Archive stories

“In Search of Christmas in England”: An introduction

In 1935 an anonymous author penned a journey through Dorset and Hampshire, a journey undertaken between the 23rd and 28th December 1935. We have transcribed this account and we will be publishing an extract each day during this period, 85 years later. Part one of this journey will be published later this morning, and then… Read more “In Search of Christmas in England”: An introduction

The Diary of John Foss: November 1851

We are sharing a monthly look at the farm diary of John Foss, written from his dairy farm in Kingston Russell in 1851. November 1851 The penultimate month of the year, November is frosty and clear, although there are some stormy nights throughout. The railroad continues to be a topic in the village, and it… Read more The Diary of John Foss: November 1851

Explore Your Archive!

It’s Explore Your Archive launch week! This is a national campaign highlighting the work of archives and all the wonderful things we hold in the collections.   Each day this week has a theme – from communication to celebration to light. You can follow along with the hashtags daily on Twitter. Here we will look in slightly more detail at Sunday’s theme of home.  Home  Home will mean different… Read more Explore Your Archive!

Reverend Uffen’s Leaving Dorset!

Recently, we received an email from a member of the public enquiring about an ancestor of theirs who was a non-conformist Reverend in Dorchester for some years, James McClune Uffen. We found some papers and a photograph within the Dorchester Congregational Church collection (NP.5), which included a fascinating journal detailing a journey he took from… Read more Reverend Uffen’s Leaving Dorset!

Weymouth lifeboat – stories of heroism at sea

Weymouth, for obvious reasons has a close and varied relationship with the sea, whether that be through trade, fishing, naval activity or the attractiveness of the town and its beaches to tourists.  Whilst the sea appeals to us for the aforementioned reasons, it also presents very real dangers.  The Dorset coastline either side of Weymouth become the final resting place of hundreds of vessels, many of which resulted… Read more Weymouth lifeboat – stories of heroism at sea

Revisiting the Cyril Diver Collection

Working on digitally preserving photographs in the Cyril Diver Collection has uncovered some interesting insights into Cyril Diver’s early conservation work. Diver’s fascination with nature began as a young soldier during the First World War; he studied snails in the trenches as a distraction from the horrors that unfolded around him. Forerunner During the 1930s,… Read more Revisiting the Cyril Diver Collection

A Dorset House and its Ghosts…

Athelhampton House, just outside Puddletown, dates from around 1485. Although much altered and expanded, the core of the house and the surrounding gardens have seen out the Tudors, Stuarts, the English Civil War and the changing fortunes of the landed gentry.   Perhaps then it is unsurprising that Athelhampton has long been supposed to house a wide variety of non-corporeal residents. These encompass all the usual favourites such as a ‘Grey Lady’… Read more A Dorset House and its Ghosts…