Accreditation for Archives Service
The National Archives (TNA) have awarded Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Archives Service Accredited Archive Service status.
In their report the TNA commented that the people who use Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Archives Service are getting a great service and historic records are being well looked after. The report also praised the contributions of volunteers.
The accreditation comes as the service is developing an exciting vision for more online accessibility, taking archives out to communities and developing plans for a new £4m Staffordshire History Centre in Stafford that will offer improved visitor facilities and modern storage.
Gill Heath, Cabinet Member for Communities at Staffordshire County Council said: “Achieving such high standards is wonderful news and means that people who use the service can expect great customer service and that the documents are in good hands. It was also good to see our volunteers being recognised for their invaluable contributions so I would like to pass on my thanks to them too. There’s real energy and enthusiasm for archives and family history these days. And with our ambitious plans for the new Staffordshire History Centre well under way, it’s a great time to get involved.”
Commenting on the service, TNA admired the service’s delivery and vision, and congratulated them on their recent positive development as well as commending the impressive volunteering offer. They looked forward to seeing how the service develops in future with the planned building works for the new Staffordshire History Centre and associated stakeholder developments.
For more information on the future vision of the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Archives Service visit the website.
Puppets on Parade!
This brand new touring exhibition from the Staffordshire County Museum Collection and funded by Arts Council England opened at Brampton Museum on Friday 21 July.
Puppeteer Ted Beresford entertained the crowds with an amazing puppet show and families explored the displays and hands on interactives.
Visit the exhibition at Brampton Museum and Art Gallery, Newcastle-under-Lyme until 1st September.
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 On a Mission to get Local
Nine students from Wolgarston High School visited the Staffordshire
Record Office on a mission to discover the history of 3 local villages;
Penkridge, Brewood and Coven. Tasked with learning the research methods
of a local historian, they first had a ‘behind the scenes’ tour of the Archive
and Conservation rooms, which they affectionately likened to ‘Gringots
Wizarding Bank’ from Harry Potter. They then had the chance to explore a
collection of museum handling objects, which bought to life many village
industries and family businesses.
Having been surprised by the work that
goes into conserving archives and the many different key historical resources
there are to draw upon, the students set about mapping the village histories in
small groups. Maps, school plans, censuses, trade directories and local
history books all contributed to their research and set of final
presentations.
The students
suggested that if they had had more time they would have painted a more comprehensive picture of the
surrounding areas, explored individual families and properties
further and have a go at doing some of their own conservation.
All students said they’d like to visit
again and encouraged the service to deliver more study days like these.
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 Welcome to our new student placements
The museum team has been joined by Robyn Hall and Jing Xu who are studying for their MA in Museum Studies at Leicester University. The placement lasts 8 weeks and they will be working on various projects while they are with us including preparing the carriages for photography, developing a new exhibition for the Ancient High House later this year and working on our digital offer. We hope they enjoy their time with the team!
The picture shows Robyn and Jing hard at work cleaning the Park Drag in the Coach House at Shugborough.
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Report back on Place Names Study Day
On Saturday 15th July a Staffordshire place-name study day was held at the Stafford Record Office. Dr Rebecca Gregory gave an update on the project, which has been running at the Record Office since February. The project's volunteers have so far collected over 6,000 historic place-names, an incredible achievement.
The day included reports from two place-name volunteers, Beryl and Margaret, on the work they’ve been doing and the research skills they’re building. Dr Jayne Carroll and Dr John Baker from the University of Nottingham spoke about the field-names collected by the volunteers. To top it all off, there was even a game of place-name bingo!
The project is still looking for more volunteers. If you would like more information please get in touch with Matthew Blake.
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