I have worked with The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre on a few projects and many moons ago I also worked with The Essex Records Office. There is something special about archives. Its great going behind the scenes and seeing the materials that are collected and its special getting a glimpse into the past through items you can get up close to.
With money from The National Archives, The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre are looking at whether archives can inspire us today. I am going to be managing their Rooted in History project and we are going to be looking at gardening. Can the archive get the community moving and using their garden? This is what we are going to see.
We have plans for talks, events, work with schools and plenty of information and seeds, so the community can be inspired to garden.
Does the past inspire you? I know I enjoy learning about history, my history, the history of where I live and the history of the places I visit. Through my work I have interpreted that history through public art, dance, community plays and re-enactments. This will be the first project I have worked on that is focusing on inspiring people’s lives today. Not just a way of telling a story from the past, but actually using those stories in our daily lives. I’m looking forward to seeing the result.
I was at The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre at the beginning of the week and have already been working with Ruth, Heritage Education Officer and Archivist, Naomi on what gardening archives exist. I got excited when I saw the archive materials that had been pulled out for us to look at. Everything from beautiful paintings to school records, garden account books to cookbooks using things you can grow in your garden. I particularly enjoyed looking through a 1920s WI book called ‘Secrets of Some Wiltshire Housewives’.
I am looking forward to seeing the results of this project.
