And the winners are...

Gloucestershire Archives is celebrating yet another award. It is becoming a bit of a habit! We are pleased to report that two dedicated volunteers, Mags and Terri, have been awarded the prestigious Volunteer of the Year Award by the Institute of Conservation (Icon). This award is sponsored by the National Trust and given for outstanding volunteer working in conservation, carrying out vital work to protect and preserve cultural heritage.   

Having started volunteering at Gloucestershire Archives in 2009, Mags and Terri have completely transformed the condition of several significant collections over the last 15 years. Their work in reducing the risk of damage and deterioration to records has ensured that thousands of important historic documents remain accessible for generations to come. 

The Awards Ceremony took place in London on 6th November. A member of the Icon team said of Mags and Terri: “The panel were incredibly impressed with their work at the Gloucestershire Archives, their commitment to the care of collections you hold, and the substantial difference they've made! Not to mention the length of their volunteering tenure, two truly special individuals indeed!” 

The team here at Gloucestershire Archives is hugely appreciative of the work conducted by our volunteers, and we are thrilled that Mags and Terri, two long-standing volunteers, have been recognised on a national level with this well-deserved award.  

 

           Mags and Terri , our award winning volunteers

Exotic plants with local roots

Roots and Reflections

Gloucestershire Libraries are currently running an oral history project, 'Roots and Reflections' throughout the county. They are keen to share that the final location of the project will be hosted at the new Gloucester Library, where they'll be inviting older local residents to share their memories and personal stories.

The project team are particularly interested in capturing recollections about social history, school days, working life, neighbourhood changes, and the way the landscape has evolved over time. These stories will help build a richer picture of Gloucester’s past and preserve experiences that might otherwise be lost.

To make sure the project reflects the full diversity of Gloucester, they're hoping to interview people from a wide range of backgrounds. If you’re able, it would be wonderful if you could share this opportunity with any community groups, networks, platforms, or colleagues who may know someone interested in taking part.

Everyone who contributes will receive a memory stick containing a copy of their recording. They can also choose whether they would like their story to be shared with Gloucestershire Archives for public access. Additionally, a local youth group will be creatively reinterpreting some of the stories for a performance, bringing a new intergenerational dimension to the project.

Appointments are available every Monday during February which can be booked by either email or telephone.

For more information, please call on 01452 425986 or contact us via email - sally.williams3@gloucestershire.gov.uk

 

Looking back and forwards...

At the start of a new year we are encouraged to reflect on everything we’ve achieved in the past year and to look forward, with anticipation, to the opportunities the coming year offers.

So what were our highlights in 2025 and what might 2026 hold?

One of the ‘stand-outs’ must be our Family History Fair in September.  This was one of the monthly Saturday events in the Heritage Hub - we’re delighted to support these and open the FH Centre from 10am.  We welcomed almost 100 visitors together with representatives from a variety of heritage organisations and other family history societies so it was a wonderful chance to share experiences with many different people as well as highlighting our Family History Centre and its resources.  We’re already planning the 2026 FH Fair which will take place on 7 November so Save the Day!

Getting out and meeting people is important to us since we’re able to encourage everyone (and anyone) with an interest in heritage in its very widest sense to include genealogy in their research.  So, in 2025, alongside attending a number of FH Fairs in neighbouring counties we helped with a Local History Day in Cirencester Library.  This was part of the town’s popular History Festival and gave us the chance to meet people who were keen to find out more about their local area but don’t find it easy to visit the Heritage Hub in Gloucester.  Looking to the future, we hope that we’ll be able build on this promising start and help with other similar events.

Back in the FH Centre we’ve welcomed a wide variety of visitors whose interests stretch from straightforward family history (if there is such a thing) to more specialised investigations including women employed by Gloucester Cathedral as ‘plumbers & glaziers’ in the late 17th and early 18th century and the creator of a 19th century patchwork quilt.  We’ve helped the GA team with a school visit and also with a group with visual impairment - we already have plans for similar collaborations in 2026.  Another first for us in 2025 was to host a regular U3A family history group - we’re anticipating that this will continue during 2026.

   

 Alongside all this, our volunteers continued with several well established projects like the post 1837 Births, Marriages and Deaths index.  We were also delighted to contribute to larger local heritage projects with an element of family history.  These included the Gloucestershire Mariners’ Project which focused on the families involved in the coastal trade from Gloucester and Sharpness.  We found some amazing stories which were included in displays and talks when this stage of the project finished. We’ll be looking for more opportunities to collaborate with other partners in the coming year.

