Worcestershire Directory of Oral History Recordings
The following alphabetical list gives details of oral history recordings known to Worcestershire Archive and Archive Service. If you want further information about a particular tape or collection, please contact the organisation or individual direct. All recordings are subject to the normal copyright regulations and it is your responsibility to check with the organisation that you are not breeching copyright law. If you know about a collection of recordings that does not appear on the list, please contact us at www.worcestershire.gov.uk/waas
Recording Location Description
Evesham Library 19 recordings (on CD) from the 'Women from The Vale'
Oat Street, Oral History project, concentrating on the lives of ordinary
Evesham, women in the Vale of Evesham in the past. Over 20
Worcestershire, women were interviewed for the project. The interviews
WR11 4PJ were then used as the basis for radio plays developed by
Evesham High School pupils and broadcast on BBC
Phone: 01386 442291 Hereford and Worcester in the Autumn of 2006. A cd of the
Web: www.worcestershire.gov.uk/libraries plays is also available.
BBC Century Speaks Collection About 150 interviews, which form part of the Millennium covering Herefordshire and Worcestershire Memory Bank held at the British Library Sound Archive. c/o Sound Archive, Recorded by Julia Letts for BBC Hereford and Worcester
British Library, in 1999. Includes every aspect of life in Herefordshire and
96 Euston Road, Worcestershire in 20th century (all on minidisk). There is a London, keyword search on the Sound archive's electronic
NW1 2DB catalogue.
Web: www.cadensa.bl.uk
Bewdley Museum More than 60 recordings (on cassette), all transcribed and
The Shambles, summarised, made in 1970s and 80s on many aspects of
Load St, life in the Bewdley/ Stourport area. Collection includes 24
Bewdley, interviews on the carpet industry, 12 interviews on the
Worcestershire, River Severn and 6 interviews on timber trade. Other
DY12 2AE topics include local crafts, rope making, clay pipe making,
Bewdley town, agriculture, general trade and industry, and
Phone: 01299 403573
society. Web: www.bewdley.actinet.net
Chris Cotterill Collection 10 recordings made and owned by Chris Cotterill including
c/o Chris Cotterill, recollections of food, rationing, nutrition and black market 38 Ploughmans Way, during Second World War, and American and Italians at
Droitwich Spa, Droitwich Displaced Persons Camp and War Office. Also
Worcester, short interviews based around buildings at Avoncroft
WR9 9DZ. Museum (all on cassette, all have been transcribed).
Droitwich Heritage Centre A small number of recordings with residents of Droitwich
St Richard's House, (on cassette) including memories of salt-making.
Victoria Square,
Droitwich Spa,
Worcester
WR9 8PR
Phone: 01905 774312.
Droitwich Spa Library 11 recordings with lifelong residents of Droitwich Spa,
describing changes in the town during their lives (on Life Stories Collection cassette) c/o Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service
The Hive The Butts Sawmill Walk Worcester WR1 3PD
Elgar Birthplace Museum A small number of oral history recordings including
Crown East Lane, memories by the Elgar family, and interviews with authors
Lower Broadheath, and historians (on cassette). A large number of CDs of
Worcester, Elgar's music.
WR2 6RH
Phone: 01905 333224
Web: www.elgarmuseum.org
Forge Mill Needle Museum Three collections of oral history interviews on the subjects
Needle Mill Lane of Childhood in Redditch, Moving to Redditch (about 20
Riverside interviews) and Redditch Businesses (about 15 recordings
Redditch including interviews on manufacturing motorbikes and
Worcestershire parts, batteries, springs and pressings). Also copies of
B98 8HY recordings made by Tim Coleman for BBC Voices Project
in Batchley in 2003.
Phone 01527 62509
George Marshall Medical Museum More than 60 recordings with people talking about their
Charles Hastings Educational Centre, experiences of medicine in the Worcester area (on
Charles Hastings Way, cassette), including doctors, midwives, nurses and
Worcestershire Royal Hospital, patients. Also recollections of the setting up of the National Worcester, Health Service.
WR5 1DD
Phone: 01905 760738
Gill Holt Collection 72 recordings made in 2000 to 2003 and owned by Gill c/o Gill Holt, Holt while researching her Malvern Voices series of books
34 Bank Street, Wartime, Schools and Childhood. All on cassette all
Malvern, transcribed. Interviews include memories of World Wars,
Worcester, festivals, music and entertainment, George V's Silver
WR14 2JG Jubilee, Morgan cars, Malvern schools, hotels,
guesthouses, trades and services, sport and local politics.
Hagley Historical and Field Society 10 recordings with local people talking about changes in c/o Mr Freeth, the area, including recollections of growing up in Old
2 Old fields, Hagley and changes to shops and shopping (on cassette).
West Hagley,
Stourbridge,
West Midlands,
DY9 0QG
Kays Heritage Group A small but growing collection of personal recollections c/o Bernard Mills, from people employed by Kays of Worcester. Interviews
46 St Mary's Close, made in 2003 onwards, covering all aspects of work at the
Kempsey, establishment (on minidisk). Worcester,
WR5 3JS
Web: www.kaysheritage.org.uk
Kidderminster Library Collection, About 40 recordings (on reel-to-reel and cassette) made
Kidderminster Library, between early 1960s and late 1980s. The collection
Market St, includes memories of King Charles 1 School, recordings of
Kidderminster, speeches, events, lectures, concerts and services in
Worcester Kidderminster (including a recording of Yehudi Menuhin),
DY10 1AD interviews on local crafts and industries, and
reminiscences on the carpet industry.
Phone 01562 824500.
