How does your garden grow?

At the first sight of daffodils and cherry blossom, we warmly welcome Spring and start to turn our attention towards the Heritage Hub's community garden. 

For those of you who have not been to the Hub in recent weeks or not ventured into the garden, we are pleased to report that it is a hive of activity and for once, we are not talking about the bees! Helped by a team of volunteers co-ordinated by Project Grow, hundreds of little seedlings are revealing themselves to the great excitement of all staff but particularly our Green Pledge Project Team. 

To celebrate this development and to shine a spotlight on the important work they are doing, the Green Team are hosting our next Saturday event 'How does your Garden Grow', 4th May, 10-4pm. There will be a series of short informal sessions on local green initiatives, ideas for your garden and a Q&A session for your gardening queries. There is a bookable talk by Marion Hill, the Green Pledge Learning and Outreach Officer on 'Gloucestershire Gardens, Great & Small' and a screening of the hugely popular and thought provoking film  'Six Inches of Soil'.

Also on the day, there will be a tour of the community garden by the designer responsible, vegetable seed planting, various short films, nature based information stalls and a display of garden themed documents held at Gloucestershire Archives.  We're even offering free lunchtime soup made from locally grown vegetables. 

And whilst we are talking about roots, why don't you visit our onsite partners at the Gloucestershire Family History Society, open from 10am on the day, to discover more about your family heritage.  

Booking is essential for the main talk and film. For further information please go to How does your garden grow? | Heritage Hub

Join us at the Heritage Focus Day!

On 1st June, the Gloucestershire Heritage Hub will be holding a second Heritage Focus Day and this year our keynote speaker will be Mark Horton, a leading archaeologist who you may have seen on ‘Time Team’ (Channel 4), ‘Time Flyer’ (BBC2) or ‘Coast’ (BBC2).

He will be presenting a talk aptly titled ‘My Career in Ruins’ and will be joined by representatives from Gloucestershire Archives; Gloucestershire Libraries; The Museum of Gloucester; Stroud Museum in the Park; Gloucester Cathedral Archives and Education Centre; Cheltenham College Archives; The John Moore Countryside Museum; Cotswold Archaeology; freelance experts; Cultural Heritage Institute, Royal Agricultural University; heritage volunteers for Gloucestershire Family History Society, Gloucestershire Constabulary, the Jet Age Museum, the Canal and River Trust, Stroudwater Textiles Trust and members of the Archives and Records Association.

Heather Forbes, Head of Gloucestershire Archives is also giving a talk about her career to date. Apart from Gloucestershire, Heather has worked at London Metropolitan Archives, Hampshire Archives and was also the archivist of the beautiful Canterbury Cathedral for a number of years.  Consequently, she has overseen a variety of records, artefacts and now even a document of international significance.

This free event, which runs from 10am-4pm is an excellent opportunity to see what archivists, conservators, museum curators, librarians, archaeologists and other heritage-based professionals do on a day-to-day basis. Attendees can learn about training paths and there will also be ‘have a go’ opportunities, demonstrations, films showing throughout the day, a document display of ‘treasured archives’ from the collections held at Gloucestershire Archives and ‘behind the scenes’ tours of the archive strongrooms.

For further details and to book a place on the talks and workshops, please go to https://www.heritagehub.org.uk/events/heritage-focus-day/

Green Pledge Project update

The Green Pledge Project will release new podcast episodes every month – and you can listen to the first two NOW! Podcast | Gloucestershire Archives

Hear stories from local people talking about changes in the environment they’ve seen over their lifetime and what they do to tread more lightly on the planet.

We’ll look at records from the archives and reflect on what they tell us about now and the future. And you can listen to shortened versions of the oral history interviews we’re recording with people who’ve worked to protect nature in all sorts of ways, including farmers, environmental managers and campaigners.

Episode 1 – Introducing our busy project team, as well catching up with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust volunteer, Sara Kinsey, as she works with Heather Forbes, sorting documents, including beautiful nature journals and notebooks from the 1930s. 

Episode 2 – join the team at the Greener Together event at the Two Rivers Converge Festival, Tewkesbury Abbey, Feb 2024. Under the enormous suspended model of Gaia, we talk to stall holders about their work and local people. All laced together with the beautiful Gaia soundtrack.  

Coming Up! Listen to our interview with John Meadley. In 2012 John was voted Environmental Hero by the Heart of Gloucestershire Community Awards. John talks about his early influences as well as his work on international and local projects.

You can listen to all episodes here -  Podcast | Gloucestershire Archives – You can also listen via Spotify, Amazon Music.

Subscribe to be notified when the next episode is released.

Speakers List

Looking for a speaker...? Looking for an audience...? Well, look no further than the Speakers List on the Gloucestershire Local History Association’s website at https://gloshistory.org.uk/. This is a list of around 60 speakers offering talks on a wide range of historical topics, along with their contact details and a note of their fee and travel expenses. The list is free to use, and, for any speaker who wishes to be included, free to join: the website includes a comprehensive note on how to submit an entry.

