Treswell’s Survey contains the first pictorial description of Corfe Castle, alongside a series of beautiful maps of Dorset, but their full charm could not be accessed due to the volume in which they were bound. Our Conservator describes releasing the maps so they could be justly appreciated. The Treswell survey, ‘Maps of Dorsetshire’, is a… Read more Bankes Archive: Releasing Treswell’s survey
Dorset Archives Trust have recently funded the purchase of an environmental meter, which is used to offer advice to museums and individuals. When caring for historic documents, it’s important to ensure the environment they are stored in is not detrimental to their long-term survival. At Dorset History Centre, archival documents are stored in purpose-built strongrooms that are controlled… Read more Monitoring the Environment
Staff at Dorset History Centre have added the 300,000th entry to the archive catalogue and take the opportunity to shine a light on previously catalogued pieces of history. The archives described within the catalogue are diverse and include original manuscript and printed documents, audio-visual material, photographs, drawings, maps and plans, and, increasingly, digital records. This… Read more 300,000 records of Dorset’s past available to search online
Amy Ridgway shares her experience of working at Dorset History Centre during a placement for her history PhD. My usual use of Dorset History Centre (DHC) is as a researcher in the search room. As a history PhD student at the University of Exeter, I have been using documents from the Bankes Archive, namely account… Read more On the other side of the desk
Our archivist working on the Poole Borough Archive sheds some light on her daily activities. A dual role I have two roles at Dorset History Centre – from Monday to Wednesday I am the Project Archivist responsible for sorting and cataloguing the Poole Borough Archive. This is quite a job as the collection includes over 1500… Read more A day in the life of a cataloguing archivist
Inspired by the popular festive song, staff at Dorset History Centre bring you our own version of the Twelve Days of Christmas! On the twelve days of Christmas, my archives gave to me… A parchment in a brown box Dorset History Centre holds over 50,000 acid free boxes in environmentally controlled repositories – each one containing… Read more Twelve days of archive Christmas
Our Conservator has completed the conservation of a large parchment map belonging to the Shaftesbury Estate. Here she describes the challenges of working with this complex material. As the Conservator at Dorset History Centre, I have the privilege of working on some fascinating and intricate documents, and in 2015 my skills were tested when I… Read more The conservation of Wimborne St Giles parchment map
Ever wondered what it’s like working in the Public Access rooms at the Dorset History Centre? From drains to ancient manuscripts, a Dorset History Centre Assistant shares their account of a typical day. Enquiries from near and far It’s a busy start to the day with lots of telephone messages to follow up from when… Read more A day in the life of a History Centre Assistant
Find out what our Archive Collections Manager gets up to on a ‘typical’ day. As the Collections Manager at the Dorset History Centre I have many different jobs which mean that I never have a ‘typical’ day. Most of my duties revolve around taking in new documents, listing them and making them accessible in our… Read more A day in the life of an archivist
There is a lot of science involved in the continuing care of our archives. Our conservator reveals what she gets up to in the collections care room. Prevention and cure As the Conservator at the Dorset History Centre my job is to take care of the collections that are housed here. I do this firstly through… Read more A day in the life of an archive conservator
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