Margaret Bramford Collection 50 recordings made by Margaret Bramford while
Malvern and Pershore Where d'ye Think. All on cassette,
C/O WAAS donated to the Record Office in 2003. 34 of the tapes are
reminiscences from the Malvern area and include pre-war
and war-time Malvern, Warwick House, Malvern Festival,
Malvern College, Morgan motors and Madresfield House.
15 recordings are from the Pershore area, and include
recollections of Pershore Fair, war-time Pershore, the
Abbey, farming, market-gardening, and the jam factory.
Mike Dickins Collection More than 40 recordings made and owned by Mike c/o Mike Dickins, Dickins, covering an enormous variety of topics including
180 Franche Rd, both World Wars, Morris-dancing, and many aspects of life
Kidderminster, in the Wyre Forest, Kidderminster and Bewdley. Several
Worcestershire series including 36 episodes of Winifred Barber, 5
DY11 5AD episodes on Imperial Airways and 4 episodes on the
Sealed Knot. Recorded in Herefordshire and
Worcestershire between 1981 and 2004 (on minidisk and
cassette).
Museum of Worcester Porcelain A small but growing collection of recordings with former
Severn Street, employees talking about their roles at Royal Worcester,
Worcester, including a master mold maker and a kiln man (on
WR1 2NE cassette).
Phone: 01905 746000. Web: www.worcesterporcelainmuseum.org
National Trust in Worcestershire 22 recordings related to the National Trust Properties in c/o Jeremy Milln, Worcestershire. Collection includes 8 recordings from
The National Trust West Midlands Region, Croome Court (including recollections of the estate, the
Attingham Park, water supply system and Croome as a school), 4 on
Shrewsbury, Greyfriars (recollections of the Matley Moores), 8 on
Shropshire, Hanbury Hall (including memories of Lady Vernon and
SY4 4TP family) and 2 on the Chartist Cottage 'Rosedene'. All on
cassette.
Web: www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Phil Adams Collection More than 200 tapes recordings with residents of St c/o Phil Adams, John's, Worcester, made and owned by Phil Adams.
St John's Library, Topics covered include memories of childhood,
Glebe Close, schooldays, work and leisure in St John's. Also
St John's, recollections of changes in the community (all on
Worcester, cassette). Some of these recordings have now been
WR2 5AX deposited at Worcestershire Record Office. Phone: 01905 420400
Redditch Dialect Society 35 recordings made by the Redditch Dialect Society. C/O WAAS Collection includes interviews with local people in Redditch (all on cassette).
Tenbury Collection Approximately 25 recordings made and owned by Howard c/o Howard Miller, Miller in conjunction with the Tenbury Historical Society. 6 Oak Bridge Court, Collection includes personal recollections of Tenbury from Tenbury Wells, 1908 onwards, Tenbury in the 20s, wartime Tenbury, Worcester, evacuees, hop farming, and the Office of Coroner (all on WR15 8DS cassette).
Terry Warneford Collection A small collection of recordings made and owned by Terry c/o Terry Warneford, Warneford on various events in the Malvern area, including 6 Redland Close, the Opening of the Mavlern Museum in 1981, a service Malvern Link, from St Joseph's Malvern, and a tour of Malvern College. Malvern, Worcester, WR14 1NW.
Worcester City Museum Collection, A collection of 10 cassette recordings (all with summaries) Worcester City Museum, on wartime Worcester and 1 recording of an interview with Foregate St, Ken Monk, the former head sauce maker of Lea and Worcester, Perrins. WR1 1DT Phone: 01905 25371 Web: www.worcestercitymuseums.org.uk
Worcestershire County Council Press Office Approximately 200 cassettes recorded off-air by the Collection County Council Press Office, in the 1980s and 90s. C/O WAAS Collection includes news bulletins and interviews with County Council staff on Radio Wyvern and BBC Hereford and Worcester (all on cassette).
Worcestershire County Museum 6 recordings in reel-to-reel format, made in mid 1970's, Hartlebury Castle, including recollections of coal mining, cider making and Nr Kidderminster, charcoal burning in Worcestershire and an interview with Worcestershire, the Kidderminster Mummers DY11 7X2 Phone: 01299 250416 Web: www.worcestershire.gov.uk/museum
Worcestershire World War Two Collection Approximately 160 recordings on cassette made by C/O WAAS Record Office staff between 1995 and 2003. Interviewees include service personnel, civilians, children, German and Dutch interviewees and POWs. There are a number of interviews with aircrew. Nearly all have been transcribed.
Wythall History Society A number of recordings made and owned by Val Lewis, c/o Val Lewis, covering many aspects of life and changes in the area. 64 Meadow Road, Recorded between 1960s and 2000 (on cassette and Wythall, video). Worcestershire, B476EQ Web: www.wythallhistory.co.uk
Individual or small private collections
Please contact the Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service if you would like more information about any of the following recordings.
• Reminiscences of Mr Rowley of Martley (4 tapes) (c/o Record Office BA 13435)
• Sermon of Rt Rev'd Robin Woods, Centenary of St Peter's Church, Bengeworth 1972 (c/o Clive Jones)
• Reminiscences of George Edward Beard circa 1900 (recorded 1961). (c/o Mike Beard).
• Memories of Alf Nicklin of Stoke Prior circa 1890s (recorded early 70s). (c/o Roger Leake)
• Recording of Emily Ruth Stephens born 1905, one of 9 children, worked in fruit, glove and toy factories in Worcestershire (c/o Jill Jennings)
• Recording of Cradley Chainmakers (from BBC Radio 1970s). (c/o June Humphreys, Romsley and Hunnington History Society.
• Rose, orphan, attended Bluecoat School in Birmingham circa 1930. (c/o Anne Bradford)