Derbyshire Record Office (@derbyshiredro) — Bluesky Profile

15 hours ago

A printed advertisement for telephones sold by John Davis and Son circa 1883. An engraved illustration shows a wall-mounted circular telephone with a pocket watch dangling in front of it and reads 'The Mechanical Telephone. The ticking of a watch can be heard most distinctly.'

#OnThisDay 150 years ago the first telephone call was made! Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is this 1880s advert surviving in the Eckington parish collection. Did the vicar make calls with this Victorian 'hands free' phone, we wonder?

#Victorian

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1 day ago

George Widdows' revolutionary Derbyshire school designs - Google Arts & Culture In the early 1900s architect George H Widdows designed Derbyshire schools that were unrivalled in Europe or the United States. His designs changed school buildings forever.

For anyone who can't listen to BBC Sounds (or even if you can), have a look at our George Widdows exhibition on our Google Arts & Culture page to find out more: artsandculture.google.com/story/DQXBBo...

#20thCentury #schools #architecture

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1 day ago

Secret Derbyshire - How school design was revolutionised in Derbyshire - BBC Sounds A look at how George H. Widdows revolutionised school design.

Our Archives and Local Studies Manager Sarah met up with Glenn Jones from Radio Derby to talk about George Widdows, the architect who revolutionised school design in the early 20th century by putting the wellbeing of children first. Listen on BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0n4vfhl

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1 day ago

Two pages of the title pages of a printed book. On the left hand side is an engraved image of William Cavendish, a man in late 17th century dress.

Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle, was a prolific writer, thinker and scientist in the late 17th century. Despite the fact she herself couldn't speak Latin, her dual biography of her and her husband, William Cavendish, was published in Latin in 1668.
#WomensHistoryMonth #BritishScienceWeek

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4 days ago

Black and white photo showing the upper deck of a busy bus. Every seat is taken and a bus conductress dressed in a smart black uniform with a ticket machine across her body, takes the fare from a lady in a mac and head scarf.

Who remembers the days when buses had conductors to take your fares from you rather than handing them to the driver? Here we are on the upper deck of a busy Derby Corporation bus in the early 1950s. Hold very tight please!

#PhotoFriday #WomensHistoryMonth #1950s

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5 days ago

Black and white print with title "The White Wolf and a View of the Dog Rib Rock". It shows a rather ferocious looking wolf, standing in a mountainous landscape.

This fabulous print of an arctic wolf and landscape was based on drawings made by Lieutenant Robert Hood and Lieutenant George Back during #SirJohnFranklin's first Arctic land expedition in 1819.

#EYAWildlife #arctic #19thCentury #wolf

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5 days ago

The cover of the book 'A traveller in time' by Alison Uttley. The cover has bronze lettering and embossed flower details. There is a pocket watch and locket drawn in yellow.

An illustration from inside the book, which shows an ink sketch of the village mentioned in the book.

On #WorldBookDay we celebrate local author Alison Uttley. Born 1884 in Cromford she wrote many children’s books including her novel 'A traveller in time' about Mary Queen of Scots. This modern edition is beautifully illustrated. A recommended read for everyone.
#LocalStudies

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6 days ago

Two pages of a notebook filled with handwriting in black ink.

Noting down and passing on family recipes is nothing new: our latest #NewAccession is an 1816 notebook titled “Recipes", possibly by Phillip Hall from Swanwick Grange in Alfreton. It even contains recipes for natural remedies to treat things like coughs.

#19thCentury

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1 week ago

Definitely! A keen researcher could come here and might be able to find out how much the Wright family (owners of the recipe book) were paying for nutmeg by looking through their household account book covering 1723-1771 (D5430/8/1) - but it would take a bit of time and might yield no results...

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1 week ago

Handwritten recipe with title 'Oystar Pie'.

Handwritten recipe for Oystar Pie continued.

Typed transcript of the Oystar Pie recipe

To celebrate British Pie Week, our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is this recipe for oyster pie from about 300 years ago! Up to you whether to make it, or just enjoy the vocabulary, such as caudle and verjuice.

#BritishPieWeek #HistoricRecipe

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1 week ago

A sheet of paper decorated with a bright border, depicting scenes from the First World War and flags of the Allies in little roundels. It has a heading in Gothic font saying: 'The Grammar School, Wirksworth. Founded AD. 1576. Roll of Service'. Beneath this is a list of 83 former pupils, including their name and regiment.