 The list, which is currently maintained by GLHA’s webmaster, Dr Ray Wilson (speakers@gloshistory.org.uk), has been in existence for many years, and before the days of the Internet, it was only issued every three years. Nowadays it is updated two or three times a year, and Ray has recently undertaken a comprehensive update, adding a number of new speakers and asking all existing speakers to confirm that they wish to continue (most do!) and, if necessary, to update their entries. Many of our speakers have added new talks, so even if you are a regular user of the list, do take another look to see what’s new. A further update is planned for the Autumn, so if you’ve heard a good speaker who is not on the list, but who you think might like to join it, please either encourage them to contact us directly or pass their details to Ray so that we can contact them.

 Anyone using the list – which we know includes not only local history groups and societies, but many other organisations, such as Probus, Rotary, WI and U3A groups – should be aware that the inclusion of a speaker on the list does not imply any form of recommendation by GLHA. However, we always do our very best to check the suitability of a speaker before they are included, either by hearing them ourselves or by seeking a recommendation from someone who has – and we are always grateful to know if a speaker should fall below reasonable expectation.

 And while on the subject of speakers, readers of this Newsletter might be amused by this anonymous article 'Our speaker for tonight' included in the Local History Bulletin for Autumn 1979 https://glosdocs.org.uk/sites/groups/glha/bulletin/glhb40-1979b.pdf

Does anyone, I wonder, know who ‘E. L’. might have been? The only suggestion so far is E. S. Lindley, whose Wotton-under-Edge: Men and Affairs of a Cotswold Town was published in 1962 – but any other suggestions would be gratefully received! 

GLHA Summer events – booking now!

Gloucestershire Local History Association has been busy organising its two Summer events. The first is its annual Summer Afternoon meeting, which this year is being organised by the Forest of Dean Local History Society, being held at Coleford on Sunday June 30th.

The second is a Local History Day of talks and displays on the theme of ‘Gloucestershire Life Stories’, to be held at Hartpury College/University on Saturday July 27^th.

Further details and booking forms for both events, to which everyone is welcome, may be found on the Association’s website Local History Events – Gloucestershire Local History Association (gloshistory.org.uk) 

The amazing tale of 'Tiger' Sarll - you can hardly believe it

One of the delights of any research is stumbling across a story like ‘Tiger’ Sarll’s that is so astonishing you can hardly believe it is true.  It is the possibility of this happening which makes us persevere when all we find are brick-walls.

Our picture, taken from the Cheltenham Chronicle and Gloucestershire Graphic for 15 October 1927, suggested an intriguing story ready to be unearthed - we weren’t disappointed.  Thomas William Henry Bang Fee ‘Tiger’ Sarll became a soldier, big game hunter, war correspondent, photographer, and showman and we can discover more about his extraordinary life in the online sources here in our Research Centre.

He was born in London in 1882 and he was given the name ‘Bang Fee’ (meaning eagle in Mandarin) because of his family’s connections with the Chinese diplomatic community.  At 17 years old he joined the army, possibly inspired by Florence Nightingale, and served in South Africa where he was wounded three times, and acquired the nickname ‘Tiger’ since he growled so ferociously at the enemy.

Until the start of World War 1 in 1914, ‘Tiger’ Sarll travelled the world, working variously as a game hunter, farmhand, gold prospector, actor, cameraman and military advisor.  He found time to marry in 1908, not to his childhood sweetheart but her younger sister, much to her family’s anger.  Their decision to hold the ceremony in a transparent diving bell in a pool in the London Palladium in order to win a £100 bet probably didn’t improve the situation.  In 1910 they moved to Argentina but this didn’t work out as planned so while Thomas moved to Mexico in 1911 as a ‘tactical advisor’ for the Revolutionaries, his wife and young family returned to the UK.

Just before the outbreak of World War 1 ‘Tiger’ reinvented himself as a war correspondent and photographer.  Once war broke out first the Belgians arrested him as a German spy, then the Germans imprisoned him as a British agent.  Having escaped and returned to England, he rejoined the army with the help of family friend, Lord Kitchener, and ended up as a General Staff Officer stationed in Weymouth and was reunited with his long-suffering wife and children.

Immediately after the war, ‘Tiger' changed career again and imported luxury goods from North Africa.  Then he began to source ‘exotic animals’, particularly large reptiles, for zoos and private collectors.  Seeing the popularity of ‘animal shows’ in America, he created his own ‘Moorish Bazaar’ which toured the UK between the wars.  Although his visit to Cavendish House in Cheltenham was a great success, he had some narrow escapes: during a visit to Reading in 1927 an off-duty police officer rescued him when a python started to swallow his arm. 

The outbreak of World War II ended the ‘Moorish Bazaars’ but not ‘Tiger’s’ exploits which included the Dunkirk evacuation and fire watching in the London Blitz.  However this is another story to uncover.

