News and events

• News
• Events
• Details of past events

News

Collection of the month

Details of our collection of the month will appear on our Facebook and Twitter pages. You do not need to sign up to either site to see our posts.

Newsletter

Our ninth 'What's in store' newsletter published in December 2011 can be downloaded from our newsletters page.

Digital imaging project - now complete

The Plymouth and West Devon Record Office is proud to announce the conclusion of a three year project to catalogue and make available digitally around 11,000 images of Plymouth. The images come from Plymouth Central Library’s Local Studies collection and thanks to the work of staff and volunteers from the record office, these are now fully keyword-searchable and available on our online archive catalogue page.

These images tell the story of Plymouth throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, a time when Plymouth has undergone considerable change and development. The earliest image is a black and white print of the Royal Hotel, Theatre and Athenaeum, (PCC/76/5/11190) shows an almost unidentifiable scene of the area around the current Theatre Royal and Reel Cinema.

The collection also marks the destructive force of the Second World War with various images of war damage on a frightening scale. One black and white photograph of George Street (PCC/76/5/313) shows extensive damage to the Prudential building, the Western Morning News building, Frankfort Street and King Street Wesleyan Methodist Chapel.

Access to the images and their descriptions is completely free through our online archive catalogue page and copies of the images can be purchased for a small fee. Contact us at pwdro@plymouth.gov.uk for more information or to book an appointment to view the original photographs and prints.

Devonport Park in the frame at record office photography competition

The winning images from this years photography competition have been announced. Young People were asked to take images of what they like about, or what they like doing in Devonport Park. The winning images were selected by a public vote at Devonport Park Fun Day on Sunday.

Both the winning image and the runner-up were submitted by Mount Wise Youth Project who win a nice digital camera.

Events

Pride in our Past exhibition

28 April to 30 June 2012, Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AJ.

Discover more about the previously hidden history of Plymouth’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities in this new exhibition, produced by the Plymouth Pride Forum and supported by Plymouth and West Devon Record Office and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

This thought-provoking exhibition is based on new research into the city’s LGBT communities and includes personal stories, objects, photographs and more. It spans three centuries and captures the heart of the changing ‘scene’ over the decades, as well as the political struggle both past and present.

Come along and find out more about this diverse and intriguing aspect of Plymouth’s history.

Related events (in the Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery)

We are offering a Lunchtime Talk connected to the exhibition on 22 May. A series of special events, including guided tours on 16 and 30 May and 6 and 20 June, a talk and comedy performance by Clare Summerskill on 11 May and a creative writing workshop with Hannah Silva on 16 June are also be on offer. Admission to all events is free. Tickets must be reserved in advance for some events and these are now available from the City Museum.

Family History Workshops, Plymouth and West Devon Record Office
Monday 2 July 2012 or Monday 9 July 2012, 10am to 3.15pm

We are running two family history workshops in July. Each day will include:

• an introduction the Ancestry and Find My Past websites including a practical session
• guidance on how to use the Family History room at the Record Office
• a behind the scenes tour of the Record Office

Cost is £10 for the day. Tea and Coffee will be provided (bring your own lunch or use a nearby snack bar). There are a limited number of spaces available and booking is essential. For more details please contact us at pwdro@plymouth.gov.uk or telephone 01752 305940.

Past Events

Details of Past Events are on our Flickr pages:

• Archives from the Attic Day 2011

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