This beautiful document is a Roll of Service to commemorate former pupils at Anthony Gell School, then known as Wirksworth Grammar School, who served during the First World War. Each entry includes a name and their regiment.

#WWI #FirstWorldWar

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1 week ago

A bleak wintry scene, with a road and fields completely covered by snow. In the foreground is an abandoned car with snow piled on top of it.

We couldn’t find a Derbyshire polar bear for #InternationalPolarBearDay, but here’s a wintry scene where we’re sure one would feel right at home. This is Batham Gate Road in Buxton in the snowy winter of 1963. Are those footprints or bear tracks?

#PhotoFriday #snow #1960s

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1 week ago

Secret Derbyshire - Preserving Derbyshire’s past - BBC Sounds A look behind the scenes at Derbyshire Record Office.

Our Senior Conservator, Lien, recently met up with Glenn Jones from Radio Derby to give him a sneak peek behind the scenes and explain how we look after our records. You can listen to the podcast on BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0n2ljvj

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1 week ago

Printed page from a catalogue with the title 'Fancy Knitted Goods Department - Cont. Bathing Costumes. Ladies' - Children's - Gentlemen's.' It features drawings of a child, a woman and a man, all wearing bathing costumes.

Are your thoughts turning to summer holidays on sandy beaches? Perhaps you could do with some lovely new woollen bathing costumes, such as these 1929 ones from George Brettle & Company Ltd of Belper.

#1920s #HistoricFashion #VintageSwimwear

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1 week ago

Front cover of the publication 'Strutt Street Belper – ‘The First Fifty Years’ by Belper u3a Local History Group 3. It features a black and white photograph of Strutt Street ca. 1905.

New in our #LocalStudies library, 'Strutt Street Belper – ‘The First Fifty Years’ is a fascinating study of street development from the first proposal of a thoroughfare in 1877, to the interconnected history of its residents and businesses up until 1939.

#EYAConnections #LocalHistory

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1 week ago

A small notebook laid open showing lined pages. On both pages is a recipe handwritten in pencil. On the left hand page is a recipe for ‘Wakes Cakes’. The recipe is written in list form down the page including amounts of flour, butter, sugar, eggs and currents and the direction to have the “Oven not to Hot”. On the right hand page is a recipe for ‘Pork pies’. It reads “1/2lb crust paste, 6oz meat, to 1lb pie & so on.”

Our latest #NewAccession is the recipe book of Fred Croft, apprentice baker at Wrigley and Son, confectioners, Matlock. Fred took it to France whilst serving during the First World War. It was returned to his family after Fred was killed at the Battle of the Somme.

#WWI #HistoricRecipes

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2 weeks ago

A handwritten page in a notebook. It begins 'Friday May 29th 1840. Journey to London.' It then lists each stop on the journey and how many miles there was in between.

A double page from the same notebook continuing the details of the journey.

A modern document, showing a table which summarises the journey, giving place names and distances in miles.

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek, this fascinating notebook, shows that if you were travelling from Chesterfield to London in 1840 you would have changed coach 17 times and have needed 65 horses in total! The 158 mile journey would have taken 7 hours and 45 minutes.
#EYAConnections

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2 weeks ago

Missing the Winter Olympics already? Then here is a fabulous shot of skiers on Mam Tor back in 1979. The image is part of the Peak District National Park photography archive, currently being catalogued for the #LandscapesUnlocked project.

#snow #PeakDistrict #1970s

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2 weeks ago

A handwritten letter saying: 'My Dear Little Sweetheart, I am sorry I couldn't come for your birthday but I am still on manoeuvers. I will come as soon as ever I can. I am sending you this little nightie I hope you like it and I am sending you this cake. I couldn't get any candles so ask mummy to get you some. I hope you are being a good girl and helping mummy. I think you are getting very clever I like your letters. Cheerio, tons of love Jeanne, from Daddy James xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

This letter was written by James Leslie Riley of South Darley, to his daughter, Jeanne, whilst he was serving during #WorldWarTwo, sending her birthday wishes and kisses. James tragically died as a prisoner of war during a mining accident whilst forcibly working in a Polish coal mine.
#WW2

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2 weeks ago

An elderly, smartly dressed man sits at the wheel of an open topped 1920s car. A spaniel stands on its hind legs with its front paws on the car door, looking up at the man, who smiles down at it.

