In the second of a series on the railway plans we hold at Dorset History Centre, Colin Divall, emeritus professor of Railway Studies at the University of York, describes why the railway plans are such an important source of information. — Building railways meant land, and land meant property. By the 1830s, when mainline railways… Read more The Importance of the Railway Plans and Sections
At Dorset History Centre being inspired is our bread and butter. We are often lucky enough to find cardboard watercress sandwiches or secret letters; delicate flower pressings or romantic love poems – amongst just some of our recent discoveries! Nothing is more pleasurable to us than sharing our records, and the Stepping into Nature project… Read more Inspired by Archives!
Dan, Jade, Melissa and Olly, students from Bournemouth University are bringing us a series of blogs about their work with some of our Oral History interviews. Part one: Meet our new bloggers Part two: From Dairy Farmer to the Dorset Game Larder Part three: Of Kings and Countryside — Over the last two terms, we have been… Read more A Journey Through Sound
On 1 April 2019, Dorset County Council (DCC), along with the district and borough councils, was succeeded by the new unitary Dorset Council. DCC was thus in operation for 130 years, over which time it administered a large part of Dorset’s local services from roads, libraries and small holdings to social care, country parks, Trading… Read more 130 Years of Dorset County Council
Volume four of Hutchin’s Extra Illustrated Edition covers just two places; Bridport and Lyme Regis. A M Broadley, the creator of the book, lived near Bridport in Bradpole and this may explain the large number of additions connected with the town. Amongst the drawings, newspaper clippings and portraits is a flyer for The Greatest Human… Read more A Phenomenon, Fake News and a Philanthropist
Within the strong rooms of the Dorset History Centre are a collection of extremely popular and highly used documents. It may come as a surprise to some that these documents are plans of railway undertakings. Whilst they don’t have the immediate visual appeal of an illuminated manuscript or estate map, the information they provide can… Read more Getting the records back on track!
Weekly at the Dorset History Centre we receive a range of collections from various bodies, from public institutions to private collectors. As an archive, most of the collections are paper or parchment format, and are stored in the thousands of boxes in the strong-rooms. To both assist online demand and to preserve the documents with… Read more Digital Preservation at DHC
In this special guest blog, Callum, a young learner who undertook a supported placement at DHC, explores some of our records relating to LGBT+ records held at Dorset History Centre. — The stories of individuals who existed outside the status quo are often heart-breaking, standing as symbols to how damaging existing under such prejudice is… Read more “The Courage of Ignorance”
Tracing its roots back to 1837, Eldridge Pope was the staple of Dorchester enterprise. Upon its restructuring and the development of the new brewery site in 1880 by the new owners Edwin and Alfred Pope, ‘Eldridge Pope & Co. Ltd.’ soon became the largest and most important employer in Dorchester. These were successful times, but… Read more Eldridge Pope: The best beer in town!
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