 Please visit our website for more information about GFHS, the FH Research Centre, our talks and events, our monthly newsletter and social media links gfhs.org.uk

Open to all, make a difference

The Gloucester History Festival, 7-22 September 2024

Join 100 of Britain’s top historians and broadcasters for over 200 events spanning the ancient city over two weeks, including the unique tradition of Gloucester Day and Heritage Open Days throwing stunning historical buildings open to all. Gloucester Day kicks off the celebrations on 7 September whilst the Blackfriars Talks take place at the magnificent Blackfriars Priory from Saturday 14 to Sunday 22 September.

 Visit gloucesterhistoryfestival.co.uk for more information and to become a member giving you priority booking ahead of the crowd. Booking open in July.

Upcoming events at the Heritage Hub

How does your Garden Grow, Saturday 4th May, 10:00-16:00

Talk on the day - booking essential

11.30: Marion Hill - Gloucestershire Gardens, great and small

  Film show - booking essential 

1:30: Documentary feature film 'Six Inches of Soil', the inspiring story of British farmers standing up against the industrial food system and transforming the way they produce food - to heal the soil, benefit our health and provide for local communities.

Also on the day -  vegetable seed planting, garden advice and tours, free soup made from locally sourced produce, information stalls on green and nature related activities.

Heritage Focus Day, Saturday 1 June, 10:00-16:00

Talks on the day - booking essential

11am: Heather Forbes - ‘In Record Time’ 

1pm: Mark Horton - ‘My Career in Ruins’

3pm: Q&A session on heritage volunteering with a panel of experts

Workshops & Demonstrations - booking essential

10.30am & 2.15pm: Not just books!

11.30am:  The art of protective packaging

10.30 & 2:15pm: Mysteries of the Museum

 Also on the day:

Advice and information stalls featuring representatives from Gloucestershire Archives, Gloucestershire Libraries, The Museum of Gloucester, The John Moore Countryside Museum, Gloucester Cathedral and Education Centre, Cheltenham College Archives, Cotswold Archaeology, The Jet Age Museum, the Canal and River Trust, the Stroudwater Textile Trust, Gloucestershire Family History Society, Gloucestershire Police Archives, freelance experts and the Archives and Records Association.

An exhibition of 'Treasures of Gloucestershire Archives'

'Behind the scenes' tours of Gloucestershire Archives, 12pm and 3pm

And other events in the pipeline: 

Wednesday 22nd May - Secrets Revealed (online talk) - 'Blood, Sweat & Tears – jobs in Gloucestershire’s past'

Wednesday 26th June - Secrets Revealed (online talk) - 'Throw away the key!'

Saturday 6th July - 'Crime and Consequences' - an onsite event at the Heritage Hub, 1-4pm

Saturday 3rd August - 'Bees, Trees and Teas' - a celebration of our beautiful community garden with tea, homemade cakes plus garden and farming inspired talks.   

For more information please see Events | Heritage Hub

Voices Gloucester - upcoming events and projects

30th June - 'Sharing the Same Sky', Gloucester Guildhall, 4-8pm

Come along and enjoy a showcase of Chinese arts, as a variety of performers and speakers open a window on this ancient and beautiful culture, to tell stories of those who have travelled halfway across the world to settle in Gloucester. We’ll be treated to a spectacular demonstration of traditional Chinese dance, costume, music, poetry, folk tales – all interwoven with local history, with opportunities to participate and discover a rich heritage.

5th July - 'Jonkunoo', Picturedrome, 162-166 Barton Street, Gloucester, 6.30-8.30pm

For more information, please visit the Voices website - Voices Events - Voices Gloucester

A stitch in time

Force with fire

We are not enjoying the wet and windy weather but it does mean that people are staying at home more and researching their families which has led to a surge in enquiries. One of our favourites was the photograph of Fireman Joe. Needless to say he was not a fireman at all and if you want to know the full story, find it here Fireman Joe | Police ancestors, New contributions | Gloucestershire Police Archives

Despite the weather the talk and event circuit has stayed busy. In January there was another visit to Northleach Prison to continue to develop the outreach programme and there was a large turnout in Bream at the Forest of Dean Local History Society meeting for a talk on the history of Gloucestershire Constabulary with reference to The Forest.  And our final February event was at the corporate welcome for new police staff.

March saw a first for us, a talk outside the historic county of Gloucestershire! We went to Ledbury in Herefordshire to talk about tales of derring-do performed by members of the constabulary before and during their police service. We also celebrated International Women’s day at the Heritage Hub with a talk on the first women in Gloucestershire Constabulary.

The coming months continue to look busy too with talks booked at and for Tetbury Police Museum, Charlton Kings Local History Society, Cheltenham Police Cadets, Heritage Hub, a dementia event in a care home, several more police corporate welcome events and Thornbury U3A.

However, we still have room for more events and talks. The only thing we say is that each talk is written to order so we do need a bit of warning.

If you have any police related photographs, we are always happy to receive Jpegs via admin@gloucestershirepolicearchives.org.uk and queries can also be sent to the same email address. We are also able to scan photographs in our office at the Heritage Hub which is usually open Monday to Wednesday until 2.30pm but it is worth checking before you make a visit as we do go out and about quite often.