Our latest recruits at the Archives

Gloucestershire Archives has a proud tradition of training and supporting people who are interested in pursuing a career in the heritage sector. We are delighted to introduce our latest recruits.

Ella is our Trainee Archivist. Based within the Access and Engagement Team, she helps to manage Reception, Document Control and Document Production. She also plays a key role in supporting communications for our online and off-site events. Alongside these duties, Ella is learning how to accession and catalogue incoming deposits and donations.

If that were not enough, she has recently begun studying for a Master's degree in Archive Administration at the University of Dundee through distance learning. In two years' time, she will be a fully qualified archivist.

Eleanor is our Apprentice Archives Assistant on a fixed term, two year post funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of the Sounds of the South West project.

She is also involved in the core functions of the frontline team, including Reception, Document Control and Document Production, while undertaking the LIAS Level 3 Apprenticeship. LIAS stands for Library, Information and Archive Studies.

Over the next 18 months, Eleanor will study a range of modules covering subjects such as copyright, cataloguing, governance and customer service, equipping her with the knowledge and skills needed for a successful career in the archives and heritage sector.

Collectively, they are working on Gloucestershire Archives’ new ‘Engagement Charter’, which will help us ensure that our events and training sessions are welcoming, accessible and inclusive for everyone. More information will follow in due course.

We wish both Ella and Eleanor every success in their studies and careers, and we look forward to seeing them develop and thrive within the profession.

Have Your Say!

We are really keen to hear your comments and suggestions about our Service. Our visitor survey, an annual requirement for all public facing County Council services, is now open and runs until 7th December.

Please take the online survey here - Visitor Survey 2026 or you can pick up a paper copy from main Reception.

Thank you for taking part and we look forward to welcoming you at the Hub throughout the coming year and beyond.

Press play on the Sounds of the South West 

From sea shanties and local dialects to personal memories, the rich history of our region is now ready to be played. Hear it come to life online in newly available recordings. Discover the south-west’s diverse audio history on the new Sounds of the South West website.

Sounds of the South West is a partnership project working with archives across the region, including Gloucestershire Archives, to digitise, preserve and share 8,000 historic recordings over the next three years. With the audio originally recorded on formats now at a high risk of deterioration, this work is vital to ensure the recordings can be listened to by generations to come. 

The new website offers an introduction to the project and the fascinating collections being preserved. Over the coming months, selected recordings will be made available online, giving everyone a chance to hear the voices, music and stories that have shaped the South West’s past.  

To get listening, visit Home - Sounds of the South West

Discover History through original sources: New GCSE & A Level workshops at Gloucestershire Archives from Spring 2027

A student looking at a document at Gloucestershire Archives

From Spring 2027, Gloucestershire Archives will be offering a new programme of curriculum-linked workshops designed specifically for GCSE and A Level History students. Drawing on the unique collections held at Gloucestershire Archives, these sessions will provide students with the opportunity to engage directly with original historical documents that bring their studies to life.

Whether exploring the development of medicine, investigating crime and punishment through the centuries, or examining the experiences of Gloucestershire people during the First World War, students will gain valuable experience working with primary sources while developing the analytical skills required for examination success.

Bringing History Beyond the Textbook

Archives allow students to encounter history first-hand. By handling and interpreting original historical records, students can develop a deeper understanding of historical change, continuity, significance and evidence. Each workshop has been designed to support curriculum content while showcasing fascinating local stories and source material from Gloucestershire's rich documentary heritage.

GCSE History Workshops

• Medicine, c.1250 to Present
• Crime and Punishment, c.1000 to Present
• First World War, 1914–1918

A Level History Workshops

• Poverty Through the Ages
• Stuart Britain, c.1603–1702
• The Industrial Age, c.1783–1885

Booking Information

The new GCSE and A Level workshop programme will launch in Spring 2027. Further details regarding workshop content, group sizes and booking arrangements will be announced in due course.
To register your interest, please contact the Access & Engagement Team archives@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Jemma Fowkes, Community & Heritage Officer

Celebrating Gloucester’s Communities and Stories

September provided an opportunity to celebrate the people, cultures and stories that help make Gloucester the vibrant and diverse city it is.

