Village Archive
The History Society has assembled an archive of historic and modern-day artefacts that could be of interest to future generations in understanding how our village, and life in it, has developed over the years.
This 'Village Archive' is in two parts: an Online section and a physical section. The two sections use a common Table of Contents. Some items are replicated in both sections, mainly photographs, but there is much that is in only one collection for practical reasons.
A Guide to using the Archive is available, along with the Archive Table of Contents:
A guide to using the Chearsley Village Archive
Chearsley Village Archive - Table of Contents
Online Archive
The Online collection of documents, photographs, presentations, etc. is available for browsing although there is still a lot more material to file. It can be seen at this link:
Online Archive (opens Google Drive)
Not all the headings in the Archive Index contain material at the moment, but those that do are indicated with a 'Yes' in the column headed 'Online Content?'
Please note that the Online collection is hosted on a Google Drive site. A Google account is not essential to view it but the on-screen presentation will be more useable if you have a Google account and are logged into it.
Physical Archive
A Physical collection has been assembled and is stored in the village hall (see picture below), apart from some that are held by St Nicholas Church. Storage is largely in plastic crates but there is also a collection of fascinating Display Boards plus a Bookcase of interesting books.
The collection comprises old documents (church records, old Parish Council minutes, etc.), photo albums and physical artefacts that cannot be scanned to the electronic archive.
The Archive Table of Contents provides more details of what's in the archive and where it is stored in terms of the storage crates, display boards and book case.
For safety reasons, access to the archive storage area at the village hall is available only to authorised individuals. However, all the items in the archive are available to anyone who would like to borrow them - please contact any member of the Historical Society (email address below) who will be happy to provide them for you at a few days' notice. Please make a note of the crate number from the Table of Contents.
More items wanted
If you have any items that you think might be of interest to others, we would love to receive them either as a donation or a short term loan to the Society for photographing. This is an excellent way to find a home for those interesting items that are taking up valuable storage space at home but which you don't really want to throw away.
Please contact the Steering Group who would love to hear from you (cvhssg@chearsley.com)
