LEICESTERSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY Number 76 Autumn 2007 Editors Kay Gowland and Alan McWhirr For Society news, details of lectures, publications and other Society activities visit the web site at www.le.ac.uk/lahs/ History and Heritage Fair – your help and support needed! Saturday 27th October at Vaughan College and Jewry Wall he Society is organising a History and Heritage Fair on Saturday 27th R October 2007 at Vaughan College. When the Leicestershire Local History R TCTouncil ceased to function in1996 our Society took over some of the functions of the LLHC including the publication of the Leicestershire Historian. E E However, we never managed to organise events to help local history societies exchange information and to make their activities more widely known. T T Committee members Caroline Wessel and Graham Jones took up the challenge and the response has been most encouraging. Over 30 groups from around the county have asked to have a stall and other activities have also been arranged – T T more details can be found on page 11. E E Can you help on the day by staffing the LAHS table and handing out membership details? L L Can you help move tables early on Saturday S S morning (or Friday evening if we can gain access)? Please contact Alan McWhirr if you can help, we W W do need it!! E E The first lecture is on Thursday 11th October and the AGM is on 22nd November N N Please can we have your email address. Email it to the Newsletter Editor Honorary Secretary Membership Secretary Kay Gowland Dr Alan McWhirr Geoff Clark-Monks 62 Station Road 37 Dovedale Road 15 Stanhope Road Cropston Stoneygate Wigston, Leicestershire Leicester Leicester LE7 7HD Tel: 0116 235 0503 LE2 2DN Tel: 0116 270 3031 LE18 3SJ Tel: 0116 281 3684 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Autumn 2007 Newsletter News Newarke Houses Museum re- costume museum is now at Newarke from 1919 to recent years, providing opened to the public on 23rd Houses. This leads on to a re-creation unique evidence of a period of intense of a scene inspired by 1950’s Wharf and unparalleled change. June after a £1.5 million Street, including a chemist, grocer, The fragile prints, negatives and refurbishment pawnbroker and a pub, complete with documentation which comprise the The refurbishment has been funded by sounds and conversations from the collection will now be transferred to the a £1 million Heritage Lottery Fund times. There is also a new gallery specialist archival storage provided by grant and a further £250,000 each from dedicated to Daniel Lambert English Heritage and its partners. This Leicester City Council and the Royal A variety of different techniques tell will ensure not only that the collection Leicestershire Regimental Association. these stories, including oral histories, can be used and enjoyed by the public, The first floor of the museum will be archive film, computer interactives and but also that it is preserved for future home to permanent displays about The newly acquired objects. generations of researchers. Royal Leicestershire Regiment – ‘The The general theme ‘Ordinary People: English Heritage and its partners have Tigers’. Extraordinary Lives’ underpins the begun planning for the comprehensive museum displays. cataloguing, conservation and The museum closed for refurbishment digitisation of the collection. The in July 2004. transfer and initial sorting of the Opening hours and admission details archive will take some months, and as Open Monday - Saturday 10.00am to soon as access to the photographs can 5.00pm, Sunday 11.00am to 5.00pm. be provided details will be posted on Admission: FREE the EH website. Closed 24th, 25th, 26th, 31st December and 1st January. News from the Leicestershire Tel: 0116 225 4980 Industrial History Society The museum includes new displays in TELL US WHAT YOU THINK The LIHS has just published their the galleries on the ground floor, which OF THE NEW DISPLAYS AT Bulletin (no 18) which is devoted to the Early Slate Quarries in North West tell the story of Leicester and its people NEWARKE HOUSES AND WE Leicestershire. in the 20th century. Highlights are the WILL PRINT YOUR It has been authored by reconstruction of a First World War COMMENTS IN THE NEXT LAHS committee member David trench, living rooms from the 1950s NEWSLETTER Ramsey and is a substantial piece of and 1970s, street scenes, and stories work running to 80 pages with the from local people. The museum also Aerofilms archive acquired for majority of illustrations in colour. includes a cinema experience, a the nation Copies can be obtained at £15 (plus £2 collection of toys from Tudor times to English Heritage, in partnership with p&p) from David Lyne, 10 Somerville present day and a play area for children the Royal Commission on the Ancient Road, Leicester, LE3 3ET. The LIHS to try various games. and Historical Monuments