We have recently had the pleasure of digitising a wonderful collection of 47 photographs of Sydling St. Nicholas, each with a caption clearly explaining the scene, and together they paint a wonderful picture of life in the small post-war West Dorset village in 1947. These official photographs were issued by the Central Office of Information,… Read more Life Through a Lens: A Post-War Dorset Village (Part 1)
We recently had a donation of photographs to the Dorset History Centre, with little information. We knew they belonged to the Morrice Family who lived at the (now-demolished) Glebe House in Weymouth. Included amongst the photographs were photos of the grand Glebe House: Also included in the donation was a handwritten diary from 1856. There… Read more Discovering Stories in Archive Collections
Dorset has close historical links to Newfoundland in Canada, with many of the immigrants who settled there coming from the county. Many Dorset people travelled to Newfoundland to work and trade in Newfoundland, some returning to Dorset in the winter, others making a permanent home there. Poole was one of the most important ports in… Read more Newfoundland Sources at the Dorset History Centre
Between 2015 and 2018 Dorset History Centre undertook the ‘Unlocking the Bankes archive‘ project. During the life of this project, staff and volunteers contributed well over 100 blogs to the project website. As we reach 2024, this project website is no longer functional in the way it originally was, and we have made the decision… Read more “Daphne Bankes – There’s No Place like Studland!”
Between 2015 and 2018 Dorset History Centre undertook the ‘Unlocking the Bankes archive‘ project. During the life of this project, staff and volunteers contributed well over 100 blogs to the project website. As we reach 2024, this project website is no longer functional in the way it originally was, and we have made the decision… Read more “What a Scorcher!”
A small collection regarding Askerswell Village has recently been donated to Dorset History Centre. The collection was compiled by Askerswell resident Martin Evans and shows a great insight into the village life throughout the twentieth century. In 1993, Evans created the Focus 1893 exhibition – an exhibition that looked back at the last 100 years of… Read more Memories of a Small Village
At DHC we are delighted to welcome our new volunteer Steve, who has lots of experience of creating interactive online maps. This can be a very engaging way to present material and we are already benefitting from Steve’s expertise as he’s made a map of the various fairs mentioned in Hutchins’ History and Antiquities of… Read more Mapping the Past: Hutchins and Dorset Fairs
Dorset History Centre has a close relationship with Kushti Bok, Dorset’s Gypsy Roma Traveller-led charity which celebrates the travelling lifestyle, the local history of GRT families and advocates for the rights of GRT people, whether settled or mobile or living at one of Dorset’s Council’s sites. While working with Kushti Bok, DHC has been able… Read more GRT History Month: Listen to the story of Gary Orange
Dorset History Centre has been working with Kushti Bok for a while, and we have previously published a range of blogs highlighting their work in the local Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. June is Gypsy Roma Traveller History month and we have asked Bryan Keet, a member of the organisation, to explain more about one… Read more Mapping the GRT communities in Dorset
Jo Amey first encountered the archive material of Carter and Co of Poole over 40 years ago in their tile factory in Hamworthy. As a final year ceramics student she was researching the history of tiled buildings in the local area for her thesis. She can still recall carefully copying the tile designs from the… Read more The Art of Industry – A Lost Tiled Mural?
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