Postcard Collection – Bournemouth

World Radio Day: Photographing Dorchester’s Radio Past

Last week we shared with you a snapshot of the old radio station in Dorchester. This week, we wanted to take a further look at this station through the scope of two recently digitised photograph albums… — In the latter half of 2024 we had the pleasure of digitising two very large photographic albums that… Read more World Radio Day: Photographing Dorchester’s Radio Past

World Radio Day: Remembering Dorchester Radio Station

What is World Radio Day? Earlier this month, the 13th February marked ‘World Radio Day’. First designated by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in 2011, this international day celebrates radio as “one of the most dependable and widely utilized forms of media in the world” (UNESCO). World Radio Day celebrates radio’s ability… Read more World Radio Day: Remembering Dorchester Radio Station

Finding stories of changing attitudes to gender

February marks LGBTQ+ history month. Our new Principal Archivist Claire has taken some time to reflect on gender representation in historic archives… — I have always felt a bit wary of the idea of having separate months for particular communities because of the implication that community is only entitled to be remembered one month out… Read more Finding stories of changing attitudes to gender

“Our Journal at Winterbourn St. Martins”: An Introduction

Earlier this year, we came across a curious diary in our library here at Dorset History Centre. Written in 1872, Our Journal at Winterbourn St. Martins is a personal diary written by a Miss Berry Dallas during her visit to Dorset. Joined by her younger sister Helen, Berry stayed with Major Charles Clapcott and his… Read more “Our Journal at Winterbourn St. Martins”: An Introduction

Introducing our new Principal Archivist

Last autumn, Jacqui Halewood, Dorset History Centre’s long-standing Principal Archivist retired. We were joined in November by Claire Skinner, stepping into the role with us, and in today’s blog we wanted to introduce you to Claire… — January is traditionally a time both to look back and to look forwards. I would therefore like to… Read more Introducing our new Principal Archivist

Photographs of Dorchester by Gordon Slade

At Dorset History Centre, we were recently donated a collection of photographs taken by a local amateur photographer, Gordon Slade. Gordon Slade recorded images of Dorchester and Dorset between the 1960s and 2000s. He photographed many images of Dorchester, Poundbury, and surrounding areas of Dorset as it changed and developed over the years. This included… Read more Photographs of Dorchester by Gordon Slade