of Scotland has also released a DVD on Timken The community galleries – ‘My (RCAHMS) and the Royal Commission Tubes of Desford, copies of which can Home’ and ‘Moving Here’– tell the on the Ancient and Historical also be obtained from David priced £5 stories of different communities in Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW), has (plus £1 p&p). Leicester and displays will change agreed to purchase the Aerofilms annually. The St Matthew’s community Historic Collection of 800,000 aerial has contributed to the first displays. photos of Britain from Blom Aerofilms. There are also some old favourites to The purchase is made possible by enjoy. The 1920s draper’s shop that financial support from English used to be displayed at the former Heritage's donors and supporters, the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF), and the Friends of National Libraries. The Aerofilms Historic Collection is the best and most significant collection of oblique aerial photography of the United Kingdom remaining in private hands. Its chronological and geographical coverage is superb and documents the face of Britain dating 2 Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Autumn 2007 Newsletter and more News New ULAS appointments 50th anniversary of teaching Two new senior managment posts have archaeology at the University been filled recently at University of of Leicester. Leicester Archaeological Services The first course in archaeology at the (ULAS). Nick Cooper has been University of Leicester was taught in appointed Post-Excavation Manager 1957-8 and in 2008 the current School and Vicki Score is now Project of Archaeology and Ancient History Manager. Both have been with ULAS will mark the occasion with an event, for a number of years and have a details of which are still being worked detailed knowledge of the archaeology out. If you are an ex-student and are of the region. interested in receiving further details email Pauline Carroll at [email protected] New website encourages wider or write to her at the university. participation in study of local history ArchLib is launched Our W Alan North Memorial A new, interactive website, which will The Council for British Archaeology lecturer? provide free access to thousands of and the Society of Antiquaries of Members may have seen reference in local history resources, was launched London announce the launch of Leicester Mercury to the fact that J. K. by historian Michael Wood at an event ArchLib: an electronic library of Rowling studied at Exeter University at the Houses of Parliament last month. publications for archaeology. This new, and was taught by Professor Peter Speaking at the event Michael Wood not-for-profit service provides access to Wiseman who spoke to the Society illustrated the importance of personal material from a consortium of earlier this year when he gave the W stories in building a history of our archaeological publishers, offering Alan North Memorial lecture. It has communities. He also emphasised the researchers a range of publications been suggested that Harry Potter’s key role technology plays in reaching through one easy search and buy headmaster, Albus Percival Wulfric new audiences. The launch was also interface. Initially comprising journal Brian Dumledore was based on Peter attended by Rt Hon Ruth Kelly, MP papers and books from eight different Wiseman. ‘Both are imposing, tall and (then Secretary of State for publishers, the CBA and SAL will be thin with twinkling eyes and white Communities and Local Government) expanding ArchLib to include a greater whiskers, and both are renowned for who launched an exhibition of Victoria range and number of publications in the their serenity and gentle wisdom’, County History work to coincide with coming months. writes the Mercury. the website launch. To use it click on Peter Wiseman lectured in Ancient The website, Explore England’s Past http://archlib.britarch.net, enter a term History at the University of Leicester is a key outcome of the Heritage or keyword in the search box and you from 1963-1976 before being appointed Lottery funded Victoria County History will receive results from over 2000 Professor at Exeter University. (VCH) project, England’s Past For pages of material. You can then view Everyone (EPE). Resources have been the opening page of a publication to collected by local volunteers and check it is what you need, then go historians working on EPE projects in ahead and buy it. You will receive a Do you have your ten counties. Visitors to the Explore site PDF file which can be immediately will be able to access a wide range of downloaded and kept. copy of the History of materials including images, historical More content will be added in the documents and audio files and the site coming months from a wider range of the Society? can be searched by location, place, archaeological publishers.