Al volunteers one morning a week here at the Norfolk Record Office.

I (Emily) went to the Document Cleaning Room to chat to Al about volunteering.

Emily: So Al, how did you first discover the Norfolk Record Office?
Al: Well I was interested in family history and found my way here. Then someone who used to work here told me about the volunteering opportunities.

So how long have you been volunteering here?
About 9 years..ish!

Wow! What are you working on at the moment?
I’m part of a group of volunteers who are working on the Francis Horner Memorial Archive which was presented to the Norfolk Record Office in 2010. It’s the records of Francis Hornor and Son, surveyors and land agents of Norwich. The archive includes business accounts, 1894-1968, records relating to charity and private estates, a seventeenth-century swan roll and lots of maps. These maps were probably stored in an attic so they need cleaning, dusting, wrapping up. Once they are cleaned they can go back into the strongrooms.

Volunteers Al and Pearl

So that’s an important part of what happens behind the scenes here. What other kinds of things have you done whilst volunteering?
I’ve done some cataloging, photography, box making, cleaning the edges of books. I have a printing background so I already had relevant skills before I began volunteering here. But anyone could potentially be a volunteer and will receive all the necessary training.

To inquire about volunteering opportunities, please contact us.