Latest news

  • 20th August 2016
Crime, punishment and mystery in Edwardian Worcestershire: Part 1

This summer Worcestershire Archive Service was lucky enough to host the talented and enthusiastic Chris Rouse on one of the hundred-hour work experience placements we offer. During his time with us he had the opportunity get involved with a wide variety of the sort of jobs one might encounter in the archive profession, including some...

  • 18th August 2016
A mammoth discovery

Just before Easter, our archaeologists were called out to investigate the discovery of a mammoth tusk at Tarmac’s Clifton Quarry, just south of Worcester. The tusk was spotted by a sharp-eyed excavator driver at the site: realising the importance of what he had uncovered, he reported it to the quarry management. Tarmac immediately suspended operations...

  • 10th August 2016
Holding History – Monday 15 August

Come along to The Hive this August and experience history first hand with us. On Monday 15 August from 11am-2pm, you will have the opportunity to hold items from the archives collections. History is not just about reading documents, these are real items with fascinating stories, and holding these helps connect people to the past....

  • 2nd August 2016
Lending An Ear

Lending an Ear is an Arts Council audio arts project looking at using sound in art in Worcestershire Libraries, inspired by the unique locality each library is in. It was been a really exciting project, and fascinating to see how each artist approached the task, and the different groups of library users who took part,...

  • 29th July 2016
‘Hopefully’ – a poem to commemorate the soldiers at The Somme

The 1st July was the 100th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Somme.  This significant historical event was marked in many ways across the country. Here in Worcester there was a vigil at 7:30am, the time the first soldiers went ‘over the top’, and in the afternoon there was a service at...

  • 4th July 2016
Work begins to list the records of the Bromsgrove Guild

Worcestershire Archive Service holds a substantial collection of records from the Bromsgrove Guild – a collective of talented craftsmen who came from all over the world.  Walter Gilbert, a talented artist in design and decorative works, worked as the art master at Rugby Technical School. In 1898 he became headmaster of Bromsgrove School of Art and...

  • 13th June 2016
Strong Rooms project: Inspiring new artistic developments through archives

Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service is taking part in a very exciting regional project called Strong Rooms, linking archives with arts. Inspired by the name of the rooms in which archives are stored, Strong Rooms is a collaboration in which artists, youth groups and archivists work together to produce art which will be taken on...

  • 11th June 2016
Explore Archives – Quarter Sessions

People stealing acorns, roads needing repairs and families being removed from one parish to another are among the many stories contained within Quarter Sessions. The Quarter Sessions were both a court and a forerunner of the county council. Middling crimes which didn’t carry the death penalty were heard before it, and various county issues such...

  • 7th June 2016
Monthly Mystery: Droitwich Buried Room

The hammer pounded down once again bringing about a satisfying crack as more of the debris collapsed into the hole. “Stand back” someone called over the crowd, maybe with fear for their safety or just a hope for a better view. With a last final hit a large piece of the floor fell away leaving...