If you have followed our blog for a while, you will know that one of our favourite subjects is Sir John Franklin and his lost expedition to discover the northwest passage from the Atlantic ocean to the Pacific via the Arctic. On 16 May 1845, the officers of Franklin's expedition had their photographs taken by … Continue reading Putting colour into the past
Photographs
Accessing our resources from home
As we cannot provide access on site at the moment due to the coronavirus, here are some links and tips for research you can do from your computer at home. Do your family history Baptism, marriage and burial registers for Church of England parishes, some as early as 1538, are on Ancestry (charge applies). See … Continue reading Accessing our resources from home
Leonard Cheshire Photographic Exhibition
This is not a directly Derbyshire post, but our followers may be interested in an exhibition in Burton-on-Trent curated by the Leonard Cheshire Archive (based in South Derbyshire). Royalty Carers and Residents, Leonard Cheshire life through the eyes of a Fleet Street photographer features the work of Norman Potter (a Fleet Street photographer who worked … Continue reading Leonard Cheshire Photographic Exhibition
Thank You Matlock Ladies Luncheon Club!
A big thank you to Matlock Ladies Luncheon Club who have given us a £70.00 donation for our Junction Arts photographs project. The charity Junction Arts celebrated its fortieth anniversary last year and deposited its archive here at the Record Office so future generations would be able to marvel at the wonderful work they do. … Continue reading Thank You Matlock Ladies Luncheon Club!
Picturing the Past in Photos, Postcards and Illustrations
We're often asked for images, illustrations and photographs for a variety of reasons: house or building history, planning and model making are just a few. So we thought it might be useful to list a few sources of useful information about how to access images, both online and in our collections. Firstly, with a title including … Continue reading Picturing the Past in Photos, Postcards and Illustrations
Free talk: Preserving Your Past
Many of us have our own little (or even quite large) archive at home: letters, photographs, diaries and other treasures that remind us where we've come from and bring us close to loved ones who aren't around anymore. If you'd like to find out how best to care for these unique family heirlooms, do come along to … Continue reading Free talk: Preserving Your Past
Discovering Ilkeston
Yesterday morning I visited Ilkeston Library to deliver a new workshop introducing people to the various sources available for researching the history a Derbyshire building. It was a quiet session, with only two in attendance - though one had travelled all the way from Aston on Trent which took me quite by surprise! With the … Continue reading Discovering Ilkeston
Advent Calendar – Day 17
A week to go until Christmas Eve. We will be closing at 1pm on Christmas Eve and reopening at 9.30 on Tuesday 29th December. It will be a three day week though, as we will also be closed on the Friday for New Year's Day, reopening as normal on Saturday 2nd January at 9.30. Until … Continue reading Advent Calendar – Day 17
Smedley’s hydro, by Alex
In addition to researching my house, I also looked at documents relating to Smedley's Hydro. What is now the County Hall in Matlock was once the hydro of John Smedley were people can come and relax with the water treatments, known as Smedley’s Hydropathic Establishment. Here are a few photographs from an old brochure for the hydro, … Continue reading Smedley’s hydro, by Alex
The Harry Gill Collection
Increased interest and media coverage in finding out about your past have encouraged people to think about what they do with their personal photographs. This has resulted in some wonderful collections being made available to ‘Picture the Past’. Some are loaned, some are donated but they are all the result of people wanting to share … Continue reading The Harry Gill Collection