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.
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?
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.
Birtles Vicarage: More Than Tea and Theology
Who lived at Birtles Vicarage—and where did their stories lead? Drawing on censuses, plans, photographs, school records and family memories, Ruth Willmore traces the changing households who made this Cheshire vicarage their home. Meet clergy families, daughters, schoolboy boarders, later residents and the final vicarage family, while discovering how one young occupant’s story connects unexpectedly to the modern electric kettle. This talk shows how researching a single house can reveal wider stories of childhood, education, invention, community and memory, and offers inspiration for your own local and family history research.
Building the Past: How the Twentieth Century Transformed the Ironbridge Gorge
This talk will use the case study of the Ironbridge Gorge to explore the ways that twentieth-century planning and conservation have changed historic environments and landscapes. In the 1970s and 1980s the Ironbridge Gorge was transformed into a tourist destination and a place where people could ‘step into the past’. This transformation has in turn affected the story of the Gorge that is told to visitors.
Changing Places Through Occupation
Explore the occupations where skills were needed, and transferable, in different places. Were your ancestors affected by a change of place through moving for their work? From expected to unexpected.
Drunken, dissipated and immoral? The Woodlark Passengers 1874
What became of the men, women and children who arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand on the Woodlark in 1874? A one-voyage study offers a window into 19th century migration, the realities of building new lives and the families they left behind.