South Gloucestershire Local History
Who are we and what do we do?
South Gloucestershire Council’s Museums and Heritage Officer, Jane Marley supports a network of volunteer led organisations with an interest in South Gloucestershire history. The groups listed here have a specific interest in the documented history of South Gloucestershire, which was once part of the historic County of Gloucestershire, the area served by Gloucestershire Heritage Hub.
South Gloucestershire Heritage Partnership
SGHP is a relatively new venture set up by South Gloucestershire Council. It is a forum for sharing South Gloucestershire heritage news and listening to people’s views and concerns about local heritage and an incubator for ideas that make local heritage accessible to local people. Membership is open to Council officers and councilors, members of the heritage community, parish councils and other organisations / individuals with an interest in the heritage of South Gloucestershire.
It is envisaged that Heritage Partnership meetings will take place once or twice a year. You can keep up to date at http://www.southglos.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/museums-and-galleries/heritage-partnership-meetings/
South Gloucestershire Museums Group
SGMG is an unincorporated association. It aims to promote inspiration, learning and enjoyment through the exploration of museum collections, which include archives, for the benefit of local communities and the general public. Membership is open to museums and heritage centres that open to the public and have a collecting area that is wholly or partly within South Gloucestershire.
The Group meets about five times a year at different museums. You can discover more about it at http://www.southglos.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/museums-and-galleries/south-gloucestershire-museum-development/
Avon Local History and Archaeology
ALHA was founded in 1976 with the then new County of Avon. Avon County has long since been abolished but ALHA still flourishes as an independent organisation. It is managed by an elected Executive Committee, which meets once a quarter and operates through a small number of voluntary officers.
There are around eighty societies in ALHA, with a collective membership of about 10,000. Some are region-wide but with special interests like the Bristol & Avon Family History Society. Others are parish or district based. (See Groups for lists and locations). The Society also has links with local institutions, such as Record Offices, Libraries, Museums and Universities.
ALHA has its own programme of events, which includes a Local History Day biennale.
Website: http://www.alha.org.uk/events.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AvonLocalHistoryandArchaeology
Membership of ALHA is open to groups or institutions for £7 a year and to individuals for £5. Group members receive a free copy of the Speakers List and all members receive a copy of the Newsletter. There is a £2 discount for members who choose to receive their Newsletter by email. Members also benefit from the concessionary rate for admission to the Local History Day and are welcome to attend Executive Committee meetings.
Almondsbury Local History Society
Almondsbury Local History Society is one of ALHA’s many member organisations. It organises trips and displays of Almondsbury history, and runs a winter programme of events, which start at 7.30pm and are open to non-members. This season’s events are:
Monday 5th December, Paul Barnett- The Severn Bridge Disaster
Monday 9th January, Cyril Routley- Sailing to Australia on the SS Great Britain
Monday 6th February, Jane Marks and Pauline Montgomery, Saints, Sinners and Suffering
Monday 6th March, Dave Napier, Arnos Vale Cemetery
Monday 3rd April, AGM and Buffet
Website: http://www.alha.org.uk/Almondsbury
Filton Community History Group
This Group is a keen supporter of the ‘For the Record’ project. It is gradually transferring its valuable archive to Gloucestershire Archives for safekeeping and working closely with Archives staff to make this accessible to the public. One of the volunteers, Jane Tozer gave an informative talk about how to undertake such a transfer at the South Gloucestershire Heritage Partnership meeting on 21st September. This was attended by around 45 heritage professionals, volunteers and interested local councillors. You can download a transcript of this talk from South Gloucestershire Council website: http://www.southglos.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/museums-and-galleries/heritage-partnership-meetings/.
Dyrham Park volunteer group
This is a new volunteer group, set up to research the history of Dyrham Park. Much of this is detailed in the estate’s archive, held at Gloucestershire Archives. The National Trust will be using the findings to improve interpretation in this 1600s mansion and deer park, including new tours, exhibitions and programming. Gloucestershire Archives has provided training for the volunteer researchers eg in note taking conventions, referencing, how to read 16th and 17th century writing and how to use a digital camera. Currently, a small team of volunteers visits the Archives about once a week to photograph items in the Dyrham collection and then shares the images electronically with volunteer transcribers that work at home.
Part of Gloucestershire Heritage Hub
South Gloucestershire Council’s Museums and Heritage Officer is supporting heritage organisations in South Gloucestershire to become part of the Gloucestershire Heritage Hub network. Benefits include:
- Getting to know and learn from others who are interested in historic Gloucestershire’s documented history;
- Working together to share the heritage of historic Gloucestershire eg grant funded partnership projects and joint programming / publicity; and
- On-site and online training in gathering, keeping and sharing archives eg in cataloguing and digital preservation.
You can contact the Museums and Heritage Officer at museums@southglos.gov.uk
You can view our Gloucestershire Archives blog here at https://gloucestershirearchives.wordpress.com/