Projectkin Special Livestream: All About That Place 2026
The wealth of 19th century Quebec was built on the timber that flowed through its port and used in its shipyards. It was the Irish of Quebec who built the ships and stowed the timber. Beneath the Citadel of Quebec there is a small strip of land between the cliffs and the river. Snaking along the shore was a long, narrow road six miles long. This road, called rue Champlain, linked coves, docks, and shipyards where the Irish of Quebec City worked and lived. A look at the homes and businesses lining this street in the waning age of wooden […]
A House in Changing Berlin
Built in 1885-86, Villa Anna was one of an ensemble of villas leading up to Treptower Park in Berlin. Since 1949 the address is Puschkinallee 5. The history of the house echoes that of Berlin: first a residential property during the Weimar Republik; expropriated 1945 by the Soviet Military for its administration; during the GDR years it was House of German-Soviet Friendship and then the Cultural House for Treptow. After the Wall came down it became parKHaus, a centre for experimental art, theatre and film. In 2005, a group of young families transformed it into a community living project.
From Roots to Rebirth: Discovering Oldham’s Heritage
From Roots to Rebirth: Discovering Oldham’s Heritage explores how archives, maps, photographs and personal memories can reveal the hidden stories of a changing landscape. Through the rediscovery of lost railways, vanished hamlets, historic green spaces and the people who shaped them. This talk reflects on how place and family history are deeply connected. Drawing on research supported by Oldham Archives, this presentation celebrates the value of local heritage and demonstrates how genealogy can bring forgotten places back to life, inspiring a deeper understanding of the communities from which we come.
Boom, Bust, and Commuters: The 1,000-Year Evolution of Thatcham
How does an ancient market town transform into a modern commuter hub? This short talk charts Thatcham’s landscape, skipping briefly past its prehistoric roots to focus on the last millennium of evolution. Discover how it grew from a Saxon administrative centre and medieval borough, before falling behind neighbouring Newbury. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw a few key industries dominate the area, while the post-WWII era brought a population and housing boom, transforming Thatcham from a village into a commuter town.
Findhorn . . . a brief history of a Scottish coastal village
My wife’s grandfather was born and spent most of his life in Findhorn, Moray, Scotland. From his mid-teens in the 1880s, he was part of a large contingent of fishermen harvesting salmon in and around the Findhorn Estuary. But he spent his last years as a farm labourer in a village several miles inland. One might wonder what the reason was for his change in occupation and residence. How did environmental changes, intertwined with human history, impact lives and livelihoods on the coastline and a thriving port and fishing centre?
Erased and Replaced: Geographic challenges in genealogical research
We need to know where our ancestors lived before we can do comprehensive genealogical research. But at times, that’s not easy. Sometimes our ancestors lied; sometimes, knowledge has been lost with time; and sometimes, boundary changes brought new names or forced migration. All of these changes can create problems in identifying families and properly recording our discoveries. It really has been possible to be born in one country, get married in another, and die in a third, without ever leaving your home; consider the problems we face in Eastern Europe.
When a Town Changes: A Kansas Civil War Mystery in the Census
A comparison of two census years revealed an astonishing mystery: nearly an entire Kansas community had disappeared. What happened to the families, and where did they go?
From Sailcloth to Sugar Cane
In 1856 a group of Somerset villagers migrated to Australia. Focusing on one family within the context of their wider network, this talk considers motivations for migration, experience on the voyage, passenger list discrepancies, chain migration, back migration, settlement in Australia, and the naming of people and places.
Getting inquisitive about your local area: how to research the history of where you live
Prompted by living on a previously industrial site, this talk will explore the variety of resources available for researching the history of your local area. The talk will focus on a previously rural area of southeast Edinburgh, and the previously industrial site of the 1988 Glasgow Garden Festival. The main resources used will be the National Library of Scotland’s map collections, e-resources and physical collections.
From Walls to Wapping: moving from an Orkney island to London and what then?
Who were the islanders from North Walls, Orkney, Scotland that we find recorded as a group in the East End of London in the 1861 Census? Why were they there? Was this huge change of place a temporary move, a stepping stone or a destination? These are some of the questions we’ll look at and try and answer.