London,
04
May
2011
|
23:00
Europe/London

Local History on your doorstep

Hackney is an area with fascinating history, some well known and some just waiting to be rediscovered. To celebrate this, local groups and organisations have come together with the Council to put on an exciting programme of events this May to celebrate Local History Month in Hackney. Local History Month is all about the history on your doorstep.

This year s programme of events across a number of venues, including Hackney Museum, local libraries, Sutton House, St Augustine’s Tower and the Geffrye Museum, is an interesting mix of activities for all the family. It covers workshops, talks and walks and design and training sessions all linking to theme of local history.

This year, the Hackney Museum is launching its collections at www.hackney.gov.uk/hackneymuseum. Over 850 fully illustrated objects from across the centuries in Hackney will be online, and more will be added every month. The system is fully searchable by keyword or advanced search. Advanced searching can be done by an object’s name, associated places in Hackney and worldwide, or by date. Watch out for mementoes of earlier London Olympic Games, and our Mapping the Change project which includes interviews which can be played online.

Exhibitions at the council run Hackney Museum include Micro Monsters opening May 19th until September 17th; The Road to Hackney: Photographs of three generations of new travellers and their journeys to Hackney by Ali Dunn which runs until July 2nd. Visitors can also look back on the Scouts in Hackney in Be Prepared - 100 Years of the 14th Hackney Scout Group from 25 May – 3 September 2011.

Hackney Archives is moving to the new Dalston C.L.R. James Library, which will open this summer. The Archives are running a limited enquiry service while they move the collections to their new home.

When the Archives service re-opens, the staff will be holding a series of free introductory sessions for the public about the Archives and how to use them, suitable for beginners or people who need a bit of extra help in their research. Contact the archives team for more information archives@hackney.gov.uk

Visit http://www.hackney.gov.uk/archives to find out general information about Hackney Archives, including opening times.

Hackney’s libraries will host a variety of events including a Life in Great Britain Workshop and Adobe Photoshop taster session. Hackney Council’s eight libraries have books and reference materials for those interested in local history.

Hackney s Cabinet Member for Community Services, Cllr Jonathan McShane, said: "Hackney has a fascinating history that can be traced back to the 1700’s. Local History Month is an ideal opportunity to find out more about the history on your doorstep.”

A booklet highlighting the events taking place in Hackney will be available from the borough’s libraries and museum. To check out events online, please visit: www.hackney.gov.uk/hackneymuseum

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Ends