Explore York Archive

Next week the reading room will be closed as part of our Setting the Record Straight project.

To find out more about setting the record straight and upcoming closure dates take a look at the dedicated page on our website below.

https://exploreyork.org.uk/archives/setting-the-record-straight/

Our wonderful volunteers are working to clean and repackage the records in these collections to help preserve the records and make them ready for cataloguing. As part of this process this document will be losing its belt, be cleaned with a smoke sponge and packaged in acid-free archival folders.

However, it does also highlight the amount of dirt these records have collected over the years, as the belt has kept a clean band on the front cover. This document is part of our collections of records relating to the Ouse, Foss, and Ouse and Foss Navigation Companies.

Worn bundle of early 1905 correspondence with brown paper cover and green fabric strap, handwritten title 'Correspondence'.

Green fabric strap with rusty metal clasp across an aged handwritten page labeled Correspondence.

Worn brown paper folder labeled correspondence from the Humber Conservancy Commission, dated January–May 1905. There is a clean line around the document under where the strap had been placed.

Worn, water-stained rear page with faded teal horizontal stripe from the strap of the document, with a torn corner resting on a wooden table.

We found this document during our most recent volunteering session with a belt that it is looking a bit worse for wear. 

Unfortunately, over the last 100 years the belt has begun to imprint upon the document, leaving behind a green impression on the front and back covers of this record from 1905.

In 2001 the Holgate Windmill Preservation Society was formed, the group were able to raise funds to restore the windmill to and begin producing flour once again. 

#york #windmill #archives

t is the last remaining windmill in York, although historically the city had been surrounded by them. The mill was acquired by the York corporation in 1939 and there were several unsuccessful attempts to restore the mill to working order.

Black-and-white scene of a windmill with sails beside stone farm buildings, bare trees and a fallow field.

Tall conical brick windmill with large sails beside a two-story cottage and trees, vintage black-and-white photo.

Holgate Windmill c.1910-1930's 

The mill dates from c.1792 and was in production until the early 1930s. It closed due to its unsafe condition after storm damage. The mill was built using local handmade bricks and is unusual because it has five sails, a fantail, and it is double shuttered.

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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

Jobs - Explore York Join Explore Libraries and Archives – Your community hub for learning, leisure, and connection. Exciting events, cosy cafes, and endless opportunities await! Discover more now.

🚨There is still time to apply🚨

We are recruiting an Archivist (Physical Collections) – Maternity Cover, to join our archive team here at Explore York Libraries and Archvies.

Closing date is 5pm, Friday, 27th February.

Find out more about the role and apply here:

We are delighted to have the Family History Society onsite with us here on Mondays!

A brilliant resource for help beginning or continuing your family history research all for free and with no need to book!

#york #familyhistory

It is the first step in preserving the records and making them available to users and researchers in our reading room in the future.

Library study room with wooden tables set up with gray paper-lined archival trays and conservation tools; bookshelves behind.

Setting up for our first full day of volunteer sessions of 2026!

Our wonderful volunteers will be cleaning and packaging one of our uncatalogued collections, in preparation for cataloguing the collection.🧹📦

#archives #volunteers #exploreyourarchive

Black and white image of 2 women and 2 girls outside 4 Jubbergate, a medieval timber framed, jettied townhouse building. An adjoining street with various businesses is visible on the left of the building with a narrow cobbled street.

A photograph of 4 Jubbergate on the edge of the Shambles market, with a view down Newgate. 

Originally built as a townhouse in the 14th C., it is an example of the building technique, jettying, with an upper floor overhanging the dimensions of the floor below. 

#archives #york #buildinghistory

Being out and about in #York on a weekday, when it’s quieter, and without a child with me to herd, meant I spotted the #archives from @yorkarchive.bsky.social
featured on the bins!

A hand drawn card that says 'Thine till', a big red love heart and a skeleton running with an arrow in its hand.

As it is Valentine's Day, it is time to share this romantic (and definitely not creepy) card again, from our Munby Family papers collection (ref MFP/7/2/11, c.1805.)❤️

#valentinesday #valentinescard #archives #exploreyourarchive #love

Jobs - Explore York Join Explore Libraries and Archives – Your community hub for learning, leisure, and connection. Exciting events, cosy cafes, and endless opportunities await! Discover more now.