It may well be #LoveYourPetDay but we wonder if Dr Josiah Court of Staveley minded his dog jumping up the side of his shiny car? He seems to be smiling so obviously doesn’t mind the odd scratch.
#PhotoFriday

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2 weeks ago

A brightly coloured front cover dissected diagonally bottom left to top right with the background colours of blue top left and red bottom right, over which is laid the title in orange and white "Heraldry For the Local Historian and Genealogist by Stephen Friar". In the centre of the front cover is a tableau illustrating a medieval battle scene with armoured knights on horseback carrying numerous heraldic banners, very brightly coloured.

Our #LocalStudies book 'Heraldry for the Local Historian & Genealogist' is a favourite read of our Archives Assistant Amanda. A guide to the mysteries of heraldry’s language, interpreting heraldry on buildings, street furniture, household items, beautifully illustrated.
#NationalYearOfReading

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2 weeks ago

A number of paper and parchment documents relating to the house in Buxton.

Our latest #NewAccession are deeds for a dwellinghouse in Buxton. They begin in 1829; later the property becomes known as 17 & 19 Spring Gardens, then The Hardwick Hotel in the #1970s. This was demolished to allow access to the Springs Shopping Centre.

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2 weeks ago

Sepia photograph of a man standing on skis, holding two ski poles. He is wearing a hat with flaps over his ears and a voluminous knee-length coat, strapped in at the waste. He is standing in a snowy, mountainous landscape.

Have you had enough snowfall this week to strap on some skis? Maybe choose some twenty-first century ones rather than these early twentieth century ones though! We do rather like the coat…

#snow #skiing #WinterOlympics #1900s

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3 weeks ago

The cover of the fixture card has two lines of lattice work at the top and bottom, framing most of the text. This reads: Gresley Hockey Club Affiliated to the Derbyshire County Hockey Association Season 1938-9. It lists the President and Vice Presidents, the Honorary Secretary and the Honorary Assistant Secretary.

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is a Gresley Hockey Club fixture card for the 1938/9 season, part of the Sharpe Bros & Co Ltd, Swadlincote collection. It remains a mystery how this came to be grouped with the papers of sanitary earthenware manufacturers…

#1930s #hockey

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3 weeks ago

Thank you for having stuck with us for so long! Enjoy your pancakes, however you decide to make them...

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3 weeks ago

Pancake recipe for Shrove Tuesday Looking for a slightly different recipe for this year’s pancakes? Why not try this recipe from Clara’s friend Mrs Coke at Depdale. Pancakes Take three spoonfulls of fine flour, a pint o…

How about giving your pancakes a historical twist this year, with this early 19th century recipe? It contains a pint of cream, orange flower water and three spoonfuls of sweet wine... recordoffice.wordpre...

#PancakeDay #ShroveTuesday #FoodHistory #HistoricRecipe

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3 weeks ago

Researching LGBTQ+ history The criminalization, stigmatisation and persecution of the LGBTQ+ community has made researching LGBTQ+ history a challenge. Throughout history people have for religious, social and personal reason…

It's #LGBTHistoryMonth , and for researchers into this subject it can be challenging to find material, with stories and experiences of the LGBT+ community often being concealed, and sources not immediately obvious. Have a look at our guide for a few tips:

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3 weeks ago

Printed cover of a pamphlet of sheet music. It features a black and white engraving of a woman with long dark hair, who is listening to a small winged cupid who is whispering into her right ear. The text reads 'Love's Whisperings. Waltz by Ezra Read. It is dated 1902.

On this #ValentinesDay we send waltzing whispers of love to all our wonderful visitors and social media followers 💕

#valentine #music #1900s

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3 weeks ago

Three men are in a radio studio. One sits behind the desk with vinyl records ready to be played at his side and a console full of switches and dials in font of him. He wears headphones and has a microphone in front of him. Another man sits in front of the desk looking at a piece of paper a third man is showing him.

On #WorldRadioDay we join some of the staff of BBC Radio Derby, celebrating their 10th birthday in 1981. We doubt you’d see many vinyl records being played in the studio nowadays.
#PhotoFriday #1980s

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3 weeks ago

A small printed plan, with the title ‘A Plan of the Navigable canal now making from Chesterfield in the County of Derby to the River Trent near Stockwith in the County of Nottingham surveyed in 1770’. It shows the route from Chesterfield to Gainsborough and distances between various places.

We love this small-scale plan of the navigable canal connecting Chesterfield to the River Trent near Stockwith, surveyed in 1770 by J Lodge, showing journey distances and landmarks along the route. What an amazing achievement it was!

#EYAConnections #18thCentury

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