National initiatives

New premises in England

An archival exhibition area in a new building

Image credit: Archives: Wigan and Leigh

Congratulations to 2021’s new archival homes! Archives: Wigan & Leigh launched their new premises in the refurbished Leigh Town Hall, Barnsley Archives united all its collections under one roof for the first time, and Suffolk Archives opened The Hold, in partnership with University of Suffolk.

Southbank Centre

An elderly lady holding the artwork she created

Image credit: Southbank Centre / Photo by Eoin Carey

The Southbank Centre ran ‘Art by Post’, sending creative booklets to 4,500 people at risk of isolation. With the National Academy for Social Prescribing, they created a travelling and online exhibition of the artwork created.

Archives Hub, Jisc

An old and colourful illustrated manuscript

Image credit: the Chapter of Canterbury, Canterbury Cathedral Archives (reference: CCA-U88/B/6/1, folio 52)

The Archives Hub celebrated 20 years of monthly features. Each feature focuses on a different collection, covering a wide range of archive types including university, museum, gallery, business, charity, local authority and specialist.

Mass Observation Archive, Sussex University

A watercolour of a brightly coloured sky and pen drawings of shoppers queueing with trolleys

Image credit: Mass Observation Archive

The Mass Observation Archive captured everyday life during the pandemic, offering insight into people’s responses as events unfolded. A vast range of people contributed thoughts and experiences, from 3 to 94 years old.

The National Trust

A conservator handling old photographs in a dark room

Image credit: National Trust Images / Annapurna Mellor

The National Trust in partnership with Liverpool Record Office continued ‘Hardmans Unpacked’, a two-year Archives Revealed project to catalogue and conserve the E. Chambré Hardman Photographic Collection. A range of digitised material is available online.