Five Things To Do in the Family History Centre

I love a list and must confess to making several different ones each week.

A research list is always one of my favourites and helps to keep me focussed on the task in hand while reducing the risks of forgetting something or, probably worse, slipping down tempting rabbit holes.  I also keep a list of tempting rabbit holes, but that’s probably just me!  So when someone asked me what they could do if they came into the Family History Centre, I immediately went into ‘list mode’ and came up with these Five Things.

First (and rather obvious) you can investigate your Gloucestershire roots.  Many of the basic FH sources like parish registers and probate records for the diocese of Gloucester are available on the Ancestry subscription website which you can use free-of charge in our Centre.  However, the Society’s volunteers have indexed other name-rich county sources including Monumental Inscriptions, Gloucester Cemetery registers and some non-conformist records - you can only use these resources in our Centre.

Second (but not quite so obvious) you can investigate your roots almost wherever they lead you, even abroad.  The main subscription sites, Ancestry and Find My Past, both cover the whole world and between them include a wide range of sources far beyond parish registers and wills.  These include census returns, military records, passenger lists and immigration records plus some more niche material like employment records.  Our FH Centre is also a FamilySearch Affiliate Library which means you have access to the wealth of material collected by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons)- it is the only Affiliate Library in the area and an amazing resource.

Third (and following on from the first two) you can discover more about what life was like for your family or even investigate someone with no connection to yourself.  We have access to the British Newspaper Archive which includes a huge number of English language papers from around the UK from the mid-18th century to the late 20th century.  It is a truly amazing resource which will help you to understand more about daily life in a vanished world.

Fourth (not obvious at first glance) you can investigate the history of the community in which you live or work, used to live or work or even just interests you.  Basic sources like census returns are available on Ancestry and FindMyPast and you can look at a range of maps online as well as check local newspapers.

Fifth (and not found anywhere else) you can talk to the Society’s knowledgable and enthusiastic volunteers who are always delighted to help you get started, tackle research brick walls, make sense of what you’ve found and celebrate your successes.

Finally - Our FH Centre is open to all and we welcome everyone whatever their specific interest or level of experience.  We are an independent charity run by volunteers and you can discover more about us on our website gfhs.org.uk

Vicky Thorpe

Magical Mystery Tour

The Friends of Gloucestershire Archives and their friends enjoyed a splendid magical mystery tour at the beginning of October, incredibly skilfully put together by our host, John Chandler. The event was the busiest ever, with 40 members and guests gathering on a fine Sunday morning, when we headed west from Gloucester, weaving our way (just) across Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, before ending up in Herefordshire.

The roadwork gods were kind, as was St Sebastian the patron saint of runners who made sure that unlike last year, all and any half marathons were conducted well away from our route. Our inestimable driver, Tony, handled the coach beautifully. He ensured that the oldest surviving place of worship for a world religion did not sustain a coach shaped dent.

The weather too was glorious, allowing a relaxing stroll around the significant grounds of an early medieval priory as well as an inspection of the priory itself with a very topical connection to the Bayeux tapestry. The afternoon took a colourful turn with a trip to a local ‘Strawberry Hill Gothic’ church before the town featuring black and white buildings, and appearing in the Hamnet film proved to be our final stop.

All involved heartily agreed that a very good time had been had, and that very grateful thanks are owed to John Chandler for putting together such a fascinating expedition.

For those of you who would like to know the final destinations involved, please look out for the Friends of Gloucestershire Archives newsletter where all will be revealed!

If you’d like to join the Friends and enjoy a member rate for the next magical mystery tour please go to the website at https://www.foga.online/join.

Looking ahead - Engagement at Gloucestershire Archives in 2027

From medieval charters and military tribunals to prisons, literature, food and the sounds of the past, 2027 promises to be an exciting year at Gloucestershire Archives.

