1. There are over 20,000 individual images on our Image Catalogue
There are several thousand more which are yet to be catalogued, most of these un-catalogued images come from the North Devon Journal Archive Collection.
2. The North Devon Journal Archive Image Collection Has a Separate Catalogue.
You can search for the Journal Images through both the our general Image Catalogue as well a dedicated NDJ Images Catalogue.
3. Some of our images can be viewed online
You can view thumbnail images of the North Devon Journal Archive, World War Two Collection and the Archaeological Image Collection via our Image Catalogue.
4. Over 33,000 images from our collections have been Digitised
While there are over 20,000 are listed on our catalogue, we have over 33,000 images from our collections digitised. We have over 13,000 images which, while digitised have not yet been catalogued. Most of the uncatalogued digitised images belong to the North Devon Journal Archive collection and are stored by date allowing us to access them for searchers.
5. We have images spread throughout our collections
While we have a dedicated image collection, there are also images in our document collections and North Devon Journal Archive.
6. You Can Find Our Oil Paintings on Art UK
In 2002 the Public Catalogue Foundation was set up to take images of all the oil paintings in public ownership in Britain. The images were put onto an online catalogue and can be found at Artuk.org
7. The images in our care come in many different formats
From oil paintings, to photographs, sketches to etchings, glass plates and film negatives the images in our care come in a variety of mediums.
8. Hundreds of Items are labelled BWO
BWO stands for Bruce William Oliver who was a Barnstaple born, architect, local historian and one of our Trustees and benefactors. A keen photographer and artist he left a large collection of sketches, watercolours, architectural drawings, photographs, 35mm slides, Lantern slides and more across our Image, Library and Original Document Collections. We also have his Lantern slide projector.
9. Not Everything Marked as BWO was, however, by BWO
In 2007 the librarian was going through a collection of maps and plans when she came across a set of plans marked BWO. When they were unrolled she knew instantly that they had been mis-labelled and were actually drawn by William Richard Lethaby. The drawings for A House for Four Learned Societies were his winning entry for the Soane Medallion in 1879.
10. One of Our Favourite Items from the Image Collections is the Harper Scrapbook
The scrapbook album contains hundreds of images and notes on Barnstaple, Newport and Pilton. Started by Sydney Harper in the 19th Century it is full of interesting snippets of historical information and images which includes a page dedicated to us and our forerunner the Barnstaple Literary and Scientific Institute.
…Barum Athena
Tales From the Archives 