Blaxhall Archive Group Display
May 28th, 29th and 30th 2005, Blaxhall Village Hall
Molly chats to George Ewart
Evans’ daughters
Over the late May Bank Holiday weekend, the Blaxhall Archive Group put on a display in the village hall which included a wealth of information in various formats about the history of our village. A first class pictorial exhibition split into sections was mounted on two sets of display units, and as visitors browsed they could also listen to a selection of both vocal and musical recordings.
Visitors browse the display
(note fresh painted village hall!)
Those with an interest in genealogy had a wonderful opportunity to compare notes with Shane, who had brought with him his database on laptop. Compiled over several years and comprising some 5,000 names of ancestors of Blaxhall inhabitants, this really is the jewel in the crown of the archive group and represents a huge amount of volunteer hours.
Shane casts a suspicious eye at the photographer
Following closely behind in terms of sheer hard work is the ever growing collection of photographs of the village. Not only has the group tirelessly hunted down these rarities but every image has to be painstakingly scanned, the original returned to its owner and the digital image electronically filed. Many of these can be seen on the photo pages of the History section here.
Maggie deep in conversation with Peggy Cole MBE
In addition to the Archive Group’s work, another Blaxhall resident, Chris Long, has been busy with an original plan to photograph both Blaxhall’s houses and their inhabitants as they are now. The results of his efforts were on display at the end of the hall, with notes about each set of photos, adding extra interest to a thoroughly absorbing experience.
The information available was comprehensive but I understand that there is a great deal of research still to do. For a village as small as Blaxhall the group’s work completed to date is already astounding, and is effectively a fantastic gift to both villagers now and future generations. Blaxhall is fortunate indeed to be have already had George Ewart Evans write "Ask The Fellows Who Cut The Hay" about the village; now the timely work by the Archive Group has saved many memories that would otherwise have been lost. The village has altered a great deal over the last fifty years, and many current residents are new to the village. As such the Archive Group’s work may prove to be even more important as not just memories but documents and photographs ebb away over the next few decades.
Blaxhall Archive Group are: Shane Pictor, Peter Fletcher, Raymond Poacher, Bert Smith, Daphne Gant, Violet Skeet, Maggie Grenham and Percy Drewery.