An online journal for the North Devon Athenaeum
After researching the Birth of the NHS for her blog post earlier this year our Assistant Librarian, Sandi, has been looking into the life of Mary Seacole for Black History Month.... We have all heard of Florence Nightingale the Crimea Nurse but few know the name of Mary Seacole. Yet at the time, 1856, the …
While the celebrations marking the end of the War in Europe swept across the country, there were many who were still waiting to hear news from the men fighting in the east. “Although the European War was over, it didn’t really affect me. All the jollifications. My husband was still fighting, I was still upset. …
Continue reading "Discover VJ Day and the War in the Far East…On Our Shelves!"
My mother remembered that in 1927, after her younger brother was born, he had to wear a shoulder and arm splint because his arm had been broken during his delivery. My Grandmother had been assisted during the birth, like most lower-class women, by an untrained local woman. The cost of a doctor per visit of …
As part of International Archives Week we are taking a look at some of the posts we’ve written about the document and archive collections in our care and the work we do. Today we’re taking a look at some of the posts we’ve written about what we get up to when the public aren’t in …
Continue reading "5 Posts Which Take You Behind the Scenes…"
As part of International Archives Week we are taking a look at some of the posts we’ve written about the document and archive collections in our care and the work we do. Today we’re taking a look at some of the posts we’ve written about our collections. 1. The North Devon Journal Archive One of …
We often come across intriguing items which have a story to tell when we are looking for something else in our collections, this generally happens when we are doing something quickly for someone! This was the case when I kept coming across images of a rather imposing building from various angles and in various states …
As today marks the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day we take a look at some of the resources we hold within our collections. Throughout the course of the war, the Athenaeum did its bit. The railings were taken to be melted down and used in industry, there was a fire watch station on …
Continue reading "Discover VE Day and World War II…On Our Shelves!"
Reading the first few pages of book Lumberjills – Britain’s Forgotten Army by Joanna Foat I experienced a feeling of déjà vu. Some of her first statements were: - “In the 1940’s people did not believe women could work in forestry” …. or be strong enough to fell trees. “They were laughed at, they were …
Continue reading "Lumberjills – Women’s Timber Corps in World War II 1942-1946"
Every year we close for a fortnight for what has been traditionally called stocktaking. A chance for us to go through our collections to make sure everything is where it should be! It also gives us a chance to carry out larger projects we wouldn’t normally be able to do while we are open to …
2019 was another interesting year, exploring our collections and discovering new things. January Our Assistant Librarian, Sandi, wrote about the research she had been doing on the Plaster Ceilings of Barnstaple in the first post of the year. March Was a big month for us as we worked together with British Military History to put …
