News - Historic photo website reaches 100,000 milestone

The 100,000th historic photograph capturing yesteryear in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire has been added to the Picture the Past website this week.

The not-for-profit project also marked its tenth anniversary at Nottinghamshire County Council Archives on Wednesday evening. This photograph (Photo 1) of a Whit March in Arnold from 1890 was selected as the milestone image to be added to the website.

‘Picture the Past’ is a not-for-profit project, started in 2002, that aims to make historic images from the library, archives and museum collections across the whole of Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, available via a completely free-to-use website.

Initially funded for three years with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the scheme is now managed and funded by Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council, Derby City Council and Derbyshire County Council.

There are photographs, postcards, engravings and paintings on the website showing how life has changed in the region over the last few hundred years giving a fascinating insight into the work and lives of the people who lived there.

The event was attended by guests including Coun John Cottee, Culture Committee Chairman for Nottinghamshire County Council, Picture the Past Chairman Robert Gent, representatives from the other local authorities and Professor John Beckett, in the Department of History at the University of Nottingham who is an expert in the history of the East Midlands. Professor Beckett gave a short speech about the importance of preserving historic images digitally.

Picture the Past’s Project Manager, Nick Tomlinson, said: “It is wonderful Picture The Past is now entering its second decade and the public interest continues year after year. Our web pages currently receive around 100,000 views a month.”

Coun John Cottee, Culture Committee Chairman for Nottinghamshire County Council said: “Picture the Past is a popular website and a fantastic resource which helps librarians and archivists to preserve pictures from our past in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

“As well as the photographs which are stocked in our collections, people contribute images which they find in attics and elsewhere to be digitised on our systems.”

Picture the Past’s offices were founded at Heanor Library in 2002, moving to the Record Office at Derbyshire County Council three years ago.

You can see all 100,000 images on the Picture the Past site by visiting: http://www.picturethepast.org.uk. For more details about events at Nottinghamshire Archives telephone: 0115 977 4401.
 

From: http://www.hucknalldispatch.co.uk/news/local-news/historic-photo-website-reaches-100-000-milestone-1-5417210?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

Event - Bestwood Heritage Day now arranged for Saturday 2nd February

A HERITAGE day to remember Bestwood Village in its colliery heyday was forced to be postponed last Saturday because of the heavy snowfall overnight.

The morning was planned for visitors to Bestwood Country Park to look back at the area’s past helped by special guests.

The event, which is being organised by owners of the country park, Nottinghamshire County Council, will now take place tomorrow, Saturday February 2 from 10am to noon at the Dynamo House.

“We just couldn’t risk running the event last Saturday with the arrival of so much snow from a health and safety point of view,” explained community liaison officer at Bestwood Country Park, Sue McDonald. “The nature of the event meant we would have attracted more elderly people but even the short distance from the car park to the visitors’ centre was trecherous.”

Holly Godward, 20, a BA (Hons) History student at Nottingham Trent University will be interviewing people about their memories of Bestwood as part of her final year dissertation.

And colleagues from Picture the Past, an archive library project managed by Nottinghamshire County Council in partnership with Derbyshire County Council, Nottingham City Council and Derby City Council, will also be at the event to scan images and documents for visitors.

“We hope the British weather will be kinder to us this weekend and enable the event to go-ahead,” added Sue. “We are looking forward to it and hope it will be a real celebration of the country park and Bestwood’s historic past.

“Do you have any memories, stories, old photographs or artefacts of old Bestwood village, the colliery, and the people who lived and worked here? If so, bring them along to the day to share your experiences and take part in this interesting research.”

Members of the Winding Engine House Volunteer Group and Friends of Bestwood Country Park are set to be at the Heritage Day.

Sue added: “And there will be plenty of warm drinks and cakes for a reasonable charge supplied by the WI and the Friends.”

For further details call Sue McDonald on 07500 106567.

From: http://www.hucknalldispatch.co.uk/news/local-news/bestwood-heritage-day-postponed-due-to-snow-now-arranged-for-saturday-2nd-february-1-5362414