WELCOME to the Friends of
Wolverhampton City Archives
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The Friends of Wolverhampton Archives and Local Studies started as an independent body in 2009.
We fully support and promote the work of the Archives through fund raising, providing volunteers to work on Archives projects and helping at Archives events.
The Friends enjoy a full programme of regular meetings throughout the year which are held at the Molineux Hotel, the home of the Archives service. We provide a range of speakers on a variety of history subjects and we organise occasional walks around areas of local historical interest during the summer months.
On behalf of the frinds, Ann Bailey presents the Pershouse papers to the City Archivist, Heide Macintosh.
Know Your Neighbourhood
Friends of the Archives is contributing to Wolverhampton Libraries Know your Neighbourhood scheme, which is part of a funded national initiative. Guided by the local co-ordinator Jennifer Lees, history groups have been formed at Low Hill, Warstones, Wednesfield and Bilston libraries. The Bilston group, Memories of Bilston, opened its first exhibition, on pigeon racing, on August 8th, based on material supplied by one of the members. Charlotte Woodcock, project worker at Bilston said, “The people of Bilston are very proud of their heritage and our Memories group is a celebration of that. It has been incredible to see the group grow each month, reconnecting people from their school days as well as learning about various historic Bilston locations such as the steelworks, Thompson’s Ltd and many, many pubs.”
The Low Hill group aims to commemorate the centenary of the estate, and the Warstones group is relating images of the Penn area “Then” to its appearance ‘Now”.
Our main funding activities come from providing refreshments at Archive events such as the Local History Fair and the Local History Symposium.
At some events, we transform one of the meeting rooms into a traditional tea room with white linen table cloths and table flower arrangements. Teas, coffees and light refreshments are available with cakes and filled rolls provided and home made by our members. To complete the ambience, traditional platter table-ware is used for service.
Our fundraising has enabled us so far to purchase items such as new lenses for the Archives viewing machines and to fund the purchase of digital photographic equipment.
200 Year Old Letters Preserved
When the Friends of the Archives discovered that a series of letters, written in the 1790’s by the Pershouse family of Penn Hall, were up for sale, they decided to buy them to donate to the Archives, so they could be preserved as part of the history of the city.
The letters reveal something of the life of Elizabeth Pershouse, who had inherited Penn Hall from her father, Thomas Bradney in 1782. Her husband, William, and one of her 2 children had died in the late 1780’s, which had left her feeling very nervous and anxious about her remaining son. However, this did not prevent her carrying out
building works to the Hall, managing the workmen and purchase of materials herself.
She also assisted her nieces in claiming legacies that were due to them under a family will. Perhaps the strangest thing mentioned is the pineapple plant, which was regarded as such a novelty that it was passed around the wider family.
Anne Bailey, Programme Secretary for the Friends, who presented the letters to City Archivist, Heidi McIntosh, says she hopes visitors to the Archives will enjoy reading these letters, which have much the same style and language as Jane Austen, who was just beginning her writing career in the 1790’s.
Friends are represented on the Express and Star Project
The project aims to carry out vital archiving work, digitise the collection and make the photographs available through a single web portal, allowing free on-line public access to the unrivalled images of local events, momentous and everyday, for the first time.
Wolverhampton Archives are always looking for volunteers to help with the project. Just get in touch with the Archives.
Part of the fund raising we undertake is to help pay for the digitisation of these photos.
Newsletters
The Friends provide Members with regular Newsletters updating them on our meetings, talks and any issues of interest that are arising.
Read some our past Newsletters here.
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