News & Notices

Posted 6 April 2021

Cheshire Record Office to re-open

Plans to reopen Cheshire Record Office to the public have been approved. From Tuesday 13th April, the Office will be open

Tuesday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-4pm

Friday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-4pm

To help manage numbers in the public searchroom, all visits and documents must be booked in advance. Arrangements for visiting are described in detail here: Visiting us (cheshirearchives.org.uk). These arrangements have been developed in line with Government and local Public Health guidance and will be kept under regular review. Changes will be announced on the Archives website and via social media.

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Posted 5 November 2020

Statement from Cheshire Archives and Local Studies - "The Record Office is closed from today, in line with the new restrictions agreed in Parliament yesterday. We have had to close the public searchroom, but other services remain operational so we will still be responding to research requests and email enquiries, although in some cases there may be a slight delay in replying. Online services are unaffected. At present this closure is until December 2nd. We will be using social media and the archives website as the primary means of communicating any updates."

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Posted 23 October 2020

Cheshire Historic Environment Record (HER) holds information on a wide range of historic sites, buildings, finds, and landscape of Cheshire, Warrington and Halton. Information is held on a database and linked geographical system. It holds reports of surveys, excavations, published and unpublished material and aerial photographs.

HERs are a primary source for planning, development control and land management, and a great starting point for anyone researching the history of an area or building. There are these options for accessing information : www.cheshirearchaeology.org.uk also www.heritagegateway.org.uk and the HERs direct email below.

Pre–pandemic, it was possible to arrange an appointment to see source material, at Cheshire Historic Environment Record, The Forum, Chester CH1 2HS. Tel. 01244 973667 / 973997 where the contact was Moya Watson. In the absence of staff to answer telephones, email enquiries to hbsmradmin@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk, and also note that the National Library of Scotland has historic maps countrywide, accessible via https://maps.nls.uk/. For the moment, online searching is likely to be the best way forward, and if you email a question, response times may be longer than usual. You may also find that the oldest records are the least detailed, and the more recent ones the more complete.


CHESHIRE HISTORY JOURNAL

Journal No.60 is packed (in Covid–secure conditions !) and now on the way to members. There are 182 pages of fascinating features, illustrations, book reviews and, sadly, obituaries of Hilary Morris, Pat Dale, Peter Boughton and Colin Phillips. Non-members wishing to purchase a copy should visit this site's Cheshire History Journal page.

Please note also that membership renewals become due in the New Year, when we hope to resume something closer to an active programme as soon as it is safe to do so, with History Day planned for September 2021.

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Posted 2 August 2020 - SEE UPDATE 5 NOVEMBER 2020

Planning to visit Cheshire Archives and Local Studies? Full details of visiting during Covid19 precautions are

available here - www.cheshirearchives.org.uk/visiting-us/visiting-us.aspx and a summary is shown below.

The Cheshire Record Office reopened on Tuesday 28th July, following the development of a detailed risk assessment and subsequent changes to the way in which the service will operate for the foreseeable future. The arrangements have been developed in conjunction with Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Health and Safety team and in line with current Government guidance. They will be reviewed as guidance changes.

Key points

    • Opening times: Tuesday, 10am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 4pm

Friday, 10am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 4pm

    • Appointment only

    • We have space for four researchers per morning or afternoon session

    • Appointments will be for a morning or afternoon session

    • Access will be limited to original records and local studies publications

    • Copying and research services are available as normal if you don’t wish to travel to the Record Office

    • There will be no access to microfilm readers or paper catalogues

    • Access to staff will be limited and any conversations regarding collections should take place in advance by telephone. When you make a booking you can make arrangements for a member of staff to phone before your visit

    • Visitors to the Record Office are encouraged to wear face coverings (from 8th August they will be compulsory)

    • Gloves should not be worn to handle documents

    • Social distancing arrangements will be in place

    • Hand sanitiser will be available at the entrance to the Record Office

Updates will be provided via Twitter @CheshireRO.

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Posted 25 May 2020

Cheshire History number 54, 2014-15, is now available online, free of charge, via our Past Publications subsidiary website.

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Posted 16 July 2019

With great sadness, we report the death of Mrs Hilary Morris, who convened the meeting which founded Cheshire Local History Association in 1998 and was elected its first chairman. She has been a wise and steadfast presence at the Association’s meetings ever since, while also maintaining her own local historical research. Among many other activities, Hilary was a pillar of Burton & Neston History Society and one of the driving forces behind its vibrant series of publications. Her funeral is to be at Christ Church, Willaston, on Monday 22 July at 1pm.

A fuller obituary will appear in next year’s Cheshire History.

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Posted 9 April 2019

News about Cheshire Archives and Local Studies

The excellent CALS tithe maps website has improved even further with a complete redesign. However the address for it has changed - it is now https://maps.cheshireeast.gov.uk/tithemaps/

Some of the pages of the CALS website have changed addresses. The homepage is at http://www.cheshirearchives.org.uk/home.aspx

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