Local Local History

This site is available on the internet and parts will later be produced on CD as separate school disks. The web version is under development and will grow over the next few months. Later on will come the disks. They aim to help people to create histories of very small areas – perhaps of only twenty streets – in as much detail as possible. They will help schools in particular to build teaching material about their own neighbourhoods, layer after layer. Small sections of maps with the school site in the centre, going back century after century and each map linked to a larger map of the surrounding district. Stories of how the area has changed – the different building styles – different building materials reflecting different transport systems bringing material into the centre. The change of fortune of industry in the neighbourhood - dairy farming – suburban houses – the building of factories – the movement away of Industry – blight and resurgence. These are the stages neighbourhoods pass through and this disk hopes to help with the recording of these turns of fortune.

Jack Whitehead


We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of our exploring
Will to be arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

T.S. Eliot, ‘Little Gidding'


This verse is sometimes placed on the title page of biographies or autobiographies. It occurs to me that it is also appropriate for this disk which about both place and personal development.

Introductory Arcticles

The Story of Newington Hall

An example of a local site which has been built
and rebuilt over the last two centuries

Introduction to the Web Site
How Teachers will use the Web Site

Sources and Copyrights

How Borough Archivists and Local History Societies might respond to idea of the Disk
Building the History of a School
Making a CD for your School.

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