Come along to the Archives Open Day!
We have been delighted to see so many of you braving the wintery conditions recently for our winter local history talks. In the last few weeks, we’ve discovered more about the funny, tragic and downright bizarre life stories of some of the characters buried at Paddington Cemetery, from Dick Weindling and Marianne Colloms’; and found out about the short criminal career of 18th-century rogue Jack Sheppard, and how his daring excapes ensured that his fictional legacy continues to this day, from the Guildhall Library’s Dr Peter Ross.
If the talks have whetted your appetite for finding out more about the history of Brent, or you’re simply looking for somewhere to take the family this half-term come to this Wednesday’s Archives Open Day at Brent Archives. Join the team for a day of activities to introduce some of the unique and interesting material from our collections, and learn more about the evolution of the Brent area from rural farmland to planned urban centre. As well as exhibitions and displays of original archive material, come along to one of the activities happening throughout the day, for both families and adult visitors.
Meet Edwardian local historian Stanley Ball!
At 11am, The Stanley Ball Lecture will be a re-enactment of a lantern slide show about the history of Willesden, given by illustrious Willesden resident Stanley Ball in the early 1920s, suitable for all ages. From 1pm-3pm, families can Design Your Ideal Brent Home, at our craft event, taking inspiration from original house plans and drawings on display in the exhibition. And in the evening, grown-ups will have a fun opportunity to get hands on and crafty, from 6.30pm-8pm, with our Stonebridge Design Challenge, where you can take inspiration from the exhibition to build your own model for a new Stonebridge town centre.
All activities and exhibitions are free of charge and there’s no need to pre-book to attend; just drop-in on the day. Do give us a ring or drop us an email if you have any questions! Call 020 8937 3541 or email archives@brent.gov.uk. And remember, Wednesday might be our Open Day, but we’re open to the public all year round – you can find our opening hours here.
Posted by Kate
brentmuseumandarchives
Colin C.
Emir Ghariani
I was reading this and thinking what fun a 1920s lantern show would be. I was also thinking you need to get on Twitter and publicise this more widely! Can help with that if you like….
Thanks Ben! We are considering creating a Twitter account in the future for the Museum and Archives to keep you all up to date with upcoming events and projects – but in the meantime, to all of our supporters with Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts, please do spread the word by tweeting and reposting our updates!