🚨We are hiring🚨

We are recruiting an Archivist (Physical Collections) – Maternity Cover, to join our archive team here at Explore York Libraries and Archvies.

Closing date is 5pm, Friday, 27th February

Find out more about the role and apply on our website.

Hi Serena,

They do not have to be from Yorkshire at all. The group will be happy to try and help you with some general family history tips and advice.

If you want to share your discoveries and meet others interested in family history?

Come along to the Family History Room to receive free expert advice from members of the York Family History Society. Sessions are drop in – no need to book!

#archives #familyhistory #york

A group of twelve people, dressed in early 20th-century attire, pose in front of a large, ivy-covered stone building with arched windows.

Modern lounge area with blue armchairs and small white tables against a wooden structure, adjacent to a staircase.

Always wanted to discover your family history but didn’t know where to start? 

Having challenges with your research and need further advice?

@yorkfhs.bsky.social are at York Explore today and every Monday, 10am-4pm, in the Family History Room on the first floor at York Explore.

Next week the reading room will be closed as part of our Setting the Record Straight project.

To find out more about setting the record straight and upcoming closure dates take a look at the dedicated page on our website below.

https://exploreyork.org.uk/archives/setting-the-record-straight/

The road was pedestrianised in 1989, however, before this it served as a key route for traffic as part of the A64 road with increasingly heavy traffic as road usage increased.

A sepia-toned street scene from the late 19th century, featuring shops like J. Todd & Sons Grocers and Tea Dealers, and Britton Tobacconist.

Goodramgate with the junction of College St. c.1890. 

This image shows multiple shops including Britton’s tobacconist and J. Todd’s grocers. It also predates the creation of Deangate that now connects Goodramgate with the Minster Yard, which was completed in 1902-3. 

#york #archives

A diverse group of people attentively listening in a crowded indoor setting, with a woman in a striped shirt smiling in the foreground.

Interested in Local History? 

Joining a Local History Group is a great way to get to know people and learn about your local area. 

You can find contact details for the local history groups in York on our website on the link below.

#Archives #LocalHistory #York

https://shorturl.at/TVcTt

A quiet library room with wooden bookshelves filled with large books. Several tables are set for research, holding open books and documents.

A library reading room with tables displaying documents and artifacts. A donation box labeled "Please Donate Today" is in the foreground.

We are open in the reading room until 4pm!!

Come along and see our free exhibition showcasing some of our collections on the historic bridges of York as part of Residents Festival. Learn about the chequered history of York's main bridges as well some less familiar river crossings.

#york #archives

A historic stone bridge with ornate lampposts spans a river, flanked by old buildings in a foggy urban setting.

Come along tomorrow as we will be hosting a pop-up exhibition on the historic bridges of York as part of Residents Festival. 

📅Saturday, 31st January 10am-4pm
📍Archives Reading Room, First Floor, York Explore.
 
Entry is free and no booking required!

#archives #york #exploreyourarchive

Aerial view of The Cocoa Works in York, with a plane flying over the large industrial complex surrounded by trees and roads.

An aerial view of Rowntree's Cocoa Works on Haxby Road, thought to be taken in late 1920's 

#archives #york

A reminder that next week will be saying farewell to our images website ahead of an upgrade to our systems.

#archives #york

There will be images, original plans, and other archives showcasing how these structures have shaped the development and life of the city. Learn about the chequered history of York's main bridges as well some less familiar river crossings.

People ice skating on a frozen river beneath a stone bridge, with historic buildings in the background and snow-covered banks.

A sepia-toned image of a 19th-century bridge with arches over a river, lined with onlookers. A historic building stands nearby.

Next week we will hosting a free pop-up exhibition on the historic bridges of York as part of Residents Festival. 

📅Saturday, 31st January 10am-4pm
📍Archives Reading Room, First Floor, York Explore.
  Free entry and no booking required

There various advertisements include a series of lectures on local history by Dr W.A. Evelyn in the Tempest Anderson Hall and a "Grand football match" between York City and Newcastle United at Field View (the end of Burton Stone Lane).

#york #archives #buildinghistory #conservation