We have now set the themes for our forthcoming on-site Saturday events, held on the first Saturday in each month. These will continue to showcase the remarkable variety of records held in our collections and find new and imaginative ways for people to explore the county’s history.

There is no event in January this year, so we begin in February with our event Should I stay or should I go? focusing on our First World War military tribunal records. Gloucestershire Archives is taking part in a National Lottery Heritage Fund-supported project, overseen by Wiltshire Archives, to catalogue surviving tribunal paperwork. To bring these fascinating records to life, our event will feature an interactive court scene, with audience participation encouraged! It will offer a different way to discover the experiences, arguments and decisions preserved within these important records.

In March, Incarcerated will delve into records relating to asylums, workhouses and prisons, exploring the stories that survive within our collections and what they can reveal about the lives of people who experienced these institutions.

Across the year we'll be turning our attention to an eclectic mix of other themes, including food, literature, sound archives, estate archives and the Second World War.

2027 also marks two important historical anniversaries with strong connections to Gloucester and the wider story of England. It is 1,100 years since Æthelstan became King of the Anglo-Saxons in 927, while the year also marks 700 years since the death and burial of Edward II in 1327 in Gloucester Cathedral. To commemorate these anniversaries, we'll be holding a special event featuring some of our rarely seen charters. Both anniversaries will also feature again as part of the Gloucester History Festival’s programme in September.

Oh, and have you heard that there's something rather significant happening at Gloucester Docks from April onwards?! 2027 marks the bicentenary of the Docks, and Gloucestershire Archives will be hosting one of the first in a series of events, taking place at various heritage sites throughout Gloucester to commemorate 200 years of this iconic part of the city's heritage.

We’ll also continue to host our Secrets Revealed ‘online’ talks based on Saturday event themes but in the comfort of your own home; will be launching our new offering schools to support GCSE and A level teaching and in January we plan to start a six-week series entitled ‘Film on Fridays’ which will enable people to see some of our rarely accessed film holdings held at Gloucestershire Archives.

Consequently, there’s lots to look forward to here at the Archives in 2027.

Watch this space over the coming months as we reveal more about the programme and how you can take part. Events | Heritage Hub

Autumn at Tortworth Arboretum

Saturday 7 November, 10am to 3.30pm (last entry 2.30pm)

Tortworth Arboretum, off Tortworth Road, Wotton-under-Edge, GL12 8HH

Take a self-guided walk through the peaceful Dell at Tortworth Arboretum as the trees settle in for their winter rest. You can follow the marked trails on our map or wander off and find your own way.
The ancient woodland used to be overrun with bramble and bracken. Over the years a dedicated team of volunteers has brought it back, uncovering an old donkey arena and steps and a collection of more than 600 native, exotic and veteran trees. Some parts are still wild, and we're keeping them that way for the wildlife.

When you've finished your walk, follow the smell of woodsmoke back to the Roundhouse for a warm drink.

This is a dog-free day. Tickets are by sliding-scale donation (free, £5, £8 or £10), so everyone can come whatever their budget. Every donation supports the restoration of the arboretum and our woodland wellbeing programme.

Book here

A busy summer at Gloucestershire Police Archives

What a busy summer it has been, we have had lots of queries come in despite the fact that we thought everyone was sitting in the garden with ice-cream.

The talk and event season for next year is already filling fast and we are booked to appear in parts of the county that we have not been to before.

Volunteers continue to work on a variety of projects and we hope to add some new pages to the website soon.

We had a piece of great news at the beginning of October when the medals that we had been searching for turned up.

We are still looking for any relatives of William Shute or Dick Townsend to come to the Remembrance Day Commemorations at HQ.

If you want to see the medals or find out more about the Gloucestershire police officers who fought at Qatia we will be in the Heritage Hub on Saturday 7th November or you can pop in to see us in the Chester Master Room.

If you have any police related photographs we are always happy to receive Jpegs via gloucestershirepolicearchives@gmail.com 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.

is usually open Monday to Wednesday until 2.30 but it is worth checking before you make a visit as we do go out and about quite often.