On Saturday 21 January, Jersey Archive will be launching this year’s programme with free introductory behind-the-scenes tours, giving members of the public the chance to understand how Archive staff work to preserve and care for some of Jersey's most precious historical documents. The tours offer the rare opportunity to visit the strong rooms, cataloguing rooms and the conservation lab, as well as see some of the valuable documents cared for by Jersey Archive.
Following the introductory tours, the programme of local Street Stories will begin on Saturday 18 March, and will reveal more information about a different area of the Island. The talks, which take place on the third Saturday of each month, invite the public to learn about specific streets in the Island, uncovering their historical culture and ancestry.
Head of Archives Linda Romeril says: “We’re delighted that Appleby have agreed to sponsor the What's Your Street's Story programme for the fifth successive year. Thanks to their support this wonderful programme can continue to encourage Islanders to discover more about their local communities and the stories their streets have to tell. This support means that Jersey Archive is able to open one Saturday morning a month, so that members of the public enjoy the chance to access Jersey's unique written heritage and carry out their own research over the weekend.”
Since the launch of the What’s Your Street Story initiative in 2008, over 1,900 people have attended the Archive’s open days and/or visited Jersey Archive to discover the history of some of the Island’s well known streets and roads. As 2012 is an Olympic Year, Jersey Archive will be focusing on sporting arenas over the summer months with the stories of FB Fields, Springfield and Gorey Common being told in July, August and September.
2012 What’s Your Street Story programme
21st January Tours of Jersey Archive
18th February Treasures of the Archive
17th March Rozel Bay
21st April Six Rue, St Lawrence
19th May Five Oaks
16th June St Peter’s Village
21st July FB Fields
18th August Springfield
15th September Gorey Common
20th October St Brelade’s Bay
17th November Bath Street
15th December Archive Open
Tours on Saturday 21 January can be booked by calling 833300 or e-mailing archives@jerseyheritage.org. Places are limited so booking is advisable. The archive tours will be followed on February 18 by a talk featuring some of the Treasures of the Archive - the most important, oldest, most historically significant or just quirky documents will be highlighted.