House history research is one of the most common reasons for people visiting the History Centre. Tracing the history of buildings can be very difficult and the documents available to researchers vary greatly from building to building. Over the course of this series of blogs, we will show you what it is possible to learn about… Read more An Introduction to Icen Cottage
Rural Dorset in the late 19th century was a distinctive yet hardwearing place to find yourself. Among the vast spans of idyllic fields and picturesque scenery was an overwhelming agricultural depression and spiralling economic hardship. The dominating occupations at the time in Dorset were waged labourers and small tenants who held very few rights and… Read more Food Theft in 1870s Dorset
In July, Dorset History Centre welcomed four students on work experience placements. Throughout the four weeks that the students were with us, they sampled all sorts of elements of life at DHC. In this blog, one of the students, George, reflects on the heatwave that was gripping the country at the time, and compares it… Read more A Scorching Summertime
‘Times have changed from the Times they used to be; people don’t care about us much now. I’ve been thinking we must be almost the last left in the country of the old String players; Barrel-organs, and they things next door to ‘em that you blow with your foot [ Harmoniums!] have come in terrible… Read more The Hardy Family Music Manuscript Books
In a previous blog post, we introduced you to the author John Fowles, and gave you some background on his life, as well as his interest in Lyme Regis and genealogy. — Mary Anning One family missing from the list of Lyme families given in the previous post was the Anning family. The palaeontologist Mary… Read more John Fowles (Part 2)
While the summer of 2022 has been a memorable one, having broken record levels of heat across England and Wales, the summer of 1930 proved to be greatly significant for the Bournemouth Division of Girl Guides after the movement secured fourteen acres of the Ancient Camp of Dudsbury from its then owner, Lord Wimborne. The… Read more The Dudsbury Guides and their link to the past
Whilst answering an enquiry email about Stourfield School, Bournemouth, a few weeks ago, we came across a fascinating booklet about a school trip to Holland in June 1938 (S-226/14/4). One was given to each of the girls who went on the trip, providing them with an itinerary, maps, useful information about Holland and reminders about… Read more A School Journey
Should the children of the poor be educated away from their families and traditional ways? In 2022 many of us would say not – that the bonds with relatives and with a natal culture are precious and should not be broken lightly. However, history holds many examples of just this and one of these is… Read more The Gypsy School at Farnham, 1847–1855
Dorset History Centre has a collection relating to the author John Fowles, resident in Lyme Regis, chiefly from his activities in the 1970s to 1990s. One of our volunteers has been looking through the 12 boxes of material that we hold, and will be sharing some of the things he has discovered in a series… Read more John Fowles (Part 1)
The Dorset History Centre holds an extensive range of documents charting the life and times of the famous Eldridge Pope Brewery established under that trade name in the 1870s. However the brewery actually owes its existence to two 19th century entrepreneurs that, through their vision and hard work, created the foundation upon which Eldridge Pope… Read more The Eldridge Brewing Legacy
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