News & Events
EXPLORE THE HISTORY OF BELGRAVIA & PIMLICO
A talk by Alison Kenney, Archivist
Monday 24 June 2013 at 6.30pm
Victoria Library
160 Buckingham Palace Road
London SW1W 9UD
T: 020 7641 1300
E: victorialibrary@westminster.gov.uk
W: www.westminster.gov.uk/libraries
Free event, but please book as places are limited
COVENT GARDEN DAY
FREE event at Westminster City Archives Centre
10, St Ann’s Street, London SW1P 2DE
Saturday 20 July 2013
10.30am – 3.30pm
Discover Covent Garden’s unique and fascinating history. Enjoy the premiere screening of the recently made documentary ‘Gentleman We’ve Had Enough!’ about the 70s/80s campaign to save the area from demolition.
Speakers on the day include: Peter Daniel (Interpretation Officer) History of Covent Garden, Jo Weir (Covent Garden Community Association) the Campaign to save the area from demolition and Frances Franchi (The Royal Opera House) the History of the Royal Opera House.
PLUS a chance to see the Westminster Archives Covent Garden and Theatre collections, and to have a look inside the Archives strongrooms
To book your FREE place call 020 7641 5180
or email archives@westminster.gov.uk
Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund
The Cookbook of Unknown Ladies
Curious recipes and hidden histories from Westminster City Archives
The Cookbook of Unknown Ladies is a manuscript recipe book in the collections of Westminster City Archives. The recipes, recorded in several different hands, span 150 years of British cookery, providing a fascinating insight into culinary craft of the Georgian and Regency periods.
This year, we'll be sharing recipes from this fascinating recipe book online through a brand new blog. We'll also take a look at the fascinating history of London's food markets, pubs, restaurants and cafes, and take a look at how the people preparing these recipes would have lived.
We'll be recreating Georgian recipes from the book in our Archives kitchen, and letting you know how we get on through regular posts on the blog. We hope you'll feel inspired to try some the recipes out in your own kitchens and share your experiences with us!
To find out more take a look at http://lostcookbook.wordpress.com!
St Clement Danes pupils film new documentary about the campaign to save Covent Garden
Year 6 pupils from St Clement Danes Primary School have been busy making a documentary about the 70s/80 campaign to save the area from the GLC planners.
When the market closed in 1974 re-development was high on the GLC agenda. Three lane highways were planned, amidst a concrete complex of offices, a conference centre, hotels, restaurants and shops. This caused outrage amongst the local community, particularly as housing did not have any major priority in the plan. Many residents had worked in the market and had family who had lived and worked in the area for many generations. Other locals were horrified at the idea of beautiful buildings being bulldozed to make way for roads and a concrete jungle. Locals formed the Covent Garden Community Association and the Covent Garden Forum, both of which campaigned to save the area. As a result 250 buildings were listed, forcing the GLC to abort their plans.
St Clement Danes pupils have been working closely with digital:works to interview and film local people who took part in the campaign. The film will be screened on 20 July at the Covent Garden Day at City of Westminster Archives Centre, 10 St Ann’s Street, London SW1P 2DE and as part of the Covent Garden Festival on the 28th September Seven Dials Club, 42 Earlham Street, London WC2H 9LA.
For information about the events contact Camilla Bergman by email: camillaabergman@gmail.com
The film is part of a Covent Garden Community Association and Westminster City Archives partnership, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
To find out more about Covent Garden’s history and the campaign visit www.coventgardenmemories.org.uk
Pygmalion Exhibition tours Westminster
Westminster City Archives have been working closely with volunteers, school children and interns, developing a website and touring display which focuses on the story behind George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion (1912). The play later became better known when Audrey Hepburn plays Eliza Doolittle in the version My Fair Lady. The story was written as a gentle comedy with an underlying social commentary on class, manners, social mobility and contemporary snobbery. The action takes place in the bustling streets of Covent Garden, where Eliza Doolittle sells her flowers to Colonel Pickering.
Although written as a comedy Pygmalion was inspired by a far more sinister and Victorian reality of child trafficking and prostitution, which in 1885 was exposed when W T Stead, a journalist and editor of the Pall Mall Gazette, went undercover and purchased a 13 year old child Eliza Armstrong, for £5 from her family who lived in Lisson Grove. The story was printed in the Pall Mall Gazette, where Shaw worked at the time, causing wide-spread scandal and the three month imprisonment of Stead on a procurement charge.
The Pygmalion display is currently being hosted at Charing Cross Library until the 29 June 2013.
For more information about Pygmalion and the history of Covent Garden visit www.coventgardenmemories.org.uk
Westminster City Archives Facebook page
A new way to stay in touch...
The Westminster City Archives Facebook Page is the perfect way to stay up-dated on all that's happening at the Archives, from special talks and walks through to major exhibitions and on-line projects
If you are a Facebook user, 'like' our page to have the latest Archive updates sent directly to your news stream.
Don't worry if you're not on Facebook - you can still view the page at: www.facebook.com/Westminster.Archives
New photocopying policy introduced in the Archives Search Room
From 1 November 2011 we will be operating a revised photocopying policy in the Archives Search Room. These changes are being introduced to ensure the best care for our collections.
As a result, some materials that were previously available for photocopying will now not be able to be copied in this way. In order to acquire images of these materials you may need to place an order with our scanning service. Alternatively, you may use your own camera for a small fee with one of our self-service photography permits
Read the Photocopying Policy or find out about our scanning service
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2013 Westminster City Council.Contact the councilT: 020 7641 6000E: info@westminster.gov.uk