Black Country History website gives users a step into the past
Date Published : 03 September 2010
A website showcasing the Black Country’s rich industrial history has been launched.
The website www.blackcountryhistory.org provides visitors with access to archival information such as maps, documents and photographs, in addition to images and information of objects and artworks housed in local museum collections.
This groundbreaking digital project brought together archives and museum partners from each of the Black Country authorities inviting them to list their most treasured and popular items.
The website includes over 23,000 images, including photographs of over 4,000 museum objects, many of which are not on display and which have been photographed especially for the website - giving users a glimpse of object and artwork collections currently in storage.
A range of themes and topics are covered on the website, from metalworking to religious buildings - offering an easy to use entry point for researchers, local history enthusiasts and local people keen to explore the history of the Black Country area.
The website also offers visitors the chance to find resources relating to some of the many great inventors, philanthropists, authors, artists and industrialists from the Black Country, including authors such as the great Jerome K Jerome and nationally renowned nurse Sister Dora.
Funded by Renaissance West Midlands the website which has been under development for the past 18 months now includes information from Dudley Archives and Local History Service, Dudley Museums Service, Sandwell Community History and Archives Service, Sandwell Museums Service, Walsall Local History Centre, Walsall Museums Service, Wolverhampton Archives and Local Studies and Wolverhampton Arts and Museums Service.
Councillor Anthony Harris, cabinet member for leisure, culture and environment for Walsall Council said: "This website is a great way for local people and researchers to go online and look at artefacts and other historic items that are on display at Walsall Museum, Walsall Leather Museum and the Local History Centre.
"It's been a great project from the start and I'd like to commend officers for bringing this useful research tool to life."
Ruth Vyse, archivist & local studies officer from Walsall Local History Centre added: "This new website offers a unique opportunity for local people across the Black Country region to access important historical information gathered from a number of venues and sources.
"We hope this will lead to new research opportunities and open our collections to new audiences."
As part of heritage open days which take place between 9 and 12 September 2010, Walsall Local History Centre will be holding the following events on the morning of Saturday 11 September 2010:
- Demonstration of what's on the website from 10.15am to 10.30am and from 11.00am to 11.15am;
- Talk which discusses what's on the website from 11.30am to 11.45am;
- Exhibition of archives from the website from 10.00am to 12.00pm
Walsall Museum is staging a talk by Roger Knowles about how to use historic documents when researching your family history or local history on Tuesday 7 September 2010.
Contact
Please book for demonstrations and talks for Walsall Local History Centre please telephone 01922 721305.
For the Roger Knowles talk the event takes place at 2pm, is free of charge but booking is essential. Please call the museum on 01922 653116 or email museum@walsall.gov.uk to book.
For more information go to: www.blackcountryhistory.org