Magical history tour
Released: 19 November 2007
A fascinating look back into the archives of Wolverhampton is promised this Saturday.
Wolverhampton City Council’s archives and local studies service will throw open its doors for the last time in its current home at an open day.
The event will give people a chance to take a closer look at the city’s historical documents and how they are preserved, and check out where Wolverhampton’s history is currently stored and recorded before the service relocates to a new state-of-the-art home at the former Molineux Hotel in a year’s time.
Visitors will also be able to find out about progress on work to renovate the Molineux Hotel ready for the service’s arrival.
Lesley Vasey, archives outreach officer, said: “We have a dedicated team looking after the history of our city and the wealth and variety of archive material that we hold shows how Wolverhampton has evolved over time.”
“This open day will be an opportunity for people to get a glimpse of where their history is stored and how it is looked after. We hope the event will inspire visitors to learn about their family and about local history which can be full of rewards and unexpected surprises.”
Visitors will be able to take part in tours of the archives' storage areas, which are not normally open to the public, and see where fragile documents are repaired. Also on display will be many of the valuable, rare and fascinating documents held in the archives.
Representatives from a range of local organisations including the Black Local History & Cultural Archives Project, Wolverhampton Archaeology Society, Moving Here, The Friends of Phoenix Park, and Wolverhampton History and Heritage Society, will also be present.
The event, at Wolverhampton Archives and Local Studies on Snow Hill, has been organised as part of the national Archives Awareness Campaign 2007 which aims to bring the wealth of material contained within archives across the UK to a wider audience.
The service has been running for more than 25 years and has more than 63,500 items in its catalogue. Staff are responsible for records dating from the 15th century to the present day. The documents include maps, books, censuses, photographs and newspapers relating to the history of all areas within the present city of Wolverhampton.
It is recognised as a place of deposit for public records by the Lord Chancellor’s Department and last year attracted over 7,500 visitors pursuing research into family trees, the history of their homes or community and school projects.
The open day runs from 10am-3pm on Saturday November 24. Entry is free but the number of tours is limited so arrive early or book to avoid disappointment. For details, call 01902 552480.
Visitors can also find out more about the Documenting the Workshop of the World project, which is currently cataloguing business records and digitising 1000s of historic images charting the development of the Industrial Revolution in the Black Country. More information is available on the Black Country History website.
Issued by the press office.