Our monthly Zoom talks and regular live events with FoGA continue to be popular.  In 2026 we’re hoping to run some informal themed online sessions so people can share their research experiences and problems. 

 Drop into the FH Centre or visit us online here to find out more.

A friendly way to support our Service...

Happy New Year from the Friends of Gloucestershire Archives! We’d like to thank our members and everyone who has visited the Hub for your continued support.  The Friends had a successful 2025 and we already have lots planned for 2026.  

A successful 2025 

The past year saw many exciting and successful events. Throughout the year, talks were held in collaboration with the Gloucestershire Family History Society. Topics of these talks ranged from the English Civil War to Gloucester Cathedral. It was fantastic to see so many people in attendance. We’d also like to thank the speakers who offered their time and expertise to present these talks. 

2025’s Mystery Tour was also hugely popular. Attendees were treated to tours of Littlecote Roman Villa, a restored windmill and given exclusive access to the Neolithic mound at Marlborough College. We’re looking forward to hosting another Mystery Tour later this year, so keep an eye out for more details.  

 

                        Photos courtesy of Clive Andrews 

 Upcoming events 

We can confirm the following talks, organised with the Gloucestershire Family History Society:   

12th March - 'Cleeve Hill: the Cotswold Health Resort', given by David Aldred. 

25th June - ‘Staverton Airport: Birth of an Airport’, given by David Cook. 

22nd October - Details currently pending. 

10th December - Christmas event. 

Doors open at 2pm for refreshments and talks begin at 2.30pm. These events are free of charge and there is no need to book. Everyone is welcome to attend, so make sure to write the dates in your diary!

Join the Friends 

It would be impossible for the Friends to undertake its support for the Archives without members’ subscriptions.  Further details of the Friends, including information about membership, can be found on our website here

Spring returns to Gloucester. Book your place.at the History Festival weekend in April

The Gloucester History Festival Spring Weekend 

17-19 April 2026

The 2026 Gloucester History Festival Spring Weekend returns to the magnificent Blackfriars Priory for a brand-new  programme of live talks, conversations and performances, all set within one of Gloucester’s most beautiful historic spaces. 

The line-up brings together some of the UK’s best-known historians and broadcasters, including classicist and BBC broadcaster Mary Beard, Tudor historian Alison Weir, royal palaces expert Tracy Borman, award-winning journalist and military historian Mark Urban and actor and archaeology-lover Tony Robinson in a programme led by Festival President Janina Ramirez. Alongside ticketed events, enjoy a host of free talks and activities in the atmospheric medieval Scriptorium. The full programme will be revealed at the end of February and if you can’t make it in person you can view the Festival live online wherever you are.

www.gloucesterhistoryfestival.co.uk

Stories from the Indian Community

South Gloucestershire Council has a series of useful webpages dedicated to documenting the many museums, important collections. heritage sites and projects within this region, see here for details.

However, our attention has recently been drawn to a project which ran between 2022-2023 called 'This is your heritage, stories from the Indian community'. Funded by the Arts Council, local museums in South Gloucestershire, supported by numerous partners including Gloucestershire Archives, worked with the Indian community to co-produce oral histories, film stories, contemporary collections, exhibitions and learning resources.

Photograph of 'This is your heritage' contributors with kind permission from South Gloucestershire Council

By sharing stories, images, and objects from their experiences, the Indian community aspired to help people better understand Indian culture and traditions and discover why and how they have embraced life in South Gloucestershire.

You can listen to their inspiring stories here

Remembering and investigating in equal measure

As the weather is cold and frosty our thoughts are turning to the warmer months. We still have a few slots left for talks and attendance at events this year but they are filling up quickly.

Remembrance 2025 was a triumph for the volunteers who managed to trace the family of Herbert Hall, the last officer from Gloucestershire Constabulary to be killed in the Second World War. His story was featured in the last newsletter. To begin with all we had was a name and a date of death but on Remembrance Day at Police Headquarters this year, following our research, we had members of his family attend and we were able to present them with a model of the plane that he had been flying at the time of his death. His story is now on the Police Archives website. 

We now need to see what we can find out for next year's Remembrance at HQ; we are especially looking at the officers from Gloucestershire Constabulary who fought in the Battle of Qatia. Watch this space and the website for updates. 

Another of our volunteers is transcribing pocketbooks from Wotton under Edge and we are working to identify officers who served there. It is amazing what turns up when you look.  

This is the only photograph that we have been able to find of Superintendent Ellison but he is in a prison uniform! Read about him here

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.