- Behind the scenes experience
- Reminiscence: Talking sport
- History talks
- Research workshops
- Quick Guides
- Force of nature
- Tudor tailors
- School holiday activities
- Norfolk at War: bombing and blackout
- The lost art of letter writing
- Work Experience day
For a chronological list of events please visit our Eventbrite page.
Behind the scenes experience
In person
Wednesday 23 September, 2-3.30am
£7 per person*
Join us for our popular visit behind the scenes at the Norfolk Record Office. Find out how the conservators repair both parchment and paper documents, have a look at our Strongrooms, and see a display of original documents.
*Norfolk Archives and Heritage Development Foundation supporters get two free tickets for our Behind the Scenes experience as part of their individual membership. For more information and to join visit NorAH.
Reminiscence
Talking sport
In person
Friday 4 September, 10-11.30am
Free of charge
What recollections do you have of school sports, supporting your favourite team, or enjoying Wimbledon or the Olympics from the comfort of home? Join us in our café style setting to grab a cuppa and chat about your memories.
There will be a chance to see some original documents and sound recordings of people’s recollections of their sporting activities.
Refreshments included
History talks
Seeking Mea Allan – Fleet Street’s forgotten pioneer
In person and online
By Felicity Goodall
Wednesday 22 July, 1-2pm
Free of charge
War correspondent Mea Allan was a household name during World War II. She interviewed IRA bombmakers, was the only woman to report from Belsen, and the first woman on a Fleet Street news desk. Journalist Felicity Goodall tells the story of her fascinating life.
Part of Norwich History Festival
Refreshments will be available 10 minutes before the talk starts. Feel free to grab yourself a cuppa and settle down for an interesting 45 minutes.
The Rows of Great Yarmouth
In person and online
By Stuart Burgess
Wednesday 9 September, 1-2pm
Free of charge
Great Yarmouth once had over 147 narrow alleyways, called Rows, dissecting its medieval town. This talk explores when the Rows were created, and why the street pattern remain unaltered for over 1,000 years. The large families living in the rows often experienced their fair share of misfortune, especially during the First and Second World Wars. Stuart moves on to explore the stories of several families in detail, especially during the years 1850-1945.
Refreshments will be available 10 minutes before the talk starts. Feel free to grab yourself a cuppa and settle down for an interesting 45 minutes.
Research workshops
Our research workshops to help you to get started or discover additional materials useful for your own research.
Advanced family history- Part 1
Online
Friday, 25 September, 10am
Pay what you can (suggested donation- £5)
This session is aimed at anyone who has already started their family history research but is unsure how to take it further. We show you how to use electoral registers, marriage licence bonds and tithe documents.
The session is led by a knowledgeable and experienced tutor who will take you through each source focusing on their uses for research and how to access them. You are welcome to ask questions at the end of the session. Each participant will be sent a workbook which includes a practical activity to try at home.
Look out for part 2 in the afternoon.
Advanced family history- Part 2
Online
Friday, 25 September, 2pm
Pay what you can (suggested donation- £5)
This session is aimed at anyone who has already started their family history research but is unsure how to take it further. We show you how to use probate material, school records, business records, and papers relating to the workhouse.
The session is led by a knowledgeable and experienced tutor who will take you through each source focusing on their uses for research and how to access them. You are welcome to ask questions at the end of the session. Each participant will be sent a workbook which includes a practical activity to try at home.
Look out for part 1 in the morning.
Advanced House History
Online
Thursday 10 September, 10-11am
Pay what you can (suggested donation- £5)
Join us online to learn how to continue your research into the fabric and previous inhabitants of your building. Learn about the manorial system and how to find former owners from manor court books, find out how to discover the use of different rooms from probate inventories, understand how to use the field books and valuation books from the duties on land values.
The session is led by a knowledgeable and experienced tutor who will take you through each source focusing on their uses for research and how to access them. You are welcome to ask questions at the end of the session. Each participant will be sent a workbook which includes a practical activity to try at home.
Quick guides
Each of our quick guides looks closely at an individual set of documents or research topic.
Maritime Records
Online
Thursday 15 October, 10-10.45am
Free of charge
Learn how to trace the history of a ship and its crew, including vessels registered at the ports of Great Yarmouth and King’s Lynn. Explore the Norfolk Record Office’s resources on merchant shipping in Great Yarmouth, as well as information on shipbuilders and operators.
Booking required using the link below
Reading from the archives
The Force of Nature
Online
Tuesday 20 October, 10- 10.30am
Free of charge
Listen to powerful recordings that reveal how nature has shaped people’s lives over the centuries. Discover the changing Norfolk coastline through flooding, sea breaches, and erosion. Learn how the hurricanes of 1860 and 1987 affected local communities, hear the story of a violent thunderstorm in 1772 that damaged a church steeple, and discover how a storm in 1671 led to the drowning of sheep.
Please book using the link below
Tudor Tailors
In person
Monday 5 October, 10am- 4pm
Free of charge
Join us to find out about Tudor dress by helping us to recreate some Tudor clothing for our school workshops.
Some sewing experience required.
A light lunch will be provided.
It would be useful (but not essential) for you to bring in your own sewing machine, and help will be available for you to bring it into the building via our loading bay.
All materials and patterns will be provided.
School holiday activities
Flower Power
In person
Wednesday 19 August, 2-3.30pm
Take inspiration from images in the archives to design your own flower. Then embroider, paint or applique your design to create a mixed media T-shirt to take home.
Aimed at Primary School age children.
Coded Kites
In person
Thursday 13 August, 2-3.30pm
Be inspired by an unusual way of storing documents. 16th century wills were rolled up and tied together by string creating the appearance of a kite tail. Join us create your own kite before writing a secret message to attach to the string.
Aimed at Primary School age children.
Norfolk at War: Bombing and Blackout
In person
Wednesday 16 September
10.30am-12 noon
Join us for a rare chance to see the original Norwich Bomb map.
Standing at 2 metres tall, and 2 meters wide, the map gives the locations of the bombs which fell on Norwich during the war. Find out how the map was conserved. Discover how it has been used in television, and see photographs of some of the bomb sites.
Part of Heritage Open Days. Bookings open at 10am on Wednesday 26 August
Light refreshments included.
The Lost Art of Letter Writing
In person
Friday 18 September
1-3pm
How did people send messages before phones, emails and envelopes? Journey through the history of letter writing.
Find out about Victorian cross hatching, how communication took place during war and learn about the changes in the postal system.
Spend some time exploring a range of letters on the themes of love, friendship and family, war and separation, including letters from evacuees, soldiers, children and lovers. View the letter warning Edith Cavell’s family about a potential spy, look at 2 letters from Lord Nelson showing the changes in his handwriting before and after he lost his arm, and see how the letters written by Prisoner of War Geoffrey Ransome were censored before they could be sent out.
Take the opportunity to a go at writing with a quill, create your own cross hatch letter, and learn how ‘lock’ a letter so that only the recipient can read it.
Part of Heritage Open Days. Bookings open at 10am on Wednesday 26 August
Work Experience: Working in a Heritage Environment
In person
Wednesday 29 July, 11am-3.15pm
Free of charge
Get ready for an exciting opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a heritage environment! Are you studying history or a related subject and in years 10-13 at school or at university studying for a degree? Are you considering a career in heritage? Or further education in history? Then you may like to join us for our one day work experience session. The day is based around a number of practical sessions in conservation, digitising documents and the role of an archivist. You will get a chance to photograph documents, transcribe original material and have a go at cleaning one of our documents. Due to the hands-on nature of the event spaces are limited.
Norfolk Record Office 