Posted by: Blog Administrator
on Sep 16, 2011
Just recently I and a friend were offered the brilliant opportunity to work at the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre for two days a week in August. Initially hoping to gain just some kind of work experience during the holidays, we expected very little, so to be able to access the archives and undertake research at one of the country’s best resources for history has been a great privilege.
Mere's celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee
What immediately has impressed us upon entry to the centre was the sheer enthusiasm of the staff, in particular Terry Bracher, who immediately set us out on a project. Due to the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in 10 months, we were tasked with gathering as much information as possible about festivities that occurred in Wiltshire on the day of Queen Victoria’s same celebration a mere 115 years prior. This provided us with a fascinating insight into the life of a historian, as we were trawling through countless school log books, to occasionally find a golden nugget of information. For instance, we discovered that Church of England Schools seemed to value this day far more, with far more detailed accounts, possibly showing that even then the monarchy was not as widely received by the mass public.
After initially utilising some of the 8 mile long archives for our research, we then moved on to the microfilm, giving us an example of how much media has changed over the last century. Still accessing information on the activities of June 20th 1897, we used the newspapers to extract more detailed accounts of events such as the processions and street gatherings, in and around Wiltshire. For example, the Swindon Advertiser gave a terrific description of what the celebrations in London as well as Swindon, while another paper interviewed an Indian serviceman who was ‘mesmerised’ by the wonderful sense of occasion nationwide. Accessing terrifically vivid photos as well, we have been able to truly learn about a fascinating time in Britain’s history.
