Information
We have arranged a limited number of events for the time being in the hope that as time goes on we will be able to start adding extra in-person events too. Please keep checking back to see what else we have added.
Upcoming Events
- History Talks
- Research Workshops
- How to…
- Mindful Mondays
- What is Norfolk?
- Vacation Voices
- Archive Ambulation
- Food from the Archives
- A Foodie’s Dream
Paston Footprints
Throughout this period we have a number of events running to accompany the Paston Footprints exhibition. To find out more about these events please visit our Paston Footprints page.
Regular Events
History Talks
In Conversation: Michael Young and Phyllis Willmott at Churchill Archives Centre
By Sophie Bridges
Wednesday 21 July, 1pm and 7pm
Michael Young and Phyllis Willmott were eminent social researchers, closely connected with the Institute of Community Studies in Bethnal Green. In 2000, these lifelong friends came together to talk about the past, more specifically about Michael’s childhood, education, political activism and early public policy work, 1915-53. The recordings of their conversations have now been digitised thanks to the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project and to Norfolk Record Office. This talk will explore the lives of both these fascinating people and the value of their oral history recordings for researchers today.
Sophie Bridges is an Archivist at Churchill Archives Centre, Cambridge, one of the largest repositories in the United Kingdom for the preservation and study of modern personal papers. The collection encompasses the personal papers of individuals who made and remade British domestic politics and international relations, advanced scientific knowledge, and who observed or transformed society, economics and culture.
Booking required, please use the links below.
The Great Summer Staycation: Seaside Memories from the Sound Archives
By Nicole Hudson
Friday 13 August, 1pm
Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside! Holiday makers throughout history have flocked to the Norfolk coast. In this talk, hear historical holiday memories captured in our region’s sound archives, exploring the leisure and entertainments activities that drew holiday makers to Norfolk’s coastline throughout the 20th century in the words of those who experienced them.
This talk is presented by the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage East of England Hub at Norfolk Record Office, one of ten UK wide heritage organisations working with the British Library to preserve rare and at-risk audio archives.
Unlocking Our Sound Heritage is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Image courtesy of Picture Norfolk.
Booking required, please use the link below.
Supper from the Sound Archives
Monday 13 September, 1pm
Join us for a lunchtime talk that will make your stomach rumble, exploring our regional sound archives to uncover reminiscences from the heart of the home, the kitchen.
Discover what was on the menu for Norfolk people throughout the 20th century, exploring our county’s culinary history.
This talk is presented by Unlocking Our Sound Heritage East of England (UOSH), a national audio preservation project chaired by the British Library and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. As the East of England UOSH hub, Norfolk Record Office is one of ten heritage organisations across the UK working to digitally preserve rare and at-risk audio archives, safeguarding them for future generations, and making them accessible to the public.
Booking required, please use the link below.
This event is part of Heritage Open Days- bookings will not open until 9 August.
Research Workshops
We have three workshops showing how to carry out research into particular topics using archives. Those that are run online include:
- A talk on how to use Norfolk sources for your research
- A chance to ask questions
- A workbook containing workshop notes and a practical activity
- A voucher to receive half price access to an in-person workshop
- A chance to view some of our Website Tutorials explaining how to use various websites to locate and access the documents mentioned (these are also available via our YouTube channel)
The online workshops are completely free of charge and focus on sources that you can access from home. Click on a date below to book.
Introduction to Family History
We will talk you through using personal papers and interviewing relatives to make a start on your family history. Next we will show you how to use census records, civil registration, and parish registers to continue with your research.
Bookings required, using links below
Advanced Family History
If you have already attended our family history session or have plenty of experience of tracing your family tree but don’t know where to go next, this session is for you. We delve into electoral registers, marriage licence bonds and tithe documents. A number of the items included are only available in the Norfolk Record Office searchroom in person.
Booking required, using links below.
Introduction to House History
Find out how to trace the history of the fabric of your building using historical maps and modern maps before using census returns, trade directories, and wills to find out about your properties previous owners and occupiers.
Booking required, using links below.
How to…
These sessions, which last around 30-45 minutes, provide you with tips and advice from members of Record Office staff.
Looking after your books and documents at home
Join Senior Conservator, Nick Sellwood to find out how to look after the books and documents stored in your own in your own home. Understand how heat, storage and moisture can affect the condition of documents. At the end there will be a chance to ask Nick for advice on your own documents.
Booking required, using the links below.
Using our Online Catalogues
Our ever popular session is back again. Find out how to use our new online catalogue, containing nearly 900,000 entries for documents in our care. This session explains some of the tips and tricks for searching for different documents, and explains how search results can be placed on the clipboard.
Booking required, using the links below.
Mindful Mondays
Join us for 45 minutes of relaxing colouring in whilst chatting to others. All colouring sheets containing images from our archives are provided in advance, you just need to bring the colouring pencils! Feel free to drop in and out at any point during the 45 minutes.
Booking required, using links below.
What is Norfolk?
Wednesday 28 July, 1pm
Join us for a talk to find out why Norfolk is the way it is today. Using a range of maps, sales particulars, photographs and other documents find out how the county evolved, over the centuries, into the Norfolk we know today.
This event forms part of Norfolk Day 2021.
Vacation Voices: Summer Holiday Reminiscence Session
Friday 20 August, 10am
From sticks of rock to crabbing, sandcastles to donkey rides, what are your summer holiday memories? Join this informal reminiscence session to hear extracts from Norfolk’s sound archives, listening to first-hand accounts of holiday memories from throughout the 20th century. Share your own holiday memories, or simply listen in for some nostalgic reflection. This session lasts for 45 minutes.
This reminiscence session is hosted by the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage East of England Hub at Norfolk Record Office, one of ten UK wide heritage organisations working with the British Library to preserve rare and at-risk audio archives.
Unlocking Our Sound Heritage is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Image courtesy of Picture Norfolk.
Archive Ambulation: King Street’s Beer Trade
Friday 10 September to Sunday 19 September
Walk in the footsteps of previous Norwich citizens to take a trip down King Street whilst enjoying the sights and sounds of the past. This self-guided walking tour uses sound clips from the Norfolk Sound Archive and images of documents from the Norfolk Record Office to allow you to have an immersive experience of what the pub and breweries were like in during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Booking required, please use the link below.
This event is part of Heritage Open Days- bookings will not open until 9 August.
Food from the Archives
Friday 17 September, 1pm
Join us for a talk on food in the archives. Find out how some of the early recipes included in journals and recipe books have been brought to life with a modern twist, discover what ingredients you could buy in 16th Century Norwich and where in the world these items would have come from.
Booking required, please use the link below.
This event is part of Heritage Open Days- bookings will not open until 9 August.
A Foodie’s Dream
Friday 17 September, 2-4pm
Join us to see some original documents relating to food in The Archive Centre. Find out about Norwich’s role in the food and drink industry and some of the people who worked within it.
This is an in-person event and will only run dependant on government guidelines at the time. To limit numbers, we will be booking 30 minute slots and there will be a strict one-way system.
Booking required, please use the link below.
This event is part of Heritage Open Days- bookings will not open until 9 August.
Norfolk Record Office 